Season Dates: August 2018 – May 2019
Champions: Manchester City
Top Scorer (Golden Boot): Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Sadio Mané (Liverpool) – 22 goals each
Relegated Teams: Cardiff City, Fulham, Huddersfield Town
European Qualification:
Champions League: Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur
Europa League: Arsenal, Manchester United
Conference League: Wolves
Season Overview:
The 2018/19 Premier League season delivered one of the most intense title races in history, with Man City and Liverpool battling until the final day. Pep Guardiola’s City ultimately walked out as winners with 98 points, just one ahead of Liverpool’s 97, which remains the highest points total for a second-placed team in Premier League history.
Chelsea and Tottenham secured Champions League qualification, while Arsenal and Manchester United had to settle for Europa League places. Wolves impressed on their return to the top flight, finishing seventh and earning a spot in the Europa League.
At the bottom, Huddersfield, Fulham, and Cardiff City were relegated. The Golden Boot was shared by three players, while Eden Hazard provided the most assists in his final Premier League season before moving onto Real Madrid.
Month-by-Month Breakdown
August 2018 – The Season Begins
Man City started their title defence strongly with a 2-0 win against Arsenal, while newly promoted Wolves showed they weren’t going to be pushovers with a draw against Everton.
Player of the Month: Lucas Moura (Tottenham)
September 2018 – Early Contenders
Liverpool and Chelsea maintained perfect starts, while Man United suffered early setbacks under Jose Mourinho.
Player of the Month: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
October 2018 – Title Battle Intensifies
Man City, Liverpool, and Chelsea remained unbeaten, with Arsenal hitting form under new manager Unai Emery.
Player of the Month: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
November 2018 – City Lead, Mourinho Struggles
Man City topped the table, while pressure mounted on Jose Mourinho at ManUnited, with a portion of fans calling for him to be sacked.
Player of the Month: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
December 2018 – Festive Fixtures Shake Things Up
Liverpool beat Man United 3-1, leading to Mourinho’s sacking. Liverpool topped the table heading into the new year.
Player of the Month: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
January 2019 – City Strike Back
Man City handed Liverpool their first (and only) defeat of the season, closing the gap at the top following a stellar 2-1 win.
Player of the Month: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
February 2019 – Momentum Swings
Manchester United’s form improved under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær, while Arsenal and Chelsea fought for top four.
Player of the Month: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City)
March 2019 – The Run-In Begins
Liverpool and City continued to trade wins, while Tottenham faltered in the top-four race.
Player of the Month: Sadio Mané (Liverpool)
April 2019 – Nail-Biting Finish
City and Liverpool both won all their games, setting up a thrilling final few days of the season.
Player of the Month: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
May 2019 – Final Day Drama
City secured the title with a 4-1 win at Brighton, while Liverpool finished second despite a remarkable season.
Season Stats & Key Records
Golden Boot & Top Goal Scorers
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) – 22 goals
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 22 goals
- Sadio Mané (Liverpool) – 22 goals
Most Assists
- Eden Hazard (Chelsea) – 15 assists
- Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) – 14 assists
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)- 12 assists
Golden Glove (Most Clean Sheets)
- Alisson Becker (Liverpool) – 21 clean sheets
- Ederson (Manchester City) – 20 clean sheets
- Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea) – 14 clean sheets
Big Matches & Moments
Best Match: Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool (January 3, 2019) – The pivotal match in the title race might go down as the best in Premier League history from a technical perspective.
Biggest Upset: Wolves 2-1 Chelsea (December 5, 2018) – Newly promoted Wolves stunned the Blues on route to finishing in the European spots
Most Dramatic Match: Liverpool 4-3 Crystal Palace (January 19, 2019) – A chaotic thriller won by Liverpool featuring late goals, a red card, and the fantastic Anfield crowd.
Best Goal: Andros Townsend – Man City 2-3 Crystal Palace (December 22, 2018) – An early Christmas present for Palace and Townsend as the winger’s beautiful volley from a poorly cleared corner gave his side the win.
Managerial Changes
- Fulham – Slavisa Jokanovic sacked (November 14, 2018) – replaced by Claudio Ranieri
- Southampton – Mark Hughes sacked (December 3, 2018) – replaced by Ralph Hasenhuttl
- Manchester United – Jose Mourinho sacked (December 18, 2018) – replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjær
- Huddersfield Town – David Wagner left by mutual consent (January 14, 2019) – replaced by Jan Siewert
- Leicester City – Claude Puel sacked (February 24, 2019) – replaced by Brendan Rodgers
- Fulham – Claudio Ranieri sacked (February 28, 2019) – replaced by Scott Parker
Transfers & Squad Movement
- Kepa Arrizabalaga – Athletic Bilbao – £72m
- Alisson Becker – Roma to Liverpool – £66.8m
- Riyad Mahrez – Leicester City to Manchester City – £60m
Awards & Honors
- Premier League Manager of the Season: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
- Premier League Player of the Season: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
- Premier League Young Player of the Season: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
- Premier League Goal of the Season: Andros Towsend (Man City vs Chelsea) – December 22, 2018
European Performance
- Man City – UCL Quarter-Finals by Tottenham
- Liverpool – UCL Winner
- Tottenham – UCL Final to Liverpool
- Man United – UCL Quarter-Finals by Barcelona
- Arsenal – UEL Final to Chelsea
- Chelsea – UEL Winner
- Burnley – UEL Second Qualifying Round
