Wikipedia

1997–98 FA Premier League

The 1997–98 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the FA Premier League. It saw Arsenal lift their first league title since 1991[3] and, in so doing, became only the second team to win The Double for the second time.

FA Premier League
Season1997–98
Dates9 August 1997 – 10 May 1998
ChampionsArsenal
1st Premier League title
11th English title
RelegatedBolton Wanderers
Barnsley
Crystal Palace
Champions LeagueArsenal
Manchester United
Cup Winners' CupChelsea
Newcastle United
UEFA CupAston Villa (through UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking)
Blackburn Rovers
Leeds United
Liverpool
UEFA Intertoto CupCrystal Palace
Matches played380
Goals scored1,019 (2.68 per match)
Top goalscorerDion Dublin
Michael Owen
Chris Sutton
(18 goals each)
Best goalkeeperPeter Schmeichel (16 clean sheets)
Biggest home winManchester United 7–0 Barnsley
(25 October 1997)
Biggest away winBarnsley 0–6 Chelsea
(24 August 1997)
Highest scoringBlackburn Rovers 7–2 Sheffield Wednesday
(25 August 1997)
Longest winning run10 games[1]
Arsenal
Longest unbeaten run18 games[1]
Arsenal
Longest winless run15 games[1]
Crystal Palace
Longest losing run8 games[1]
Crystal Palace
Highest attendance55,306
Manchester United 2–0 Wimbledon
(28 March 1998)
Lowest attendance7,668
Wimbledon 4–1 Barnsley
(23 September 1997)
Total attendance11,100,919[2]
Average attendance29,213[2]

It was Arsenal's first full season under French manager Arsène Wenger, who became the third manager to win the Premier League. Wenger followed in the footsteps of Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish and, while both Ferguson and Dalglish were Scottish, Wenger was the first manager from outside the British Isles to win a league title in England.

Season summary

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At the end of the 1997–98 FA Premier League season, a record total of nine English teams qualified for European competition.

Premiership champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, while UEFA Cup places went to Liverpool, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers. Qualifying for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup were Chelsea (as defending champions) and FA Cup runners-up Newcastle United. Crystal Palace, while finishing bottom, qualified for the Intertoto Cup.[4]

Manchester United led the table for most of the season, before a dip in form during the final two months of the campaign saw Arsenal overtake them in April, taking advantage of games in hand, and winning the league title with two matches remaining, although the gap between the champions and runners-up was a single point in the final table as Arsenal lost their final two fixtures and Alex Ferguson’s men won both of theirs. Arsenal then completed the double by winning the FA Cup. Despite the sudden dismissal of FA Cup winning player-manager Ruud Gullit, Chelsea won the League Cup and European Cup Winners Cup under new player-manager Gianluca Vialli.

The gap between the Premier League and Division One of the Football League was highlighted at the end of 1997–98 when all three newly promoted teams were relegated. Crystal Palace was confined to bottom place in the final table having won just two home games all season and losing most of their games in the second half of the campaign. Barnsley's first season in the top division ended in relegation, although they did reach the FA Cup quarter finals and knock out Manchester United in the Fifth Round. Bolton Wanderers went down on goal difference, with 17th place being occupied by Everton: despite preserving top flight football for the 45th season running, Howard Kendall quit as manager at Goodison Park after his third spell in charge.

Another mark of the gap was that the three relegated teams in the previous season took the top three places in the 1997–98 Football League. Had Sunderland not lost the play-off final to Charlton Athletic on a penalty shootout, the 20 teams from the 1998–99 Premier League would have been exactly the same as those in the 1996–97 Premier League.

Teams

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Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Bolton Wanderers (returning after a season's absence), Barnsley (playing in the top flight for the first and only time) and Crystal Palace (playing in the top flight after a two year absence). They replaced Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest, who were relegated to the First Division after top flight spells of one, two and three years respectively.

