1994–95 FA Premier League

The 1994–95 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the third season of the Premier League, the top division of professional football in England.

FA Premier League
Season1994 (1994)–95
Dates20 August 1994 – 14 May 1995
ChampionsBlackburn Rovers
1st Premier League title
3rd English title
RelegatedCrystal Palace
Norwich City
Leicester City
Ipswich Town
Champions LeagueBlackburn Rovers
Cup Winners' CupEverton
UEFA CupManchester United
Nottingham Forest
Liverpool
Leeds United
Matches played462
Goals scored1,195 (2.59 per match)
Average goals/game2.59
Top goalscorerAlan Shearer
(34 goals)
Biggest home winManchester United 9–0 Ipswich Town
(4 March 1995)
Biggest away winSheffield Wednesday 1–7 Nottingham Forest
(1 April 1995)
Highest scoringManchester United 9–0 Ipswich Town
(4 March 1995)
Longest winning run7 games[1]
Blackburn Rovers
Longest unbeaten run13 games[1]
Nottingham Forest
Longest winless run12 games[1]
Everton
Southampton
Longest losing run8 games[1]
Ipswich Town
Highest attendance43,868[2]
Manchester United v Sheffield Wednesday
(7 May 1995)
Lowest attendance5,268[2]
Wimbledon v Manchester City
(21 March 1995)

Overview

Transfers

Just before the start of the 1994–95 season, the English transfer record was broken when Blackburn Rovers paid £5 million for 21-year-old Norwich City striker Chris Sutton. But that record was broken again in January when Manchester United paid £6 million for Newcastle United's Andy Cole, in a deal which also saw £1 million-rated Keith Gillespie move to Newcastle. Other significant transfers before and during the 1994–95 season included: Vinny Samways (Tottenham to Everton, £2 million), David Rocastle (Manchester City to Chelsea, £1.25 million), Jürgen Klinsmann (Monaco to Tottenham Hotspur, £2 million), John Scales (Wimbledon to Liverpool, £3 million) and Paul Kitson (Derby County to Newcastle United, £2.2 million).

Summary

The title race was won by Blackburn Rovers, whose last title success was in 1914, and also was Blackburn's first major trophy in 67 years (last 1927–28 FA Cup).[3] Kenny Dalglish's side secured the championship on the last day of the season despite losing 2–1 at his former club Liverpool, as Manchester United could only manage a 1–1 draw at West Ham.[4] This meant that Blackburn Rovers qualified for the European Cup for the first time in their history, while Manchester United finished second earning a UEFA Cup place. A single point separated the two sides, who for more than half of the season enjoyed a wide gap in terms of point between themselves and the rest of the league, despite the likes of Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Newcastle United briefly topping the league during the first three months of the season.

Also qualifying for the UEFA Cup were Nottingham Forest (who finished third in their first season back in the Premier League), Liverpool (who finished fourth and won their fifth League Cup in the club's first full season following the appointment of Roy Evans) and fifth placed Leeds United.

The number of teams in the league for the following year would be reduced to 20. This was to be achieved by increasing the number of teams facing relegation to four, and reducing the number of teams being promoted from Division 1 to two.

Controversial incidents

In January 1995, Manchester United's 28-year-old French striker Eric Cantona (then holder of the PFA Players' Player of the Year award) assaulted a Crystal Palace fan in his team's 1–1 draw at Selhurst Park. Cantona was banned from football for eight months, fined £20,000 and sentenced to 14 days in prison. The prison sentence was later reduced to 120 hours community service on appeal.

Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise was convicted of criminal damage and assault, relating to a fight with a taxi driver in London. He was given a three-month prison sentence but the conviction and prison sentence were quickly overturned on appeal.

Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson admitted in November 1994 that he was an alcoholic and was also addicted to cocaine and gambling. He underwent a three-month drug rehabilitation programme before being allowed to resume his playing career.

Crystal Palace striker Chris Armstrong failed a drugs test in February 1995 but admitted that he had done wrong and returned to action after just four weeks undergoing rehabilitation. Armstrong was Palace's leading goalscorer in 1994–95, helping them reach the semi finals of both domestic cup competitions, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated back to the First Division just one season after winning promotion.

