On 20th June 1995, Arsenal completed one of their most important signings in their history as they managed to tempt Dennis Bergkamp to the English game for £7.5 million. The Gunners had experienced a tough 1994-1995 season which had seen them finish only 12th in the Premier League and lose the Cup Winners’ Cup final to Real Zaragoza. New manager Bruce Rioch had only just been appointed and this was his first statement of intent in the Highbury hotseat.
Bergkamp had himself experienced a couple of tricky years at Inter Milan in Serie A. He’d scored only 11 goals in 52 league matches and was desperate to leave Milan for a new challenge elsewhere. This looked like a perfect match in heaven, despite Bergkamp being a Tottenham fan growing up and idolising Glenn Hoddle in his early days.
At his unveiling, he said: “It’s very attractive to me because English teams like to attack, and whenever I’ve played against sides here there have always been possibilities to score. I’m also looking forward to playing alongside Ian Wright, a great player.”
Bergkamp did take time to settle and didn’t score in his first seven appearances but once he broke his duck against Southampton in September 1995, his place with Arsenal immortality was sealed. Bergkamp won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in 1998, claimed three Premier League titles and four FA Cups before retiring in 2006.
He is now at his first club, Ajax on the coaching staff but Arsenal will always remain in the heart of Dennis Bergkamp. His plethora of great goals and outrageous skills means he has to be considered among one of the greatest foreign players to ever play in the Premier League.
Dennis Bergkamp’s Arsenal career was littered with so many special moments and incredible goals. In the 1997-1998 campaign, the Dutchman’s superb skills saw him help Arsenal to a league and cup double and saw him win the PFA Players’ Player of the Year. One season earlier, he produced a sign of what was to come with a supreme finish in the closing stages of the Highbury North London Derby.
Arsenal had just taken a 2-1 lead through skipper Tony Adams, when Bergkamp finished the game off with this wonderful control. Strike partner Ian Wright seemed to be happy to take the ball into the corner flag to see the game out but he teased Clive Wilson into this trick. He beat the defensive midfielder and crossed the ball to the back post for Bergkamp.
Bergkamp killed the ball with a marvellous first touch which took him inside Stephen Carr. Then, his second touch saw him drive his shot past Ian Walker into the far corner of the net. Arsenal won the game 3-1 and their domination of the North London scene would continue for several years afterwards. Arsene Wenger would only lose one of these games in the next 14 years.
Goalscorers: Dennis Bergkamp 14, 45, Julian Joachim 62, Dion Dublin 65, 83
Teams:
Aston Villa: Michael Oakes, Ugo Ehiogu, Gareth Southgate, Steve Watson, Alan Wright, Gareth Barry (Stan Collymore 54), Lee Hendrie, Ian Taylor, Alan Thompson, Dion Dublin, Julian Joachim (Simon Grayson 86)
Arsenal: David Seaman, Steve Bould, Nelson Vivas, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown, Patrick Vieira, Ray Parlour (Luis Boa Morte 89), Freddie Ljungberg (Gilles Grimandi 68), Marc Overmars, Nicolas Anelka, Dennis Bergkamp
Referee: Stephen Lodge, Attendance: 39,217
Aston Villa were flying high in the first half of the 1998-1999 season and looked like a genuine contender for the Premier League title. John Gregory’s side had only been beaten twice all campaign by the time reigning champions Arsenal visited Villa Park. Villa had just been knocked off top spot by Manchester United after their 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur 24 hours earlier and were enduring their toughest run of the season – having collected just two points from their previous four fixtures.
Back after missing four matches with a thigh problem, Dennis Bergkamp gave the champions the lead after 14 minutes. Strike partner Nicolas Anelka won an aerial challenge and Bergkamp showed his class to sprint away from Gareth Barry. The Dutchman then provided a clinical finish with a volley from distance that surprised Michael Oakes. Although the home side were enjoying more possession, it was the Gunners who had more intent in attacking situations. Right on the stroke of half-time, the visitors doubled their advantage with Anelka and Bergkamp once again working brilliantly in tandem.