Stadiums and locations

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Locations of the 1997–98 Premier League teams
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Greater London Premier League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Arsenal London (Highbury) Arsenal Stadium 38,419
Aston Villa Birmingham Villa Park 42,573
Barnsley Barnsley Oakwell 23,287
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Reebok Stadium 28,723
Chelsea London (Fulham) Stamford Bridge 42,055
Coventry City Coventry Highfield Road 23,489
Crystal Palace London (Selhurst) Selhurst Park 26,074
Derby County Derby Pride Park Stadium[a] 33,597
Everton Liverpool (Walton) Goodison Park 40,569
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 40,242
Leicester City Leicester Filbert Street 22,000
Liverpool Liverpool (Anfield) Anfield 45,522
Manchester United Manchester Old Trafford 55,385
Newcastle United Newcastle upon Tyne St James' Park 52,387
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Hillsborough Stadium 39,732
Southampton Southampton The Dell 15,200
Tottenham Hotspur London (Tottenham) White Hart Lane 36,240
West Ham United London (Upton Park) Boleyn Ground 35,647
Wimbledon London (Selhurst) Selhurst Park[b] 26,074
  1. ^ Derby County relocated to the Pride Park Stadium as their new home stadium after spending 102 years at Baseball Ground.
  2. ^ Due to Wimbledon lacking a home stadium, they played their home games at Selhurst Park, which is the home stadium of Crystal Palace.

Personnel and kits

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A list of personnel and kits of the clubs in the 1997–98 FA Premier League.

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal   Arsène Wenger   Tony Adams Nike JVC
Aston Villa   John Gregory   Gareth Southgate Reebok AST
Barnsley   Danny Wilson   Neil Redfearn Admiral Ora
Blackburn Rovers   Roy Hodgson   Tim Sherwood Asics CIS
Bolton Wanderers   Colin Todd   Guðni Bergsson Reebok Reebok
Chelsea   Gianluca Vialli   Dennis Wise Umbro Autoglass
Coventry City   Gordon Strachan   Gary McAllister Le Coq Sportif Subaru
Crystal Palace   Ron Noades
  Ray Lewington (caretakers) 		  Andy Linighan Adidas TDK
Derby County   Jim Smith   Igor Štimac Puma Puma
Everton   Howard Kendall   Dave Watson Umbro One2One
Leeds United   George Graham   Lucas Radebe Puma Packard Bell
Leicester City   Martin O'Neill   Steve Walsh Fox Leisure Walkers
Liverpool   Roy Evans   Paul Ince Reebok Carlsberg
Manchester United   Alex Ferguson   Roy Keane Umbro Sharp
Newcastle United   Kenny Dalglish   Robert Lee Adidas Newcastle Brown Ale
Sheffield Wednesday   Ron Atkinson   Peter Atherton Puma Sanderson
Southampton   Dave Jones   Matt Le Tissier Pony Sanderson
Tottenham Hotspur   Christian Gross   Gary Mabbutt Pony Hewlett-Packard
West Ham United   Harry Redknapp   Steve Lomas Pony (no sponsor)
Wimbledon   Joe Kinnear   Robbie Earle Lotto Elonex

Managerial changes

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Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Nottingham Forest   Stuart Pearce End of caretaker spell 8 May 1997 Pre-season   Dave Bassett 8 May 1997
Everton   Dave Watson 10 May 1997   Howard Kendall 10 May 1997
Blackburn Rovers   Tony Parkes 1 June 1997   Roy Hodgson 1 June 1997
Southampton   Graeme Souness Resigned   Dave Jones 23 June 1997
Sheffield Wednesday   David Pleat Sacked 3 November 1997[5] 20th   Peter Shreeves (caretaker) 3 November 1997
  Peter Shreeves (caretaker) End of caretaker spell 14 November 1997 19th   Ron Atkinson (caretaker) 14 November 1997
Tottenham Hotspur   Gerry Francis Resigned 19 November 1997 16th   Christian Gross 19 November 1997
Chelsea   Ruud Gullit Sacked 12 February 1998 2nd   Gianluca Vialli 12 February 1998
Aston Villa   Brian Little Resigned 24 February 1998 15th   John Gregory 25 February 1998
Crystal Palace   Steve Coppell Promoted to director of football 13 March 1998 20th   Attilio Lombardo (caretaker)[a] 13 March 1998
  Attilio Lombardo Resigned 29 April 1998   Ron Noades
  Ray Lewington (caretakers)[b] 		29 April 1998
  1. ^ Swedish striker Tomas Brolin served as Italian-to-English interpreter for Lombardo
  2. ^ Noades and Lewington acted as co-managers

