United Make it Two in a Row
The 1993-94 top-flight season in England was the second Premier League campaign. Manchester United retained their crown and their 100% stranglehold on the new top division of English football, finishing well clear of the chasing pack. Blackburn Rovers finished as the runners-up, eight points behind the Red Devils, as the Lancashire side showed great promise. Newcastle United took third spot, while Arsenal ended their season in fourth place in the table. Leeds United finished a point behind the Gunners in fifth.
Switching to the other end of the table and Swindon Town finished at the very bottom of the pile haven taken a mere 30 points from their 42 league games. They were joined in the 1994-95 Football League First Division by Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United who also couldn’t beat the drop. Ipswich Town and Southampton survived by the skin of their teeth, while Everton, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur also sailed dangerously close to the wind and survived by just a few points.
Match Results
| Result | Wins | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Win | 192 | 41.56% |
| Draw | 142 | 30.74% |
| Away Win | 128 | 27.71% |
BTTS
| Count | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 229 | 49.57% |
| No | 233 | 50.43% |
Average Goals
| Result | Average |
|---|---|
| Home | 1.44 |
| Away | 1.15 |
| Total | 2.59 |
Correct Score
Draws
| Score | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 0-0 | 43 | 9.31% |
| 1-1 | 67 | 14.50% |
| 2-2 | 21 | 4.55% |
| 3-3 | 11 | 2.38% |
Not Draws
| Score | Home Count | Away Count | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-0 | 51 | 32 | 83 | 17.97% |
| 2-0 | 31 | 22 | 53 | 11.47% |
| 2-1 | 39 | 34 | 73 | 15.80% |
| 3-0 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 4.98% |
| 3-1 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 5.84% |
| 3-2 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 3.03% |
| 4-0 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 2.38% |
| 4-1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1.52% |
| 4-2 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 2.16% |
| 4-3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.43% |
| 5-0 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1.52% |
| 5-1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1.30% |
| 5-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.22% |
| 5-4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.22% |
| 6-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.22% |
| 7-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.22% |
Over / Under
| Over/Under | Over | Percent | Under | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 419 | 90.69% | 43 | 9.31% |
| 1.5 | 336 | 72.73% | 126 | 27.27% |
| 2.5 | 216 | 46.75% | 246 | 53.25% |
| 3.5 | 120 | 25.97% | 342 | 74.03% |
| 4.5 | 61 | 13.2% | 401 | 86.8% |
| 5.5 | 33 | 7.14% | 429 | 92.86% |
| 6.5 | 456 | 1.3% | 456 | 98.7% |
| 7.5 | 3 | 0.65% | 459 | 99.35% |
| 8.5 | 1 | 0.22% | 461 | 99.78% |
| 9.5 | 0 | 0% | 462 | 100% |
Winning Margins
| Margin | Count | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 142 | 30.74% |
| 1 | 173 | 37.45% |
| 2 | 90 | 19.48% |
| 3 | 31 | 6.71% |
| 4 | 18 | 3.9% |
| 5 | 7 | 1.52% |
| 6 | 1 | 0.22% |
| 7 | 0 | 0% |
| 8 | 0 | 0% |
| 9 | 0 | 0% |
Red Devils Cruise to Title
Man United had a record-breaking season on their way to the title. They broke their own record from the previous season for acquiring the most points in a Premier League campaign, which stood until Chelsea picked up 95 points in the 2004-05 season. United cruised to the championship title and reached the finals of both domestic cup competitions during the campaign season. They lost 3-1 to Aston Villa in the League Cup final but beat Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup final to pull off a memorable league and cup double.
Man United were the real deal in the Premier League over the course of this season, losing just one league game until March. Only Chelsea (twice), Blackburn and Wimbledon beat them in the Premier League as the Manchester side showed their dominance. Rovers were back in the title race in April after Man United lost two games from three, including a 2-0 defeat at Ewood Park. However, three successive wins saw United take the title with two games to spare. Overall, Alex Ferguson’s boys picked up 27 wins, drew 11 times and suffered just four defeats. The Manchester giants scored 80 goals and racked up a very respectable total of 92 points along the way.