The Frenchman was once again the provider, getting to the by-line unchallenged, turning and producing a crisp pass which Bergkamp dispatched in commanding fashion with an instant first-touch finish. Gregory was now going to have to give a stiff half-time team talk to his players if they were going to turn this situation around. However, the interval would last for 30 minutes after a shocking incident at half-time.
RAF parachutist Nigel Rogoff was coming into the stadium in a Santa Claus outfit when his stunt went dreadfully wrong. He hit the roof of the Trinity Road stand and plunged to the ground. Rogoff sustained bad injuries to both of his legs and his left leg would later be amputated above the knee.
Once the football resumed, the Villa faithful put aside those events to help galvanise the players back into the contest. Gregory brought Stan Collymore on for Barry 10 minutes into the second half and his presence helped the Villans back into the match. On 62 minutes, it was his flick-on that played in Lee Hendrie. Hendrie then squared the ball to Julian Joachim and he beat David Seaman with a low shot.
Three minutes later, Arsenal’s lead had vanished. Dion Dublin scored his eighth goal for the club since arriving from Coventry City a month earlier. His first attempt at a shot was blocked but when Alan Thompson’s miscue fell neatly into his path, he made no mistake as Arsenal’s protests against an offside fell on deaf ears. Sensing a winner was on the cards, Villa continued to increase the tempo and they completed the comeback seven minutes from full-time. Martin Keown missed his attempt of a clearing header and the ball dropped beautifully for Dublin to thrash a shot beyond Seaman.
Villa would spend Christmas Day on top of the table but a dire run of 10 games without a win from mid-January saw them fade to sixth in the final standings. Arsenal won the return fixture 1-0 at Highbury on the last day of the season but missed out on retaining their title by just a single point.
The history of the BBC Goal of the Month award has seen some unique feats. It’s most remarkable honour was for the same player to claim the top three positions in the same month. That belongs to Dennis Bergkamp who scored a terrific hat-trick at Filbert Street against Leicester City in August 1997.
The Dutchman had already scored a marvellous effort from the edge of the area in the first half, before adding a second through a dynamic Arsenal counter-attack. Leicester though had shown amazing character to draw themselves level at 2-2 going into stoppage-time before Bergkamp’s final bit of brilliance.
Collecting a well-timed long pass from David Platt, Bergkamp controlled the ball in the air, killing any momentum on the ball from Platt. Two touches took him away from Matt Elliott and then he produced a brilliant finish past Kasey Keller to complete one of the best hat-tricks in Premier League history.
It is unfortunate that Leicester’s double comeback to get a 3-3 draw out of this match is almost virtually forgotten by another piece of Dutch Dynamite from the 1998 PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
Results: Charlton Athletic 1-2 Everton, Derby County 2-1 Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United 2-0 Southampton, Leicester City 0-5 Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool FC 2-1 West Ham United, Middlesbrough 0-4 Arsenal, Sunderland 1-0 Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Aston Villa, Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle United, Manchester United 3-2 Fulham
The opening weekend of the 2001-2002 Premier League season saw 28 goals in its first weekend with a new title sponsor. Barclaycard had taken over sponsorship rights over the summer from Carling.
Fulham were welcomed into the Premier League family and they had a daunting first fixture too against reigning Premier League champions Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson was looking to achieve four titles in a row in what at the time we thought was going to be his final campaign in the dugout at Old Trafford.
They were pushed all the way by the newcomers, with Louis Saha making an immediate impression. The Frenchman scored twice as Fulham led twice but their best efforts were cancelled out by United’s new £19 million striker. Ruud van Nistelrooy helped himself to a debut double and the home side came away with all three points in a nervy 3-2 victory.
Unlike Fulham, Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers did boast previous Premier League experience. They both returned to the top-flight on this weekend, with mixed fortunes. Blackburn lost 2-1 at Derby County, as Fabrizio Ravanelli scored a trademark free-kick on his return to English football.