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Arsenal (C) 38 23 9 6 68 33 +35 78 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Manchester United 38 23 8 7 73 26 +47 77 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3 Liverpool 38 18 11 9 68 42 +26 65 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Chelsea 38 20 3 15 71 43 +28 63 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
5 Leeds United 38 17 8 13 57 46 +11 59 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[b]
6 Blackburn Rovers 38 16 10 12 57 52 +5 58
7 Aston Villa 38 17 6 15 49 48 +1 57
8 West Ham United 38 16 8 14 56 57 −1 56
9 Derby County 38 16 7 15 52 49 +3 55
10 Leicester City 38 13 14 11 51 41 +10 53
11 Coventry City 38 12 16 10 46 44 +2 52
12 Southampton 38 14 6 18 50 55 −5 48
13 Newcastle United 38 11 11 16 35 44 −9 44 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[c]
14 Tottenham Hotspur 38 11 11 16 44 56 −12 44
15 Wimbledon 38 10 14 14 34 46 −12 44
16 Sheffield Wednesday 38 12 8 18 52 67 −15 44
17 Everton 38 9 13 16 41 56 −15 40
18 Bolton Wanderers (R) 38 9 13 16 41 61 −20 40 Relegation to the Football League First Division
19 Barnsley (R) 38 10 5 23 37 82 −45 35
20 Crystal Palace[d] (R) 38 8 9 21 37 71 −34 33 Intertoto Cup third round and relegation to the First Division
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as defending champions. As they were also the League Cup winners, the UEFA Cup berth vacated was awarded to Blackburn Rovers.
  2. ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
  3. ^ As Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their Cup Winners' Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.
  4. ^ Crystal Palace qualified for the 1998 Intertoto Cup as they were the only English team who applied.

