The 1993/94 Premier League season was the second season of the Premier League, following a breakaway from the English Football League in 1992. Clubs continued to splash the extra cash they received following the £304m TV deal which saw live football move to Sky TV with the beginning of the Premier League. Manchester United broke the English football transfer record, when they signed Roy Keane from Nottingham Forest for £3.75m.
Manchester United were reigning champions, having won the 1992/93 Premier League title. Twenty-two teams made up the Premier League.
Champions
Manchester United won the Premier League in 1993/94: their second consecutive league title and their ninth title overall. They finished eight points ahead of Blackburn Rovers, who were second. Manchester United set a new record Premier League points tally having amassed 92 points from their 42 games. This record stood until the 2004/05 season, when beaten by Chelsea.
Cup Winners
Manchester United won the FA Cup, beating Chelsea 4-0 in the final, to secure a league and cup double: they were only the fourth team to ever achieve it. Aston Villa won the League Cup, beating Manchester United 3-1 in the final. Arsenal won the European Cup Winners’ Cup, beating Parma 1-0; a competition they had qualified for after winning the FA Cup in the previous season.
Qualified for Europe
Manchester United qualified for the Champions League as Premier League champions.
Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United qualified for the UEFA Cup, finishing second and third in the league respectively. Aston Villa also qualified for the UEFA Cup, having won the League Cup.
Arsenal qualified for the European Cup Winners’ Cup as competition winners. Chelsea qualified too as FA Cup finalists. This spot is usually given to the FA Cup winners, but seeing as Manchester United qualified for the Champions League after winning the league, it went to the beaten finalists instead.
Player of the Year
Eric Cantona won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award after a fantastic season for Manchester United.
Alan Shearer took home the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award, after scoring 31 Premier League goals for Blackburn Rovers.
Andy Cole, playing for Newcastle United, was the Premier League Young Player of the League after scoring an incredible 34 league goals.
Premier League Team of the Year 1993/94
Goalkeeper: Tim Flowers (Blackburn Rovers);
Defenders: Dennis Irwin (Manchester United), Tony Adams (Arsenal), Gary Kelly (Leeds United), Gary Pallister (Manchester United);
Midfielders: Paul Ince (Manchester United), David Batty (Blackburn Rovers), Gary McAllister (Leeds United);
Forwards: Eric Cantona (Manchester United), Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers), Peter Beardsley (Newcastle United).
Golden Boot Winner
Andy Cole won the Premier League Golden Boot in 1993/94, scoring a record 34 goals. This record stood for almost 30 years – until Erling Haaland netted 36 times in 2022/23.
Goal of the Season
Rod Wallace won the Goal of the Season while playing for Leeds United against Tottenham:
Manager of the Season
Sir Alex Ferguson won both the Premier League Manager of the Season and the LMA Manager of the Year awards.
Golden Glove
The Golden Glove award, awarded to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in a season, was only introduced in 2004/05. David Seaman’s 19 clean sheets for Arsenal would have won it if it was a thing in 1993/94 – and I am unofficially awarding it to him now.
Relegated/Promoted
Swindon Town, Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United were all relegated from the Premier League. The Blades were closest to staying up: finishing one point behind Ipswich Town.
Crystal Palace were promoted having won Division One, with Nottingham Forest joining them after finishing second. Leicester City beat Derby County in the play-off final to also gain promotion.
Other slightly interesting facts
For the second season in a row, Wimbledon had the lowest recorded attendance in the league when 4,739 people turned up to Selhurst Park to see them lose 2-1 to Coventry on 26th December 1993.
Manchester United had the longest winning streak (eight games) and longest unbeaten run (22 games).
Tottenham had the longest losing streak when they lost seven games in a row, while Swindon Town went 15 games without a victory, which was the longest winless run.
There were 1,195 goals scored across 462 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!
In the 1993/94 Premier League season, Manchester United dominated, winning the league with a record 92 points and completing a double by also securing the FA Cup. Aston Villa took the League Cup, while Arsenal won the European Cup Winners’ Cup. United qualified for the Champions League, with Blackburn, Newcastle, and Villa heading to the UEFA Cup. ⚽🏆 #MUFC #PremierLeague