Everton’s last-gasp equaliser in the Merseyside Derby against Liverpool meant Arsenal’s faint Premier League hopes remain intact, for now. It got us thinking about times when rivals have famously derailed title attempts.
James Tarkowski’s last-minute strike meant the gap was stretched to seven points instead of nine and if Arsenal do somehow manage to claw back such a lead and win the title, fans may well look back at that as the moment the wheels started to fall of Liverpool’s title challenge. Let’s wait and see.
Over the years, we have seen plenty of examples of teams derailing their rivals in their pursuit of the Premier League and we’ve decided to look at five of the best examples since 1992.
Manchester United 1-1 LIVERPOOL – 1997-98
In a year where Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were going toe-to-toe with Arsenal, they eventually ended up losing the title by just a single point – and their 1-1 draw with Liverpool in the title run-in came at the wrong time.
A Michael Owen first-half goal cancelled out an early opener from Ronny Johnsen and it ensured that United dropped to second place, giving Arsenal the incentive at that late stage of the season. They followed that up with another home draw to Newcastle United, before winning their final three.
Arsenal had won 10 in a row from March to May which confirmed the title, even with their two defeats in their last two games of the season. But that draw with Liverpool ended their hopes.
TOTTENHAM 4-4 Chelsea – 2007-08
At the time, Chelsea were vying to win the title back off Manchester United following back-to-back wins under Jose Mourinho. They travelled to London rivals Spurs on game week 30 having not lost in their previous 12 games, looking to keep the pressure on United.
Chelsea took the lead four times only to be pegged back late by a Robbie Keane wondergoal, ensuring they dropped two valuable points. Spurs finished 11th that season but played a big role in United’s win as the Blues went on to win six of their last eight, missing out on the title by two points – and those two dropped points at White Hart Lane were crucial to their title failure.
Liverpool 0-2 CHELSEA – 2013-14
In what was a spellbinding season, Chelsea were embroiled in a title charge with Liverpool and Manchester City, having been in first place in game week 33. All three sides, at some point, felt as if the title was theirs but when Mourinho took his side to Anfield in game week 36, he pulled off a smash-and-grab against his old enemy.
Plenty of needle between the sides, Liverpool were top of the table heading into the game but fell to a Chelsea side who parked the bus playing the likes of Tomas Kalas and Mark Schwarzer with a second-string attack that included Demba Ba, Mohamed Salah and Andre Schurrle.
Despite just 27%, they pulled off a miraculous win, rattling Liverpool who saw Steven Gerrard dramatically slip to help give Chelsea the lead in the first half. A late Willian goal came in the dying minutes as Liverpool threw everyone forward in desperation.
After the defeat, their title hopes lay in ruin and they then went and surrendered a 3-0 lead away at Crystal Palace to confirm their failed title charge. We can still see Jose running down the touchline pointing to his Chelsea badge, feeling vindicated after previous Anfield failures.
READ MORE: Where are they now? Chelsea’s XI from the ‘Gerrard slip’ win at Anfield
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every club to win the English league title?
CHELSEA 2-2 Tottenham – 2015-16
Perhaps the most famous case, the game was titled ‘The Battle of the Bridge’ given its incredibly physical nature which saw 13 yellow cards in total, including a league record nine for Spurs as Chelsea came from two goals down to draw, ending Tottenham’s hopes of a league title and handing the trophy to Leicester City to complete an extraordinary achievement.
Slightly earlier in the season in game weeks 28 and 29, Spurs lost to West Ham United away and then drew with Arsenal which were crucial defeats a home draw with West Brom a week before Chelsea also put the nail in the coffin – but that defeat to Chelsea is infamous and will remain so for their collapse.
Tottenham and Chelsea players confront each other at Stamford Bridge. May 2016.
READ:Celebrating Chelsea, Tottenham & the 2016 Battle of the Bridge: ‘Most shameful game’
MAN UTD 2-2 Liverpool -2023-24
With Jurgen Klopp in the final year of his Liverpool career, they remained in all four competitions up until March that season, but they ended up with just one trophy. Having won 10 of their last 13 before heading to Old Trafford to face an out-of-sorts United side, Liverpool were top of the table ahead of Man City and Arsenal.
United finished eighth that season, a club-record low in the Premier League era, but they managed to get one over their rivals at Old Trafford, derailing their title bid. Two weeks prior, they had won an epic 4-3 clash in the FA Cup which was still fresh on everyone’s minds and another upset in the league led to a run of just two wins in six games as Klopp failed to get his fairytale ending.