Arsenal manager George Graham was sacked in February 1995 after nearly nine years in charge, when it was revealed that he had accepted an illegal payment of £425,000 from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge relating to the purchases of Norwegian and Danish players Pål Lydersen and John Jensen three years earlier. Graham was later banned from football for one year by the FA.

Teams

Twenty-two teams competed in the league – the top nineteen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest (both teams returning to the top flight after a season's absence) and Leicester City (returning after a top flight absence of seven years). This was also Leicester City's first season in the Premier League. They replaced Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town, ending their top flight spells of four, three and one year respectively.

Stadiums and Locations
Locations of the 1994–95 Premier League teams
Greater London Premier League football clubs
Greater Manchester Premier League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Arsenal London (Highbury) Arsenal Stadium 38,419
Aston Villa Birmingham Villa Park 39,399
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Chelsea London (Fulham) Stamford Bridge 36,000
Coventry City Coventry Highfield Road 23,489
Crystal Palace London (Selhurst) Selhurst Park 26,309
Everton Liverpool (Walton) Goodison Park 40,157
Ipswich Town Ipswich Portman Road 30,300
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 40,204
Leicester City Leicester Filbert Street 22,000
Liverpool Liverpool (Anfield) Anfield 42,730
Manchester City Manchester Maine Road 35,150
Manchester United Old Trafford Old Trafford 55,314
Newcastle United Newcastle upon Tyne St James' Park 36,649
Norwich City Norwich Carrow Road 27,010
Nottingham Forest West Bridgford City Ground 30,539
Queens Park Rangers London (Shepherd's Bush) Loftus Road 18,439
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Hillsborough Stadium 39,859
Southampton Southampton The Dell 15,200
Tottenham Hotspur London (Tottenham) White Hart Lane 36,230
West Ham United London (Upton Park) Boleyn Ground 28,000
Wimbledon London (Wimbledon) Selhurst Park[lower-alpha 1] 26,309
  1. 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

(as of 14 May 1995)

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal Stewart Houston (caretaker) Tony Adams Nike JVC
Aston Villa Brian Little Kevin Richardson Asics Müller
Blackburn Rovers Kenny Dalglish Tim Sherwood Asics McEwan's Lager
Chelsea Glenn Hoddle Dennis Wise Umbro Coors
Coventry City Ron Atkinson Brian Borrows Pony Peugeot
Crystal Palace Alan Smith Gareth Southgate Nutmeg TDK
Everton Joe Royle Dave Watson Umbro NEC
Ipswich Town George Burley Steve Palmer Umbro Fisons
Leeds United Howard Wilkinson Gary McAllister Asics Thistle Hotels
Leicester City Mark McGhee Steve Walsh Fox Leisure Walkers
Liverpool Roy Evans Ian Rush Adidas Carlsberg
Manchester City Brian Horton Keith Curle Umbro Brother
Manchester United Alex Ferguson Steve Bruce Umbro Sharp
Newcastle United Kevin Keegan Peter Beardsley Asics Scottish and Newcastle Breweries
Norwich City Gary Megson (caretaker) Jon Newsome Ribero Norwich and Peterborough
Nottingham Forest Frank Clark Stuart Pearce Umbro Labatt's
Queens Park Rangers Ray Wilkins David Bardsley Clubhouse Compaq
Sheffield Wednesday Trevor Francis Chris Waddle Puma Sanderson
Southampton Alan Ball Matt Le Tissier Pony Dimplex
Tottenham Hotspur Gerry Francis Gary Mabbutt Umbro Holsten
West Ham United Harry Redknapp Steve Potts Pony Dagenham Motors
Wimbledon Joe Kinnear Vinnie Jones Ribero Elonex