Results

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Home \ Away ARS AVL BAR BLB BOL CHE COV CRY DER EVE LEE LEI LIV MUN NEW SHW SOU TOT WHU WIM
Arsenal 0–0 5–0 1–3 4–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 4–0 2–1 2–1 0–1 3–2 3–1 1–0 3–0 0–0 4–0 5–0
Aston Villa 1–0 0–1 0–4 1–3 0–2 3–0 3–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 0–2 0–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 2–0 1–2
Barnsley 0–2 0–3 1–1 2–1 0–6 2–0 1–0 1–0 2–2 2–3 0–2 2–3 0–2 2–2 2–1 4–3 1–1 1–2 2–1
Blackburn Rovers 1–4 5–0 2–1 3–1 1–0 0–0 2–2 1–0 3–2 3–4 5–3 1–1 1–3 1–0 7–2 1–0 0–3 3–0 0–0
Bolton Wanderers 0–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 1–5 5–2 3–3 0–0 2–3 2–0 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–2 0–0 1–1 1–1 1–0
Chelsea 2–3 0–1 2–0 0–1 2–0 3–1 6–2 4–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 4–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 4–2 2–0 2–1 1–1
Coventry City 2–2 1–2 1–0 2–0 2–2 3–2 1–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–2 1–1 3–2 2–2 1–0 1–0 4–0 1–1 0–0
Crystal Palace 0–0 1–1 0–1 1–2 2–2 0–3 0–3 3–1 1–3 0–2 0–3 0–3 0–3 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–3 3–3 0–3
Derby County 3–0 0–1 1–0 3–1 4–0 0–1 3–1 0–0 3–1 0–5 0–4 1–0 2–2 1–0 3–0 4–0 2–1 2–0 1–1
Everton 2–2 1–4 4–2 1–0 3–2 3–1 1–1 1–2 1–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–0 1–3 0–2 0–2 2–1 0–0
Leeds United 1–1 1–1 2–1 4–0 2–0 3–1 3–3 0–2 4–3 0–0 0–1 0–2 1–0 4–1 1–2 0–1 1–0 3–1 1–1
Leicester City 3–3 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–2 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 3–3 3–0 2–1 0–1
Liverpool 4–0 3–0 0–1 0–0 2–1 4–2 1–0 2–1 4–0 1–1 3–1 1–2 1–3 1–0 2–1 2–3 4–0 5–0 2–0
Manchester United 0–1 1–0 7–0 4–0 1–1 2–2 3–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 3–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 6–1 1–0 2–0 2–1 2–0
Newcastle United 0–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 3–1 0–0 1–2 0–0 1–0 1–1 3–3 1–2 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 1–3
Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 1–3 2–1 0–0 5–0 1–4 0–0 1–3 2–5 3–1 1–3 1–0 3–3 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–1
Southampton 1–3 1–2 4–1 3–0 0–1 1–0 1–2 1–0 0–2 2–1 0–2 2–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–3 3–2 3–0 0–1
Tottenham Hotspur 1–1 3–2 3–0 0–0 1–0 1–6 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 3–3 0–2 2–0 3–2 1–1 1–0 0–0
West Ham United 0–0 2–1 6–0 2–1 3–0 2–1 1–0 4–1 0–0 2–2 3–0 4–3 2–1 1–1 0–1 1–0 2–4 2–1 3–1
Wimbledon 0–1 2–1 4–1 0–1 0–0 0–2 1–2 0–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–5 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–6 1–2
Source: 11v11
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

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Scoring

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Top scorers

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Liverpool's Michael Owen was the joint top scorer, with 18 goals.
Rank Player Club Goals
1   Dion Dublin Coventry City 18
  Michael Owen Liverpool
  Chris Sutton Blackburn Rovers
4   Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal 16
  Kevin Gallacher Blackburn Rovers
  Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Leeds United
7   Andy Cole Manchester United 15
  John Hartson West Ham United
9   Darren Huckerby Coventry City 14
10   Paulo Wanchope Derby County 13

Hat-tricks

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Main article: List of Premier League hat-tricks
 
 
Chelsea's Gianluca Vialli and Tottenham's Jürgen Klinsmann both scored four goals in a match during the 1997–98 Premier League season. In addition, Vialli scored a perfect hat-trick (left foot, right foot, header).
Player For Against Result Date Ref
  Dion Dublin Coventry City Chelsea 3–2 (A) 9 August 1997 [6]
  Chris Sutton Blackburn Rovers Aston Villa 4–0 (A) 13 August 1997 [7]
  Gianluca Vialli4 P Chelsea Barnsley 6–0 (A) 24 August 1997 [8]
  Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal Leicester City 3–3 (A) 27 August 1997 [9]
  Ian Wright Arsenal Bolton Wanderers 4–1 (H) 13 September 1997 [10]
  Patrik Berger Liverpool Chelsea 4–2 (H) 5 October 1997 [11]
  Andy Cole Manchester United Barnsley 7–0 (H) 25 October 1997 [12]
  Andy Booth Sheffield Wednesday Bolton Wanderers 5–0 (H) 8 November 1997 [13]
  Gianfranco Zola Chelsea Derby County 4–0 (H) 29 November 1997 [14]
  Tore André Flo Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur 6–1 (A) 6 December 1997 [15]
  Duncan Ferguson Everton Bolton Wanderers 3–2 (H) 28 December 1997 [16]
  Kevin Gallacher Blackburn Rovers Aston Villa 5–0 (H) 17 January 1998 [17]
  Michael Owen Liverpool Sheffield Wednesday 3–3 (A) 14 February 1998 [18]
  Chris Sutton Blackburn Rovers Leicester City 5–3 (A) 28 February 1998 [19]
  Darren Huckerby Coventry City Leeds United 3–3 (A) 25 April 1998 [20]
  Jürgen Klinsmann4 Tottenham Hotspur Wimbledon 6–2 (A) 2 May 1998 [21]
Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; P Player scored a perfect hat-trick; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Awards