On the other hand, Bolton had a day to savour at Filbert Street, crushing Leicester City 5-0. The outstanding Per Frandsen scored two free-kicks and Kevin Nolan also scored twice as the pressure cranked up on Leicester boss Peter Taylor.
There was a bad-tempered match on Teeside as Arsenal travelled to Middlesbrough. Steve McClaren’s first game as a Premier League boss ended in a 4-0 home defeat as Arsenal began their extraordinary run of scoring in every single league match in the season. Both Ugo Ehiogu and Ray Parlour were sent off with two late goals by Dennis Bergkamp making the scoreline look more flattering than how the actual game developed.
Liverpool FC had Michael Owen to thank once again. Owen continued where he left off from the previous season in his dream year which saw him finish as the European Footballer of the Year. He scored twice as the Reds defeated West Ham United 2-1 at Anfield. Lastly, Chelsea and Newcastle United shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. This match was more notable as it was the first game in the UK that was made available via a pay-per-view subscription model. Premiership Plus would be around on the Sky platform for the next five seasons.
What else happened in August 2001?
Former royal butler Paul Burrell is charged with theft of items that belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales. The prosecution collapses three months later.
A plane crash in the Bahamas claims the life of American R&B performer Aaliyah and eight members of her record company. She was just 22-years-old.
Law goes into effect in Germany legalizing same-sex registered partnerships.
Whitney Houston signs the largest contract in music history with Arista Records, a six-album deal worth over $100 million.
Michael Schumacher wins the FIA Formula One World Championship with victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. It is the German’s fourth world title.
The BBC introduces a fourth weekly episode of EastEnders, to be broadcast at 8pm every Friday night.
For all the statistical fans out there, here are some of the season’s records from the 2001-2002 Premier League campaign, as Arsenal scored in every single game to end Manchester United’s three-year stranglehold on the prize.
FINAL TABLE
Position
Team
P
W
D
L
F
A
GD
PTS
1
Arsenal
38
26
9
3
79
36
+43
87
2
Liverpool FC
38
24
8
6
67
30
+37
80
3
Manchester United
38
24
5
9
87
45
+42
77
4
Newcastle United
38
21
8
9
74
52
+22
71
5
Leeds United
38
18
12
8
53
37
+16
66
6
Chelsea
38
17
13
8
66
38
+28
64
7
West Ham United
38
15
8
15
48
57
-9
53
8
Aston Villa
38
12
14
12
46
47
-1
50
9
Tottenham Hotspur
38
14
8
16
49
53
-4
50
10
Blackburn Rovers
38
12
10
16
55
51
+4
46
11
Middlesbrough
38
12
9
17
46
54
-8
45
12
Southampton
38
10
9
17
35
47
-12
45
13
Fulham
38
10
14
14
36
44
-8
44
14
Charlton Athletic
38
10
14
14
38
49
-11
44
15
Everton
38
11
10
17
45
57
-12
43
16
Bolton Wanderers
38
9
13
16
44
62
-18
40
17
Sunderland
38
10
10
18
29
51
-22
40
18
Ipswich Town
38
9
9
20
41
64
-23
36
19
Derby County
38
8
6
24
33
63
-30
30
20
Leicester City
38
5
13
20
30
64
-34
28
THE BASIC STATS
Goals Scored
1001
European qualifiers
Manchester United (UEFA Champions League), Arsenal (UEFA Champions League), Liverpool FC (UEFA Champions League), Newcastle United (UEFA Champions League), Leeds United (UEFA Cup), Chelsea (UEFA Cup), Blackburn Rovers (UEFA Cup), Ipswich Town (UEFA Cup), Aston Villa (UEFA Intertoto Cup), Fulham (UEFA Intertoto Cup)
Longest winning run
13 games (Arsenal)
Longest unbeaten run
21 games (Arsenal)
Longest winless run
16 games (Leicester City)
Longest losing run
7 games (Derby County)
Highest attendance
67,638 (Manchester United vs. Middlesbrough)
Lowest attendance
15,415 (Leicester City vs. Middlesbrough)
AWARDS
PFA Players’ Player of the Year
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United)
PFA Young Player of the Year
Craig Bellamy (Newcastle United)
Football Writers’ Award
Robert Pires (Arsenal)
PFA Team of the Year
Shay Given, Wayne Bridge, Steve Finnan, Rio Ferdinand, Sami Hyypia, Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Ryan Giggs, Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, Ruud van Nistelrooy
Results: Aston Villa 1-3 Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea 1-0 Southampton, Leeds United 0-1 Newcastle United, Leicester City 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday, Liverpool FC 3-1 Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest 1-8 Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Coventry City, West Ham United 0-4 Arsenal, Derby County 2-1 Everton, Charlton Athletic 2-0 Wimbledon
In the early weeks of February 1999, four sides still held genuine realistic chances of becoming Premier League champions. Just two points covered leaders Manchester United, second-placed Chelsea, early season pacesetters Aston Villa and reigning champions Arsenal. By the end of the 6th-8th February weekend, it became crystal clear that only three sides had serious title credentials.
