2008–09 Premier League
The 2008–09 Premier League was the 17th season since the establishment of the Premier League in 1992. The season began on Saturday, 16 August 2008, and ended on 24 May 2009. The fixtures were announced on 16 June 2008. A total of 20 teams contested the league, consisting of 17 who competed in the previous season and three promoted from the Football League Championship. The new match ball was the Nike T90 Omni.
Manchester United began the season as the two-defending champions, having secured their second consecutive Premier League title on the final day of the previous season.
Season summary
At the start of the season, clubs were allowed to name seven substitutes on the bench instead of five. This season was also different in that there was no New Year's Day game, as is traditional. This was because the FA Cup third round is traditionally played on the first Saturday in January, which in 2009 fell in the usual spot for New Year's league games. September saw Manchester City taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group, transforming the football club into one of the world's wealthiest, securing the signing of Robinho for a British record £32.5 million just seconds before the 2008 summer transfer window closed in the process.The first goal of the season was scored by Arsenal's Samir Nasri against newly promoted West Bromwich Albion in the fourth minute of the early kick-off game on the opening day of the season on 16 August. Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa scored the first hat-trick of the season against Manchester City, scoring three goals in the space of seven minutes.
The title race was a battle between Manchester United and bitter rivals Liverpool, who beat them 4–1 at Old Trafford on 14 March 2009. Liverpool topped the table at the end of 2008, but their lead slipped after a series of draws. On 16 May 2009, Manchester United clinched the Premier League title after a goalless draw against Arsenal. It was their 11th Premier League title and 18th English top flight title overall, tying a record with Liverpool, who finished as runners-up. It was the second time that they had won the title for three consecutive years, the first being in 2001. Only four other clubs have achieved this feat: Huddersfield Town, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, with the latter becoming the first club to win the English top flight title for four consecutive seasons.
West Bromwich Albion were the first team to be relegated to the Championship after losing 2–0 at home to Liverpool on 17 May 2009. Middlesbrough and Newcastle United joined them on the last day of the season after losses at West Ham United and Aston Villa, respectively. The results meant that Hull City and Sunderland stayed up, despite home defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea respectively. The fact that Hull City avoided relegation, meant it was the first time since the 2005–06 season that more than one promoted club maintained their Premier League status. Aston Villa, Everton and Fulham, who stayed up last season on goal difference, all secured European football for the 2009–10 season through their league positions.
Teams
Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the Championship. The promoted teams were West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City. This was also Stoke City's first season in the Premier League. They replaced Reading, Birmingham City and Derby County.Stadiums and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Arsenal | London | Emirates Stadium | 60,432 |
| Aston Villa | Birmingham | Villa Park | 42,640 |
| Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn | Ewood Park | 31,367 |
| Bolton Wanderers | Bolton | Reebok Stadium | 28,723 |
| Chelsea | London | Stamford Bridge | 42,055 |
| Everton | Liverpool | Goodison Park | 40,157 |
| Fulham | London | Craven Cottage | 26,500 |
| Hull City | Kingston upon Hull | KC Stadium | 25,404 |
| Liverpool | Liverpool | Anfield | 45,276 |
| Manchester City | Manchester | City of Manchester Stadium | 47,726 |
| Manchester United | Manchester | Old Trafford | 76,212 |
| Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough | Riverside Stadium | 35,100 |
| Newcastle United | Newcastle upon Tyne | St James' Park | 52,387 |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 20,224 |
| Stoke City | Stoke-on-Trent | Britannia Stadium | 28,000 |
| Sunderland | Sunderland | Stadium of Light | 49,000 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | London | White Hart Lane | 36,240 |
| West Bromwich Albion | West Bromwich | The Hawthorns | 25,369 |
| West Ham United | London | Upton Park | 35,303 |
| Wigan Athletic | Wigan | JJB Stadium | 25,138 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arsenal |  |1974Managerial changes
League tableSeason statisticsScoring
Clean sheets
Discipline
Table related statisticsOverall
Home
Away
Miscellaneous
AwardsAnnual awardsPremier League Manager of the SeasonSir Alex Ferguson, 67, picked up the Premier League Manager of the Season for the ninth time. During his hugely successful spell with Manchester United, which began in 1986, he won thirteen Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, three European titles, one Intercontinental Cup and one Club World Cup.Premier League Player of the SeasonNemanja Vidić, 27, won the Premier League Player of the Season accolade for the first time.PFA Players' Player of the YearThe PFA Players' Player of the Year award for 2009 was won by Ryan Giggs of Manchester United.The shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award was as follows: PFA Team of the YearGoalkeeper: Edwin van der SarDefence: Glen Johnson, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić Midfield: Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Ashley Young Attack: Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Torres PFA Young Player of the YearThe PFA Young Player of the Year award was won by Ashley Young of Aston Villa.The shortlist for the award was as follows: FWA Footballer of the YearThe FWA Footballer of the Year award for 2009 was won by Steven Gerrard for the first time. The Liverpool captain saw off the challenges of Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs and forward Wayne Rooney, who finished second and third respectively.Premier League Golden BootChelsea striker Nicolas Anelka won the Premier League Golden Boot award for the first time. He scored 19 goals in 35 appearances, which ensured he finished as the season's top scorer.Premier League Golden GloveManchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar collected the Premier League Golden Glove award for the first time. He kept a total of 21 clean sheets in 33 appearances, including a record run of 11 consecutive clean sheets from Stoke City on 15 November 2008 to West Bromwich Albion on 27 January 2009.Premier League Fair Play AwardThe Premier League Fair Play Award is merit given to the team who has been the most sporting and best behaved team. Fulham won this, ahead of London neighbours Chelsea and Arsenal. Hull City were deemed the least sporting side, finished in last place in the rankingsLMA Manager of the YearThe LMA Manager of the Year award was won by David Moyes after he led Everton to back-to-back fifth-place finishes and the FA Cup final.PFA Fans' Player of the YearSteven Gerrard was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Year.Premier League Merit Award
Premier League Spirit AwardThe Premier League Spirit Award is given to "the player or manager whose actions best encapsulate the spirit of the game". In recognition for leading his club to the top of the Fair Play league, the Premier League Spirit Award for 2008–09 was given to Fulham manager Roy Hodgson.Behaviour of the Public LeagueGiven to the best-behaved fans, Fulham won this for the third consecutive year, rounding off a hat-trick of sporting awards.AttendancesSource:
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