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
West Ham United Billy Bonds Resigned 10 August 1994 Pre-season Harry Redknapp 10 August 1994
Tottenham Hotspur Osvaldo Ardiles Sacked 1 November 1994 11th Steve Perryman (caretaker) 1 November 1994
Everton Mike Walker 8 November 1994 22nd Joe Royle 10 November 1994
Aston Villa Ron Atkinson 10 November 1994 19th Jim Barron (caretaker) 10 November 1994
Tottenham Hotspur Steve Perryman End of caretaker spell 15 November 1994 13th Gerry Francis 15 November 1994
Queens Park Rangers Gerry Francis Resigned 18th Ray Wilkins
Leicester City Brian Little Resigned 22 November 1994 20th Kevin MacDonald (caretaker) 22 November 1994
Aston Villa Jim Barron End of caretaker spell 25 November 1994 19th Brian Little 25 November 1994
Ipswich Town John Lyall Resigned 5 December 1994 22nd Paul Goddard (caretaker) 5 December 1994
Leicester City Kevin MacDonald End of caretaker spell 14 December 1994 21st Mark McGhee 14 December 1994
Ipswich Town Paul Goddard 28 December 1994 22nd George Burley 28 December 1994
Coventry City Phil Neal Sacked 14 February 1995 13th Ron Atkinson 15 February 1995
Arsenal George Graham 21 February 1995 12th Stewart Houston 21 February 1995
Norwich City John Deehan Resigned 9 April 1995 20th Gary Megson (caretaker) 9 April 1995

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Blackburn Rovers (C) 42 27 8 7 80 39 +41 89 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Manchester United 42 26 10 6 77 28 +49 88 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 1]
3 Nottingham Forest 42 22 11 9 72 43 +29 77
4 Liverpool 42 21 11 10 65 37 +28 74
5 Leeds United 42 20 13 9 59 38 +21 73
6 Newcastle United 42 20 12 10 67 47 +20 72
7 Tottenham Hotspur 42 16 14 12 66 58 +8 62
8 Queens Park Rangers 42 17 9 16 61 59 +2 60
9 Wimbledon 42 15 11 16 48 65 −17 56
10 Southampton 42 12 18 12 61 63 −2 54
11 Chelsea 42 13 15 14 50 55 −5 54
12 Arsenal 42 13 12 17 52 49 +3 51
13 Sheffield Wednesday 42 13 12 17 49 57 −8 51
14 West Ham United 42 13 11 18 44 48 −4 50
15 Everton 42 11 17 14 44 51 −7 50 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[lower-alpha 2]
16 Coventry City 42 12 14 16 44 62 −18 50
17 Manchester City 42 12 13 17 53 64 −11 49
18 Aston Villa 42 11 15 16 51 56 −5 48
19 Crystal Palace (R) 42 11 12 19 34 49 −15 45 Relegation to the Football League First Division
20 Norwich City (R) 42 10 13 19 37 54 −17 43
21 Leicester City (R) 42 6 11 25 45 80 −35 29
22 Ipswich Town (R) 42 7 6 29 36 93 −57 27
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
  1. Leeds United were rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
  2. Everton qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.