Aston Villa’s form in the early weeks of 1999 was already concerning. They had managed just one victory at home to Everton and had been dumped out of the FA Cup by First Division Fulham. Nevertheless, John Gregory would still have been expecting a home victory against relegation-threatened Blackburn Rovers. It didn’t turn out the way he hoped. Gareth Southgate scored an embarrassing own goal and further strikes from Ashley Ward and David Dunn helped Blackburn to an impressive 3-1 victory. It meant a league double over the Villans’ whose form completely collapsed. They would take just three points from their next eight matches and dropped to sixth by the season’s end.
If Villa’s challenge had completely wilted, Manchester United’s was in top gear. They visited bottom-placed Nottingham Forest and ran riot at the City Ground. Alan Rogers did briefly equalise after Dwight Yorke had given the league leaders an early lead but it went swiftly downhill from there for the home side. Yorke added another goal and there were two for his strike partner Andy Cole. At 4-1 up with 18 minutes left, Yorke was substituted to his clear disappointment and on came Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He would leave his mark with an incredible four-goal haul of his own from the bench. The 8-1 final scoreline means it remains the biggest away victory in Premier League history.
Arsenal were now hitting their stride too. Out of Europe, their focus was now solely on retaining the league and cup double they’d managed in 1998. They won 4-0 at Upton Park with a classy attacking performance that was reminiscent of the closing weeks of their title triumph the previous season. Dennis Bergkamp was at his best, opening the scoring and completely controlling the game. It was a home debut to forget for Paolo di Canio but at least he didn’t get into any trouble against Arsenal – unlike his experience earlier in the season as a Sheffield Wednesday player.
Whilst Manchester United and Arsenal were winning with more than something to spare, Chelsea took the prudent approach. Gianfranco Zola’s free-kick was good enough to beat Southampton 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Gianluca Vialli’s side would continue to dig in and made it a real three-way fight all the way until mid-April when their exertions in the Cup Winners’ Cup would catch up on their title challenge.
Leeds United were having an excellent season under David O’Leary but they came unstuck at home to mid-table Newcastle United. Nolberto Solano scored the only goal of the game to mark the Yorkshire’s club third defeat in their last four outings. This galvanised Leeds though, who would go on a stunning run of seven successive victories to match the mark set by Don Revie’s great side of the early 1970s.
Elsewhere, Liverpool FC moved into the top six with a 3-1 home victory over Middlesbrough. Like the reverse fixture on Boxing Day, defender Vegard Heggem was on target for the Reds’, who were well in control and 3-0 up by half-time. Defender Dominic Matteo was sent off in the second half but Middlesbrough could only muster a late consolation through substitute Phil Stamp.
On Monday Night Football, Charlton Athletic were absolutely desperate for a victory against Wimbledon. Charlton had gone 13 games without a win since beating West Ham United 4-2 at the backend of October and that had included a seven-game losing sequence which had seen them plummet from 9th to 19th. Martin Pringle picked the best time to score his first Addicks’ goal and a comical own goal by Dean Blackwell ensured a priceless 2-0 victory for Alan Curbishley’s side although the season would end with heartache on the final day and relegation from the top-flight after one season in the elite.
