Season Dates: August 2004 – May 2005
Champions: Chelsea
Top Scorer (Golden Boot): Thierry Henry (Arsenal) – 25 goals
Relegated Teams: Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Southampton
European Qualification:
Champions League: Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton
Europa League: Liverpool (via Champions League win), Bolton Wanderers, Middlesbrough
Season Overview:
Chelsea won their first league title in 50 years under new manager José Mourinho, who’d won the Champiosn League with Porto a few weeks before getting the job. The Blues also set a record for the most points in a season (95) and the fewest goals conceded (15). They finished 12 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, ending Arsenal’s title defense from the previous ‘Invincibles’ season.
Manchester United and Everton secured Champions League qualification, with Everton finishing ahead of rivals Liverpool in fourth. Liverpool, however, made history by winning the Champions League but only finished fifth in the league, leading to controversy over their European place for the next season.
At the bottom, Norwich, Crystal Palace, and Southampton were relegated on a dramatic final day, while West Bromwich Albion survived despite being bottom at Christmas.
Month-by-Month Breakdown
August 2004 – The Season Begins
José Mourinho’s Chelsea won their opening match 1-0 against Manchester United, a truly huge way to kick off the Premier League season, while Arsenal started strongly with big wins.
Player of the Month: Jose Antonio Reyes (Arsenal)
September 2004 – Arsenal’s Unbeaten Run Continues
Arsenal extended their record unbeaten run to 49 matches coming off the back of the invincible season, while Chelsea remained solid defensively.
Player of the Month: Ledley King (Tottenham)
October 2004 – United End Arsenal’s Streak
Manchester United ended Arsenal’s 49-game unbeaten run with a controversial 2-0 win at Old Trafford where many questioned some of the calls made by the referees in favour of the Red Devils.
Player of the Month: Andy Johnson (Crystal Palace)
November 2004 – Chelsea Take the Lead
Chelsea took control of the title race, with Jose Mourinho taking to life in the Premier League like a duck to water, with Everton surprisingly stauing in the top four.
Player of the Month: Arjen Robben (Chelsea)
December 2004 – Festive Period Dominance
Chelsea extended their lead, while Liverpool suffered inconsistent form unlike their close city rivals. The hope was their fortunes would turn around in 2005, and boy did they!
Player of the Month: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
January 2005 – United’s Revival
Manchester United put together a strong winning streak to challenge Arsenal for second place. However, the league seemed to be slipping away from both and heading to Stamford Bridge.
Player of the Month: John Terry (Chelsea)
February 2005 – Chelsea Strengthen Grip
Chelsea’s defensive strength continued as they conceded just one goal in the month. Jose Mourinho proved that actually the best form of attack is defence.
Player of the Month: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
March 2005 – Everton Close In On Fourth
Everton kept their push for Champions League qualification alive ahead of close city rivals Liverpool.
Player of the Month: Joe Cole (Chelsea)
April 2005 – Chelsea Crowned Champions
Chelsea secured the title with a 2-0 win over Bolton, sealing the Premier League with three games to spare.
Player of the Month: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
May 2005 – Final Day Drama
West Brom completed the ‘Great Escape’ as all three relegation places were decided on the final day.
Season Stats & Key Records
Golden Boot & Top Goal Scorers
- Thierry Henry (Arsenal) – 25 goals
- Andy Johnson (Crystal Palace) – 21 goals
- Robert Pires (Arsenal) – 14 goals
Most Assists
- Frank Lampard (Chelsea) – 18 assists
- Thierry Henry (Arsenal) – 14 assists
- Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal) – 12 assists
Golden Glove (Most Clean Sheets)
- Petr Čech (Chelsea) – 24 clean sheets (record)
- Roy Carroll (Manchester United) – 15 clean sheets
- Brad Friedel (Blackburn) – 15 clean sheets
Big Matches & Moments
Best Match: Liverpool 3-2 Everton (March 20, 2005) – A thrilling Merseyside Derby ended with Liverpool on the winning side of things.
Biggest Upset: Manchester United 0-1 Norwich City (April 9, 2005) – A shock win for the struggling Canaries didn’t exactly help the Red Devils’ chances of winning the league, which seemed to be heading to Chelsea.
Most Dramatic Match: West Brom 2-0 Portsmouth (May 15, 2005) – The match that secured West Brom’s survival and ensured they remained in the Premier League for the 2005/06 season.
Managerial Changes
- Southampton – Paul Sturrock left by mutual consent (August 23, 2004) – replced by Steve Wigley
- Newcastle United – Sir Bobby Robson sacked (August 30, 2004) – replaced by Graeme Souness
- Blackburn Rovers – Graeme Souness signed by Newcastle (September 6, 2004) – replaced by Mark Highes
- West Bro – Gary Megson sacked (October 26, 2004) – replaced by Bryan Robson
- Tottenham – Jacques Santini resigned (November 5, 2004) – replaced by Martin Jol
- Portsmouth – Harry Redknapp resigned (November 24, 2004) – replaced by Velimir Zajec
- Southampton – Steve Wigley sacked (December 8, 2004) – replaced by Harry Redknapp
- Manchester City – Kevin Keegan resigned (March 11, 2005) – replaced by Stuart Pearce
- Portsmouth – Velimir Zajec returned to Director of Football position (May 12, 2005) – replaced by Alain Perrin
Transfers & Squad Movement
- Didier Drogba – Marseille to Chelsea – £24m
- Wayne Rooney – Everton to Manchester United – £23.5m
- Ricardo Carvalho – Porto to Chelsea – £20m
Awards & Honors
- Premier League Manager of the Season: José Mourinho (Chelsea)
- Premier League Player of the Season: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
- Premier League Young Player of the Season: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
European Performance
- Liverpool – UCL Winners
- Chelsea – UCL Semi-Finals by Liverpool
- Arsenal – UCL Round of 16 by Bayern Munich
- Manchester United – UCL Round of 16 by AC Milan
- Newcastle United – UC Quarter-Finals by Sporting CP
- Middlesbrough – UC Round of 16 by Sporting CP
- Bolton – UC Round of 32 by Sporting CP