The 1992/93 Premier League season was the inaugural season of the Premier League, following a breakaway from the English Football League. There was a massive boost of cash for clubs as they signed a new £304m TV deal which saw live football move to Sky TV.
Leeds United were reigning champions, having won the 1991/92 First Division title – the last time the First Division was the top flight of English football. Twenty-two teams made up the first Premier League.
Champions
Manchester United won the first ever Premier League title in 1992/93, finishing 10 points clear of Aston Villa in second. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, it was their first league title in 26 years. Notably, Manchester United signed Eric Cantona in November 1992 from Leeds United, who helped fire them to the title. David Beckham, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt made their debuts for United.
Cup Winners
Arsenal did an FA Cup and League Cup double, becoming the first team to achieve such a feat, while Leeds United won the Charity Shield.
Qualified for Europe
Manchester United qualified for the Champions League after winning the Premier League. Only league champions qualified for the Champions League at this stage, and not the four clubs that we’re currently used to.
Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup after finishing second.
Arsenal qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup after winning both the FA Cup and League Cup.
Because of Arsenal’s double cup win, an extra UEFA Cup spot was up for grabs in the league. Norwich City claimed this after finishing third in the Premier League.
Player of the Year
Paul McGrath of Aston Villa won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in 1992/93.
Chris Waddle of Sheffield Wednesday, who finished seventh, was named Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year.
Ryan Giggs of Manchester United won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. This was the Welsh winger’s second win in succession.
Premier League Team of the Year 1992/93
Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United);
Defenders: David Bardsley (QPR), Gary Pallister (Manchester United), Paul McGrath (Aston Villa), Tony Dorigo (Leeds United);
Midfielders: Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest), Paul Ince (Manchester United), Gary Speed (Leeds United), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United);
Strikers: Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers), Ian Wright (Arsenal).
Golden Boot Winner
Teddy Sheringham scored 22 goals in the first Premier League season while playing for Tottenham. Sheringham had only signed for Tottenham in August 1992 from Nottingham Forest – he scored one goal for Forest and 21 for Spurs.
Goal of the Season
Dalian Atkinson of Aston Villa won the 1992/93 Goal of the Season award for this brilliant run and delicate chip:
Manager of the Year
Sir Alex Ferguson won the Manager of the Year award for 1992/93. Dave Bassett of Sheffield United won the newly created League Managers’ Association Manager of the Year award.
Golden Glove
The Golden Glove award, awarded to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in a season, was only introduced in 2004/05. Bobby Mimms of Blackburn Rovers, with his 19 clean sheets, would have won it if it was a thing for the 1992/93 Premier League season. Am I allowed to unofficially award it to it him? Sure why not.
Relegated/Promoted
Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace were the first ever teams to be relegated from the Premier League. Crystal Palace went down on goal difference, with their minus 13 goals being slightly worse than Oldham’s minus 11. Oldham won their last three games of the season as the relegation battle went down to the final day. Oldham beat Southampton 4-3 while Crystal Palace were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal.
Newcastle United were promoted from the First Division (today’s Championship) after winning the league. West Ham finished second and joined them. Swindon Town were the third team promoted after winning the play-offs. They would all go on to play in the 1993/94 Premier League season.
Other slightly interesting facts
The lowest attendance of the season was when 3,036 people showed up to see Wimbledon play Everton at Selhurst Park. Wimbledon were ground-sharing with Crystal Palace at the time. It is the lowest Premier League attendance (apart from during Covid, of course!) even to this day, and it looks like it will never be beaten.
Manchester United’s 11-game unbeaten run was the longest any team went without suffering defeat. The most consecutive wins came from Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday, who both recorded seven wins in a row.
Ipswich Town had the longest winless run of the season when they went 13 games without winning. Nottingham Forest lost six games in a row, which was the longest losing streak.
There were 1,222 goals scored over 465 Premier League games.
I’m trying to write some articles that are short, sweet and to the point. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and if you did, check out our “Seasons” page, where you will find more season reviews like this. Cheers!
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