What else happened in February 1999?
After a year of allegations, strain and defence, Bill Clinton is acquitted of impeachment proceedings in the US senate.
King Hussein of Jordan dies from cancer and is succeeded by his son, Abdullah II.
While trying to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon, Colin Prescot and Andy Elson set a new endurance record after being aloft for 233 hours and 55 minutes.
31 people are killed when an avalanche dismantles the small Austrian village of Galtür.
The BBC announces that Noel’s House Party will be axed after eight successful years.
Kelly Brook succeeds Denise van Outen as co-presenter of The Big Breakfast on Channel 4.
Lauryn Hill makes history at the Grammy Awards by being the first female artist to win five Grammys in one night.
Dutch master Dennis Bergkamp produced some classical moments for Arsenal during his glorious 11-year stay at Highbury. He was one of football’s best players when it came to skill, intelligence and link-up with strike partners.
He demonstrated his sheer quality at St James’ Park in 2002. Early on into this match against a fellow title contender, Bergkamp produces an outrageous piece of skill, back heeling the ball on the edge of the area and spinning past a rather confused Nikos Dabizas.
This put Dennis in on goal and he showed extreme coolness to place the ball beyond the reach of Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given. It is one of the all-time Premier League great goals and easily one of Bergkamp’s absolute best from a classy career.
For all the statistical fans out there, here are some of the season’s records from the 1997-1998 Premier League season, as a third Premier League team emerged as a championship-winning side.
FINAL TABLE
Position
Team
P
W
D
L
F
A
GD
PTS
1
Arsenal
38
23
9
6
68
33
+35
78
2
Manchester United
38
23
8
7
73
26
+47
77
3
Liverpool FC
38
18
11
9
68
42
+26
65
4
Chelsea
38
20
3
15
71
43
+28
63
5
Leeds United
38
17
8
13
57
46
+11
59
6
Blackburn Rovers
38
16
10
12
57
52
+5
58
7
Aston Villa
38
17
6
15
49
48
+1
57
8
West Ham United
38
16
8
14
56
57
-1
56
9
Derby County
38
16
7
15
52
49
+3
55
10
Leicester City
38
13
14
11
51
41
+10
53
11
Coventry City
38
12
16
10
46
44
+2
52
12
Southampton
38
14
6
18
50
55
-5
48
13
Newcastle United
38
11
11
16
35
44
-9
44
14
Tottenham Hotspur
38
11
11
16
44
56
-12
44
15
Wimbledon
38
10
14
14
34
46
-12
44
16
Sheffield Wednesday
38
12
8
18
52
67
-15
44
17
Everton
38
9
13
16
41
56
-15
40
18
Bolton Wanderers
38
9
13
16
41
61
-20
40
19
Barnsley
38
10
5
23
37
82
-45
35
20
Crystal Palace
38
8
9
21
37
71
-34
33
THE BASIC STATS
Goals Scored
1019
European qualifiers
Arsenal (UEFA Champions League), Manchester United (UEFA Champions League), Liverpool FC (UEFA Cup), Leeds United (UEFA Cup), Blackburn Rovers (UEFA Cup), Aston Villa (UEFA Cup), Chelsea (UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup), Newcastle United (UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup), Crystal Palace (UEFA Intertoto Cup)
Longest winning run
10 games (Arsenal)
Longest unbeaten run
18 games (Arsenal)
Longest winless run
15 games (Crystal Palace)
Longest losing run
8 games (Crystal Palace)
Highest attendance
55,306 (Manchester United vs. Wimbledon)
Lowest attendance
7,688 (Wimbledon vs. Barnsley)
AWARDS
PFA Players’ Player of the Year
Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)
PFA Young Player of the Year
Michael Owen (Liverpool FC)
Football Writers’ Award
Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)
PFA Team of the Year
Nigel Martyn, Graeme Le Saux, Colin Hendry, Gary Pallister, Gary Neville, David Batty, Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Dennis Bergkamp, Michael Owen
Manager of the Year
Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)
Goal of the Season
Dennis Bergkamp (Leicester City vs. ARSENAL)
HAT-TRICK HEROES
Player
Teams
Score
Date
Dion Dublin
Coventry City vs. Chelsea
3-2
9th August 1997
Chris Sutton
Aston Villa vs. Blackburn Rovers
0-4
13th August 1997
Gianluca Vialli (4)
Barnsley vs. Chelsea
0-6
24th August 1997
Dennis Bergkamp
Leicester City vs. Arsenal
3-3
27th August 1997
Ian Wright
Arsenal vs. Bolton Wanderers
4-1
13th September 1997
Patrik Berger
Liverpool FC vs. Chelsea
4-2
5th October 1997
Andy Cole
Manchester United vs. Barnsley
7-0
25th October 1997
Andy Booth
Sheffield Wednesday vs. Bolton Wanderers
5-0
8th November 1997
Gianfranco Zola
Chelsea vs. Derby County
4-0
29th November 1997
Tore Andre Flo
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea
1-6
6th December 1997
Duncan Ferguson
Everton vs. Bolton Wanderers
3-2
28th December 1997
Kevin Gallacher
Blackburn Rovers vs. Aston Villa
5-0
17th January 1998
Michael Owen
Sheffield Wednesday vs. Liverpool FC
3-3
14th February 1998
Chris Sutton
Blackburn Rovers vs. Leicester City
5-3
28th February 1998
Darren Huckerby
Leeds United vs. Coventry City
3-3
25th April 1998
Jurgen Klinsmann (4)
Wimbledon vs. Tottenham Hotspur
2-6
2nd May 1998
TOP SCORERS
Position
Player
Teams
No of Goals
1=
Michael Owen
Liverpool FC
18
1=
Chris Sutton
Blackburn Rovers
18
1=
Dion Dublin
Coventry City
18
4=
Dennis Bergkamp
Arsenal
16
4=
Andy Cole
Manchester United
16
4=
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Leeds United
16
4=
Kevin Gallacher
Blackburn Rovers
16
8
John Hartson
West Ham United
15
9
Darren Huckerby
Coventry City
14
10
Paulo Wanchope
Derby County
13
11=
Marc Overmars
Arsenal
12
11=
Dwight Yorke
Aston Villa
12
11=
Francesco Baiano
Derby County
12
11=
Paolo di Canio
Sheffield Wednesday
12
11=
Nathan Blake
Bolton Wanderers
12
16=
Tore Andre Flo
Chelsea
11
16=
Matt Le Tissier
Southampton
11
16=
Steve McManaman
Liverpool FC
11
16=
Gianluca Vialli
Chelsea
11
16=
Duncan Ferguson
Everton
11
16=
Egil Ostenstad
Southampton
11
22=
Ian Wright
Arsenal
10
22=
Rod Wallace
Leeds United
10
22=
Emile Heskey
Leicester City
10
22=
Neil Redfearn
Barnsley
10
BIGGEST VICTORIES
Manchester United 7-0 Barnsley
25th October 1997
Barnsley 0-6 Chelsea
24th August 1997
West Ham United 6-0 Barnsley
10th January 1998
Blackburn Rovers 7-2 Sheffield Wednesday
25th August 1997
Manchester United 6-1 Sheffield Wednesday
1st November 1997
Tottenham Hotspur 1-6 Chelsea
6th December 1997
Arsenal 5-0 Barnsley
4th October 1997
Liverpool FC 5-0 West Ham United
2nd May 1998
Derby County 0-5 Leeds United
15th March 1998
Blackburn Rovers 5-0 Aston Villa
17th January 1998
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES
No of Goals
Teams
Date
9
Blackburn Rovers 7-2 Sheffield Wednesday
25th August 1997
8
Chelsea 6-2 Crystal Palace
11th March 1998
8
Wimbledon 2-6 Tottenham Hotspur
2nd May 1998
8
Blackburn Rovers 5-3 Leicester City
28th February 1998