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Monthly awards

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Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August   Roy Hodgson Blackburn Rovers   Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal
September   Martin O'Neill Leicester City
October   Alex Ferguson Manchester United   Paulo Wanchope Derby County
November   George Graham Leeds United   Andy Cole
  Kevin Davies 		Manchester United
Southampton
December   Roy Hodgson Blackburn Rovers   Steve McManaman Liverpool
January   Howard Kendall Everton   Dion Dublin Coventry City
February   Gordon Strachan Coventry City   Chris Sutton Blackburn Rovers
March   Arsène Wenger Arsenal   Alex Manninger Arsenal
April   Emmanuel Petit Arsenal

Annual awards

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Award Winner Club
Premier League Manager of the Season   Arsène Wenger[22] Arsenal
Premier League Player of the Season   Michael Owen[22] Liverpool
PFA Players' Player of the Year   Dennis Bergkamp[23] Arsenal
PFA Young Player of the Year   Michael Owen[24] Liverpool
FWA Footballer of the Year   Dennis Bergkamp[25] Arsenal
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper   Nigel Martyn (Leeds United)
Defence   Gary Neville (Manchester United)   Gary Pallister (Manchester United)   Colin Hendry (Blackburn Rovers)   Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea)
Midfield   David Beckham (Manchester United)   Nicky Butt (Manchester United)   David Batty (Newcastle United)   Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
Attack   Michael Owen (Liverpool)   Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)

See also

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References and notes

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  1. ^ a b c d "English Premier League 1997–98". statto.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Premier League 1997/1998 » Attendance » Home matches". WorldFootball.net. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Honours". Arsenal. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  4. ^ League tables and results for English football leagues, 1997–98 season. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
  5. ^ "Sheffield Wednesday search for new boss". BBC Sport. 4 November 1997. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  6. ^ White, Clive (10 August 1997). "Football: Dublin exposes Chelsea's flaw". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  7. ^ Anderson, David. "Blackburn 5 Aston Villa 0". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  8. ^ Hodgson, Guy (25 August 1997). "Football: Barnsley exposed by Vialli". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  9. ^ "In pictures: Dennis Bergkamp's 100 Arsenal goals". BBC Sport. 4 January 2003. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  10. ^ "Arsenal 4–1 Bolton Wanderers". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 16 May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  11. ^ "Liverpool 4–2 Chelsea". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 16 May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  12. ^ Anderson, David. "Manchester United 7–0 Barnsley". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  13. ^ Culley, Jon (10 November 1997). "Football: Shreeves reaps reward of Pleat's long-term plan". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  14. ^ Lipton, Martin. "Chelsea 4 Derby 0". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  15. ^ Shaw, Phil (7 December 1997). "Football: Tottenham's revival hopes threatened by Venglos factor". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  16. ^ "Ferguson hits hat-trick for Everton". BBC News. 28 December 1997. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  17. ^ Culley, Jon (18 January 1998). "Football: Villa cut down by Gallacher". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  18. ^ "Sheffield Wednesday 3–3 Liverpool". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 17 May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  19. ^ Hodgson, Guy (2 March 1998). "Football: Why Sutton should eat humble pie". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  20. ^ Rodgers, Ian. "Leeds 3 Coventry 3". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  21. ^ Griffiths, Wyn (4 May 1996). "Football: Klinsmann muddies the water". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  22. ^ a b "Seasonal Awards 1997/98" Archived 9 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
  23. ^ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year". Retrieved 21 September 2006.
  24. ^ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year". Retrieved 21 September 2006.
  25. ^ "England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year". Retrieved 21 September 2006.
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