1994–95 FA Premier League
The 1994–95 FA Premier League was the third season of the Premier League, the top division of professional football in England.
Overview
Transfers
Just before the start of the 1994–95 season, the English transfer record was broken when Blackburn Rovers paid £5 million for 21-year-old Norwich City striker Chris Sutton. But that record was broken again in January when Manchester United paid £6 million for Newcastle United's Andy Cole, in a deal which also saw £1 million-rated Keith Gillespie move to Newcastle. Other significant transfers before and during the 1994–95 season included: Vinny Samways, David Rocastle, Jürgen Klinsmann, John Scales and Paul Kitson.Summary
The title race was won by Blackburn Rovers, whose last title success was in 1914, and also was Blackburn's first major trophy in 67 years.Kenny Dalglish's side secured the championship on the last day of the season despite losing 2–1 at his former club Liverpool, as Manchester United could only manage a 1–1 draw at West Ham.
This meant that Blackburn Rovers qualified for the European Cup for the first time in their history, while Manchester United finished second earning a UEFA Cup place. A single point separated the two sides, who for more than half of the season enjoyed a wide gap in terms of point between themselves and the rest of the league, despite the likes of Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Newcastle United briefly topping the league during the first three months of the season.
Also qualifying for the UEFA Cup were Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and fifth placed Leeds United.
The number of teams in the league for the following year would be reduced to 20. This was to be achieved by increasing the number of teams facing relegation to four, and reducing the number of teams being promoted from Division 1 to two.
Controversial incidents
In January 1995, Manchester United's 28-year-old French striker Eric Cantona assaulted a Crystal Palace fan in his team's 1–1 draw at Selhurst Park. Cantona was banned from football for eight months, fined £20,000 and sentenced to 14 days in prison. The prison sentence was later reduced to 120 hours community service on appeal.Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise was convicted of criminal damage and assault, relating to a fight with a taxi driver in London. He was given a three-month prison sentence but the conviction and prison sentence were quickly overturned on appeal.
Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson admitted in November 1994 that he was an alcoholic and was also addicted to cocaine and gambling. He underwent a three-month drug rehabilitation programme before being allowed to resume his playing career.
Crystal Palace striker Chris Armstrong failed a drugs test in February 1995 but admitted that he had done wrong and returned to action after just four weeks undergoing rehabilitation. Armstrong was Palace's leading goalscorer in 1994–95, helping them reach the semi finals of both domestic cup competitions, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated back to the First Division just one season after winning promotion.
Arsenal manager George Graham was sacked in February 1995 after nearly nine years in charge, when it was revealed that he had accepted an illegal payment of £425,000 from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge relating to the purchases of Norwegian and Danish players Pål Lydersen and John Jensen three years earlier. Graham was later banned from football for one year by the FA.
Teams
Twenty-two teams competed in the league – the top nineteen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City. This was also Leicester City's first season in the Premier League. They replaced Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town, ending their top flight spells of four, three and one year respectively.Stadiums and Locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Arsenal | London | Arsenal Stadium | |
| Aston Villa | Birmingham | Villa Park | |
| Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn | Ewood Park | |
| Chelsea | London | Stamford Bridge | |
| Coventry City | Coventry | Highfield Road | |
| Crystal Palace | London | Selhurst Park | |
| Everton | Liverpool | Goodison Park | |
| Ipswich Town | Ipswich | Portman Road | |
| Leeds United | Leeds | Elland Road | |
| Leicester City | Leicester | Filbert Street | |
| Liverpool | Liverpool | Anfield | |
| Manchester City | Manchester | Maine Road | |