7
Manchester United 7-0 Barnsley
25th October 1997
7
Manchester United 6-1 Sheffield Wednesday
1st November 1997
7
Tottenham Hotspur 1-6 Chelsea
6th December 1997
7
Wimbledon 2-5 Manchester United
22nd November 1997
7
Sheffield Wednesday 2-5 Derby County
24th September 1997
7
Bolton Wanderers 5-2 Crystal Palace
2nd May 1998
7
Blackburn Rovers 3-4 Leeds United
14th September 1997
7
West Ham United 4-3 Leicester City
10th May 1998
7
Barnsley 4-3 Southampton
14th March 1998
7
Leeds United 4-3 Derby County
8th November 1997
6
Barnsley 0-6 Chelsea
24th August 1997
6
West Ham United 6-0 Barnsley
10th January 1998
6
Bolton Wanderers 1-5 Coventry City
31st January 1998
6
Liverpool FC 4-2 Chelsea
5th October 1997
6
Chelsea 4-2 Southampton
30th August 1997
6
West Ham United 2-4 Southampton
25th April 1998
YOUNGEST PLAYERS USED
Player
Teams
Age at the time
Date
Francis Jeffers
Manchester United 2-0 Everton
16 years, 11 months, 1 day
26th December 1997
Gareth Barry
Sheffield Wednesday 1-3 Aston Villa
17 years, 2 months, 9 days
2nd May 1998
Michael Owen
Wimbledon 1-1 Liverpool FC
17 years, 7 months, 26 days
9th August 1997
Danny Cadamarteri
Derby County 3-1 Everton
17 years, 11 months, 1 day
13th September 1997
Michael Ball
Newcastle United 1-0 Everton
17 years, 11 months, 22 days
24th September 1997
Junior Agogo
Newcastle United 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
18 years, 8 days
9th August 1997
Stephen McPhail
Leicester City 1-0 Leeds United
18 years, 1 month, 29 days
7th February 1998
Aaron Hughes
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Newcastle United
18 years, 2 months, 2 days
10th January 1998
Richard Dunne
Everton 3-2 Bolton Wanderers
18 years, 3 months, 7 days
28th December 1997
Paolo Vernazza
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
18 years, 3 months, 20 days
21st February 1998
OLDEST PLAYERS USED
Player
Teams
Age at the time
Date
Steve Ogrizovic
Leeds United 3-3 Coventry City
40 years, 7 months, 13 days
25th April 1998
Neville Southall
Everton 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
39 years, 2 months, 13 days
29th November 1997
Peter Beardsley
Bolton Wanderers 1-5 Coventry City
37 years, 13 days
31st January 1998
Gary Mabbutt
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Southampton
36 years, 8 months, 17 days
10th May 1998
Peter Shirtliff
Southampton 4-1 Barnsley
36 years, 7 months, 2 days
8th November 1997
Dave Watson
Everton 1-1 Coventry City
36 years, 5 months, 20 days
10th May 1998
Clive Wilson
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Everton
36 years, 4 months, 22 days
4th April 1998
Ian Rush
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Newcastle United
36 years, 2 months, 21 days
10th January 1998
Stuart Pearce
Newcastle United 3-1 Chelsea
36 years, 8 days
2nd May 1998
Ludek Miklosko
Derby County 2-0 West Ham United
35 years, 11 months, 27 days
6th December 1997
CLEAN SHEETS
Position
Player
Teams
No of Clean Sheets
1
Peter Schmeichel
Manchester United
16
2
Kasey Keller
Leicester City
14
3=
David Seaman
Arsenal
13
3=
Mart Poom
Derby County
13
5
Ed de Goey
Chelsea
12
6=
David James
Liverpool FC
11
6=
Nigel Martyn
Leeds United
11
6=
Tim Flowers
Blackburn Rovers
11
9
Keith Branagan
Bolton Wanderers
10
10
Mark Bosnich
Aston Villa
9
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