Keane Moves to Old Trafford in £3.75m Deal
Before the 1993-94 season had even kicked off, Man United made history. They captured Republic of Ireland midfield man Roy Keane from relegated Nottingham Forest for a £3.75m fee. That might not seem like a lot of money in terms of football transfers these days, but Keane became the most expensive player signed by an English club at the time. And there was little doubt that it proved money well spent as he went on to become a pivotal figure at the club.
That paved the way for many more £1m+ signings over the course of the season. David White moved to Leeds from Man City, while David Rocastle switched from Leeds to Man City. Blackburn bought Tim Flowers from Southampton for £2.5m, making him the most expensive goalkeeper in English football.
100 Goals Against Robins
The 1993-94 Premier League campaign was a pretty forgettable one for Swindon. John Gorman started the season in the County Ground dugout after Glenn Hoddle was signed by Chelsea in pre-season. Their first top-flight season was always going to be a tough one, but the Robins really struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League.
After picking up just five wins all season, Swindon were relegated back down to the Football League. Town shipped a staggering 100 goals in 42 games, scoring just 47 at the other end. They suffered 22 defeats, which was the most in the division. Swindon ended up finishing 13 points adrift of safety.
Cole Beats Shearer to Golden Boot
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Andy Cole and Andy Shearer were embroiled in a two-horse race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot over this season.
Cole ultimately won the battle, scoring an outstanding 34 league goals.
Young Shearer did well to keep up, netting 31 times for Blackburn, who finished as the runners-up to Man United.
Matt Le Tissier had a stunning season for Southampton, sharing the bronze medal with Norwich City’s Chris Sutton with 25 goals each.
Ian Wright netted 23 for Arsenal, while Peter Beardsley was Newcastle’s second-highest scorer with 21.
Mark Bright, Eric Cantona, Dean Holdsworth and Rod Wallace also finished in the top 10.
Relegations & European Qualifications
Swindon, Oldham and Sheffield United were the three relegated clubs this season. Southampton and Ipswich survived by just one point, while Everton finished two points clear of the Blades who ended the season in 20th position. Chelsea did a league double over champions Man United, reached the FA Cup final and qualified for Europe but finished way down in 14th place in the Premier League table.
Man United entered the UEFA Champions League, while Blackburn, Newcastle and Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup. London duo Arsenal and Chelsea, meanwhile, secured qualification for the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup first round.
Which Teams Were Relegated?
Swindon were the first team to suffer the dreaded drop this season. Their first year in the top tier proved to be an extremely difficult one, as the Robins picked up just five wins, the last of which came at QPR in their penultimate league game. They never recovered from Hoddle’s switch to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 1993. Town shipped 100 goals, picked up just 30 points and suffered an instant return to the second tier, their final game of the campaign being a humiliating 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Leeds United on home soil.
Joe Royle’s Oldham finished in 21st and were also relegated. The Latics survived on goal difference the season before but had no such luck this time. Athletic won nine times, drew 13 and suffered 20 defeats, finishing on 40 points.
The final relegation spot went to Sheffield United. The South Yorkshire side battled hard all season but went down on the final day. The Blades lost 3-2 at Chelsea on the last weekend, with the Blues’ winning goal coming in injury time – a point would have been enough for Dave Bassett’s men, but it wasn’t to be and they were sent crashing out of the division.
Which Teams Qualified For Europe?
Ferguson’s Man United won the Premier League for a second season running and booked their spot in the Champions League. As mentioned, Blackburn took second place after a solid campaign, while Newcastle finished in third position in the table; both clubs were therefore awarded UEFA Cup spots. Aston Villa also entered the UEFA Cup first round after beating Man United 3-1 in the 1994 League Cup final at Wembley Stadium, Ron Atkinson guiding his Villa side to victory against the club he managed in the 1980s, immediately before Alex Ferguson took the helm.
Arsenal beat Parma in the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup final in the Parken Stadium, Copenhagen. As a result, the Londoners entered the 1994-95 Cup Winners’ Cup as defending champions. As Man United had already qualified for the Champions League, Chelsea took their Cup Winners’ Cup spot after losing to the Red Devils in the 1994 FA Cup final, a game in which Eric Catona scored twice for United, with Mark Hughes and Brian McClair also finding the back of the net.