Results
Home \ Away ARS AVL BLB CHE COV CRY EVE IPS LEE LEI LIV MCI MUN NEW NOR NFO QPR SHW SOU TOT WHU WIM
Arsenal 0–0 0–0 3–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 4–1 1–3 1–1 0–1 3–0 0–0 2–3 5–1 1–0 1–3 0–0 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–0
Aston Villa 0–4 0–1 3–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 2–0 0–0 4–4 2–0 1–1 1–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 0–2 7–1
Blackburn Rovers 3–1 3–1 2–1 4–0 2–1 3–0 4–1 1–1 3–0 3–2 2–3 2–4 1–0 0–0 3–0 4–0 3–1 3–2 2–0 4–2 2–1
Chelsea 2–1 1–0 1–2 2–2 0–0 0–1 2–0 0–3 4–0 0–0 3–0 2–3 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–0 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–2 1–1
Coventry City 0–1 0–1 1–1 2–2 1–4 0–0 2–0 2–1 4–2 1–1 1–0 2–3 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 2–0 1–3 0–4 2–0 1–1
Crystal Palace 0–3 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–2 1–0 3–0 1–2 2–0 1–6 2–1 1–1 0–1 0–1 1–2 0–0 2–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 0–0
Everton 1–1 2–2 1–2 3–3 0–2 3–1 4–1 3–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 2–1 1–2 2–2 1–4 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0
Ipswich Town 0–2 0–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 0–2 0–1 2–0 4–1 1–3 1–2 3–2 0–2 1–2 0–1 0–1 1–2 2–1 1–3 1–1 2–2
Leeds United 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–3 3–0 3–1 1–0 4–0 2–1 0–2 2–0 2–1 0–0 2–1 1–0 4–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 2–2 3–1
Leicester City 2–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 2–2 0–1 2–2 2–0 1–3 1–2 0–1 0–4 1–3 1–0 2–4 1–1 0–1 4–3 3–1 1–2 3–4
Liverpool 3–0 3–2 2–1 3–1 2–3 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 4–0 1–0 1–1 4–1 3–1 1–1 0–0 3–0
Manchester City 1–2 2–2 1–3 1–2 0–0 1–1 4–0 2–0 0–0 0–1 2–1 0–3 0–0 2–0 3–3 2–3 3–2 3–3 5–2 3–0 2–0
Manchester United 3–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 2–0 3–0 2–0 9–0 0–0 1–1 2–0 5–0 2–0 1–0 1–2 2–0 1–0 2–1 0–0 1–0 3–0
Newcastle United 1–0 3–1 1–1 4–2 4–0 3–2 2–0 1–1 1–2 3–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 3–0 2–1 2–1 2–1 5–1 3–3 2–0 2–1
Norwich City 0–0 1–1 2–1 3–0 2–2 0–0 0–0 3–0 2–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 0–2 2–1 0–1 4–2 0–0 2–2 0–2 1–0 1–2
Nottingham Forest 2–2 1–2 0–2 0–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 4–1 3–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–2 4–1 3–0 2–2 1–1 3–1
Queens Park Rangers 3–1 2–0 0–1 1–0 2–2 0–1 2–3 1–2 3–2 2–0 2–1 1–2 2–3 3–0 2–0 1–1 3–2 2–2 2–1 2–1 0–1
Sheffield Wednesday 3–1 1–2 0–1 1–1 5–1 1–0 0–0 4–1 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–7 0–2 1–1 3–4 1–0 0–1
Southampton 1–0 2–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 3–1 2–0 3–1 1–3 2–2 0–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 0–0 4–3 1–1 2–3
Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 3–4 3–1 0–0 1–3 0–0 2–1 3–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–1 0–1 4–2 1–0 1–4 1–1 3–1 1–2 3–1 1–2
West Ham United 0–2 1–0 2–0 1–2 0–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–0 3–0 1–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 0–0 0–2 2–0 1–2 3–0
Wimbledon 1–3 4–3 0–3 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 0–0 2–0 0–1 3–2 1–0 2–2 1–3 0–1 0–2 1–2 1–0
Source:
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Top scorers
Blackburn's Alan Shearer was the top scorer in the 1994–95 Premier League season, with 34 goals.
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers 34
2 Robbie Fowler Liverpool 25
3 Les Ferdinand Queens Park Rangers 24
4 Stan Collymore Nottingham Forest 22
5 Andy Cole Newcastle United
Manchester United		 21
Jürgen Klinsmann Tottenham Hotspur 21
7 Matt Le Tissier Southampton 19
8 Teddy Sheringham Tottenham Hotspur 18
Ian Wright Arsenal 18
10 Uwe Rösler Manchester City 15
Dean Saunders Aston Villa 15
Chris Sutton Blackburn Rovers 15