| Manchester United | Old Trafford | Old Trafford | |
| Newcastle United | Newcastle upon Tyne | St James' Park | |
| Norwich City | Norwich | Carrow Road | |
| Nottingham Forest | West Bridgford | City Ground | |
| Queens Park Rangers | London | Loftus Road | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield | Hillsborough Stadium | |
| Southampton | Southampton | The Dell | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | London | White Hart Lane | |
| West Ham United | London | Boleyn Ground | |
| Wimbledon | London | Selhurst Park |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Arsenal |  Stewart Houston |  Tony Adams | Nike | JVC |
| Aston Villa | Brian Little | Kevin Richardson | Asics | Müller |
| Blackburn Rovers | Kenny Dalglish | Tim Sherwood | Asics | McEwan's Lager |
| Chelsea | Glenn Hoddle | Dennis Wise | Umbro | Coors |
| Coventry City | Ron Atkinson | Brian Borrows | Pony | Peugeot |
| Crystal Palace | Alan Smith | Gareth Southgate | Nutmeg | TDK |
| Everton | Joe Royle | Dave Watson | Umbro | NEC |
| Ipswich Town | George Burley | Steve Palmer | Umbro | Fisons |
| Leeds United | Howard Wilkinson | Gary McAllister | Asics | Thistle Hotels |
| Leicester City | Mark McGhee | Steve Walsh | Fox Leisure | Walkers |
| Liverpool | Roy Evans |  Ian Rush | Adidas | Carlsberg |
| Manchester City | Brian Horton | Keith Curle | Umbro | Brother |
| Manchester United | Alex Ferguson | Steve Bruce | Umbro | Sharp |
| Newcastle United | Kevin Keegan | Peter Beardsley | Asics | Scottish and Newcastle Breweries |
| Norwich City | Gary Megson | Jon Newsome | Ribero | Norwich and Peterborough |
| Nottingham Forest | Frank Clark | Stuart Pearce | Umbro | Labatt's |
| Queens Park Rangers | Ray Wilkins | David Bardsley | Clubhouse | Compaq |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Trevor Francis | Chris Waddle | Puma | Sanderson |
| Southampton | Alan Ball | Matt Le Tissier | Pony | Dimplex |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Gerry Francis | Gary Mabbutt | Umbro | Holsten |
| West Ham United | Harry Redknapp | Steve Potts | Pony | Dagenham Motors |
| Wimbledon |  Joe Kinnear | Vinnie Jones | Ribero | Elonex |
Managerial changes
League table
Results
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers | 34 |
| 2 | Robbie Fowler | Liverpool | 25 |
| 3 | Les Ferdinand | Queens Park Rangers | 24 |
| 4 | Stan Collymore | Nottingham Forest | 22 |
| 5 | Andy Cole | Newcastle United Manchester United | 21 |
| 5 |  Jürgen Klinsmann | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 |
| 7 | Matt Le Tissier | Southampton | 19 |
| 8 | Teddy Sheringham | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 |
| 8 | Ian Wright | Arsenal | 18 |
| 10 | Uwe Rösler | Manchester City | 15 |
| 10 | Dean Saunders | Aston Villa | 15 |
| 10 | Chris Sutton | Blackburn Rovers | 15 |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
| | Blackburn Rovers | Coventry City | 4–0 | 27 8 1994 | |
| | Liverpool | Arsenal | 4–3 | 28 8 1994 | |
 | Manchester United | Manchester City | 5–0 | 10 11 1994 | |
| | Blackburn Rovers | Queens Park Rangers | 4–0 | 26 11 1994 | |
| | Tottenham Hotspur | Newcastle United | 4–2 | 3 12 1994 | |
| | West Ham United | Manchester City | 3–0 | 17 12 1994 | |
| | Blackburn Rovers | West Ham United | 4–2 | 30 10 1994 | |
| | Blackburn Rovers | Ipswich Town | 4–1 | 2 1 1995 | |
| | Aston Villa | Wimbledon | 7–1 | 11 2 1995 | |
| 5 | Manchester United | Ipswich Town | 9–0 | 4 3 1995 | |
 | Coventry City | Liverpool | 3–2 | 14 3 1995 | |
 | Leeds United | Ipswich Town | 4–0 | 5 4 1995 | |
| | Arsenal | Ipswich Town | 4–1 | 15 4 1995 |
Top assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Matt Le Tissier | Southampton | 15 |
| 2 | Darren Anderton | Tottenham Hotspur | 14 |
| 3 | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers | 13 |
| 4 | Ruel Fox | Norwich City | 11 |
| 4 | Ryan Giggs | Manchester United | 11 |
| 4 | Andy Hinchcliffe | Everton | 11 |
| 4 |  Bryan Roy | Nottingham Forest | 11 |
| 8 | Kevin Gallen | Queens Park Rangers | 10 |
| 8 | Jürgen Klinsmann | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 |
| 8 | Chris Sutton | Blackburn Rovers | 10 |
Awards
Monthly awards
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
| Premier League Manager of the Season | Kenny Dalglish | Blackburn Rovers |
| PFA Players' Player of the Year | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers |
| PFA Young Player of the Year | Robbie Fowler | Liverpool |
| FWA Footballer of the Year | Jürgen Klinsmann | Tottenham Hotspur |