5. Manchester United – 1997/98
Arsenal were 12 points behind the defending champions in March, with bookmaker Betfred even paying out on another Premier League win for the Old Trafford outfit. The Gunners had two games in hand, and when Manchester United wobbled to lose at Sheffield Wednesday and draw with West Ham, Arsenal smelt blood.
On a defining afternoon, Marc Overmars got the decisive goal in a 1-0 win at Manchester United to swing the title momentum in Arsenal’s favour.
The win was the second of 10 in a row for Arsenal, who stormed down the final stretch to take the title with two games to spare.
4. Arsenal – 2022/23
Arsenal have ended each of the last three seasons as Premier League runners-up, but their most agonising near miss was in 2022/23.
Mikel Arteta’s team led the Premier League table for 248 days that season, the most for a team who failed to win the title in English top-flight history.
An awful April undid their good work, with three consecutive draws followed by a 4-1 defeat at title rivals Manchester City. The rest is history, as City claimed another championship.
3. Manchester United – 2011/12
An often overlooked bottlejob, but one which deserves its dishonourable mention.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s team were the Premier League powerhouse of the time, and boasted an eight-point advantage over Manchester City’s upstarts with just six games to go.
Title race know-how helped little, as the Red Devils stumbled down the home straight. A shock setback at struggling Wigan was the start of a wobble, which saw United concede two late goals in a bonkers eight-goal draw with Everton.
Vincent Kompany then decided a high-stakes Manchester Derby to put City in control of the title race. The Citizens survived a serious scare on the final day to snatch the title on goal difference, courtesy of that unforgettable Sergio Aguero goal against QPR.
2. Liverpool – 2013/14
A win at Norwich then made it 11 in a row for the Reds, leaving Gerrard on the brink of an elusive top-flight title.
But the Premier League script writers offered the cruellest of twists. Fresh from those slip comments, Gerrard did just that, with the captain’s costly stumble contributing to defeat against Chelsea.
Liverpool were unable to recover, with Jose Mourinho the pantomime villain at Anfield, before the club’s ‘Crystanbul’ collapse at Crystal Palace added another nail in the coffin.
1. Newcastle United – 1995/96
The two teams remained neck-and-neck down the run-in, but the pressure began to produce cracks at Newcastle.
Keegan, infuriated by Alex Ferguson’s comments that opposition teams ‘tried harder’ against his team, launched into an impassioned rant that has become Premier League heritage.
“I’ve kept really quiet but I’ll tell you something, he went down in my estimations when he said that. We have not resorted to that,” Keegan said, finger prodding towards his interviewer.
“You can tell him now, we’re still fighting for this title and he’s got to go to Middlesbrough and get something – and I’ll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them. Love it.”
Newcastle drew their next game at Nottingham Forest, meaning United needed only a point at Middlesbrough. The champions did indeed go to Middlesbrough and get something, a 3-0 win to wrap up the title.