Hat-tricks
Main article: List of Premier League hat-tricks
In addition to his hat-trick, Manchester United's Andy Cole became the first player to score five goals in a Premier League match.
PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef
Chris SuttonBlackburn RoversCoventry City4–0 (H)27 August 1994[5]
Robbie FowlerLiverpoolArsenal4–3 (H)28 August 1994[6]
Andrei KanchelskisManchester UnitedManchester City5–0 (H)10 November 1994[7]
Alan ShearerBlackburn RoversQueens Park Rangers4–0 (H)26 November 1994[8]
Teddy SheringhamTottenham HotspurNewcastle United4–2 (H)3 December 1994[9]
Tony CotteeWest Ham UnitedManchester City3–0 (H)17 December 1994[10]
Alan ShearerBlackburn RoversWest Ham United4–2 (H)30 October 1994[11]
Alan ShearerBlackburn RoversIpswich Town4–1 (H)2 January 1995[12]
Tommy JohnsonAston VillaWimbledon7–1 (H)11 February 1995[13]
Andy Cole5Manchester UnitedIpswich Town9–0 (H)4 March 1995[14]
Peter NdlovuCoventry CityLiverpool3–2 (A)14 March 1995[15]
Tony YeboahLeeds UnitedIpswich Town4–0 (H)5 April 1995[16]
Ian WrightArsenalIpswich Town4–1 (H)15 April 1995[17]
Note: 5 Player scored 5 goals; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Top assists
Southampton's Matt Le Tissier assisted 15 goals for the club in the 1994–95 Premier League season.
Rank Player Club Assists[18]
1 Matt Le Tissier Southampton 15
2 Darren Anderton Tottenham Hotspur 14
3 Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers 13
4 Ruel Fox Norwich City 11
Ryan Giggs Manchester United
Andy Hinchcliffe Everton
Bryan Roy Nottingham Forest
8 Kevin Gallen Queens Park Rangers 10
Jürgen Klinsmann Tottenham Hotspur
Chris Sutton Blackburn Rovers

Awards
Tottenham's Jürgen Klinsmann was the inaugural Player of the Month.

Monthly awards
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August Kevin Keegan Newcastle United Jürgen Klinsmann Tottenham Hotspur
September Frank Clark Nottingham Forest Rob Lee Newcastle United
October Alex Ferguson Manchester United Paul Ince Manchester United
November Kenny Dalglish Blackburn Rovers Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers
Chris Sutton
December Gerry Francis Tottenham Hotspur Matt Le Tissier Southampton
January Brian Little Aston Villa Chris Waddle Sheffield Wednesday
February Kevin Keegan Newcastle United Duncan Ferguson Everton
March Ron Atkinson Coventry City Tony Yeboah Leeds United
April Howard Wilkinson Leeds United David Seaman Arsenal

Annual awards
Award Winner Club
Premier League Manager of the Season Kenny Dalglish Blackburn Rovers
PFA Players' Player of the Year Alan Shearer[19] Blackburn Rovers
PFA Young Player of the Year Robbie Fowler[20] Liverpool
FWA Footballer of the Year Jürgen Klinsmann[21] Tottenham Hotspur
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper Tim Flowers (Blackburn Rovers)
Defence Rob Jones (Liverpool) Gary Pallister (Manchester United) Colin Hendry (Blackburn Rovers) Graeme Le Saux (Blackburn Rovers)
Midfield Tim Sherwood (Blackburn Rovers) Matt Le Tissier (Southampton) Paul Ince (Manchester United)
Attack Jürgen Klinsmann (Tottenham Hotspur) Alan Shearer
(Blackburn Rovers)		 Chris Sutton (Blackburn Rovers)

See also

References and notes
  1. "English Premier League 1994–95". statto.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  2. "Premier League 1994/1995 – Attendances". Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  3. "Blackburn Rovers winning the Premier League might never be surpassed". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  4. "Liverpool 2 Blackburn 1". LFC History. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  5. Barton, Mark (29 August 1994). "Football: Sutton punishes sorry Coventry: Rovers leave it late". The Independent. London. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  6. McNulty, Phil (25 February 2004). "The hat-trick Hall of Fame". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  7. Smith, Rory (8 May 2009). "Manchester United v Manchester City: Five classic derbies". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  8. "Blackburn 4–0 QPR". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  9. "Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 Newcastle United". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 3 May 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  10. "West Ham United 3–0 Manchester City". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 26 August 2005. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  11. Hodgson, Guy (3 January 1995). "Blackburn put clear by superb Shearer". The Independent. London. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  12. "Liverpool 4–0 Southampton". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 27 August 2005. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  13. Bramwell, Neil (12 February 1995). "Seven up for Villa". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  14. "A nightmare revisited". BBC Sport. 3 July 2000. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  15. Tyler, Martin (23 April 2009). "Andrey the giant". Sky Sports. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  16. Allsop, Derick (6 April 1995). "Yeboah's hat-trick buries Ipswich". The Independent. London. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  17. Houston, Bob (16 April 1995). "Hat-trick is the Wright response". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  18. "Statistical Leaders – 1993". Premier League. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  19. England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year
  20. England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year
  21. England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year
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