The Premier League season came to an end on Sunday after serving up
nine months of thrills and spills that ended with Jose Mourinho's
Chelsea top of the pile.
This season has featured some of the most exciting and entertaining games. Here are five of the best this season:
Everton 3 Chelsea 6, August 30 2014Sweeping
forward with an almost reckless abandon, Jose Mourinho's reshaped
Chelsea struck twice in the first three minutes as they fired a warning
to their title rivals at Goodison Park. Sparked by the astute signings
of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea showed why they were already
established as the pace-setters in a title race they would eventually
win at a canter. Brazil-born Spain striker Costa netted in the first and
last minutes at Goodison to provide a fitting coda to a result that
foreshadowed Chelsea's march to their first Premier League title since
2010.
Arsenal 2 Manchester City 2, September 13 2014Displaying
an abundance of attacking talent and more significantly, the frailties
that would eventually undermine their respective title challenges, two
of the league's most eye-catching teams served up a cracker at the
Emirates Stadium. Sergio Aguero gave City the lead mid-way through the
first half, but Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez -- giving an early
glimpse of what would prove a fine debut season -- struck after the
interval for the Gunners. That should have been enough to ensure a
winning Arsenal debut for Danny Welbeck, fresh from his transfer from
Manchester United, but City defender Martin Demichelis bagged an
83rd-minute equaliser for the defending champions.
Leicester City 5 Manchester United 3, September 21 2014Louis
van Gaal's startled expression spoke volumes after the new Manchester
United manager's first real experience of the chaotic nature of the
Premier League. It had already been a rocky start for Van Gaal in his
first season in charge, but even the well-travelled Dutchman could not
have expected a meltdown of the magnitude that United experienced
against promoted Leicester at the King Power Stadium. Leading 3-1 after a
dominant opening, featuring a superb scooped strike from club-record
signing Angel di Maria, United then capitulated, leaking four goals in
21 second-half minutes as they were run ragged by former non-league
forward Jamie Vardy. Incredibly, it was the first time in 853 Premier
League matches that United had let a two-goal lead turn into a defeat.
Queens Park Rangers 2 Liverpool 3, October 19 2014With
three minutes left at Loftus Road, Liverpool looked on course for a
fairly unmemorable 1-0 victory courtesy of a Richard Dunne own goal --
then all hell broke loose. First, Chile forward Eduardo Vargas equalised
with his first goal for QPR, then Philippe Coutinho restored
Liverpool's lead in the 90th minute. There was still just enough time
left for a sensational twist in the tale when Vargas levelled deep into
stoppage time, only for Steven Caulker's own goal to hand Liverpool the
points with virtually the last touch of a breathless finale.
Tottenham Hotspur 5 Chelsea 3, January 1 2014A
brilliant demolition of Chelsea's previously impregnable defence served
as a spectacular coming-of-age party for Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
Playing as though they were still suffering a hangover from the New
Year's Eve celebrations, the Blues could not cope with the power and
lethal finishing of 21-year-old Kane in just their second defeat of a
season with few other bum notes. Kane struck twice either side of a
Danny Rose goal and an Andros Townsend penalty, giving rampant Tottenham
a lead that even their occasionally porous back four could not
squander. Nacer Chadli sealed victory for Spurs, with Costa, Eden Hazard
and John Terry netting in vain for the visitors.
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