MX23RW : Sunday, May 28 18:01:43| >> :60:961:961:

How every Premier League season would have finished after gameweek 29: 1997-98

Given the current uncertainty over the resumption of the Premier League, Sports Mole looks at how the 1997-98 season would have ended after gameweek 29.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought the Premier League season to a standstill and it remains to be seen whether the campaign will conclude.

Top-flight clubs met last Friday to discuss the next steps, six weeks after the last ball was kicked, but a restart date was not on the agenda.

Many teams face an anxious wait over their own positions, from Liverpool in top spot down to Norwich City at the foot of the table, with an early end to the campaign a possibility.

As talks between the powers-that-be continue behind the scenes, we look at what would have happened in years gone by had the Premier League season ended after 29 games.


Arsene Wenger and Emmanuel Petit pictured in May 1998© Reuters

The 1997-98 campaign ended with Arsenal top of the pile, the Gunners just about holding off Manchester United to secure their first Premier League crown.

It was a tense and thrilling title race that went all the way to the wire, with the Gunners finding themselves six points adrift of United after gameweek 29.

However, Arsene Wenger's side had three games in hand to play and won each of those to move into top spot, eventually finishing a point better off than their arch rivals.

That was a bitter pill for Sir Alex Ferguson to swallow, particularly having seen Arsenal go on to win that season's FA Cup, becoming only the second team to win the double more than once.

Liverpool finished in third, remaining in the same position that they found themselves in after the 29th round of fixtures, while Chelsea's position of fourth was also unchanged.

At the opposite end of the division, there was also little change in the final couple of months of the season as Crystal Palace, Bolton Wanderers and Barnsley - the bottom three at the end of March - were the trio of clubs to face the drop.

Arsenal winning their games in hand to pip United aside, the only other major change in the remaining nine gameweeks involved Derby County and Aston Villa in the battle for European football.

Villa won seven of their last eight league matches to climb four places into seventh, earning a spot in the following season's UEFA Cup at expense of their Midlands rivals.

ID:397258: cacheID:397258:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4661:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United's Robin van Persie scores against Aston Villa in 2013
Read Next:
Ranking the top 20 volleys in Premier League history
>
rhs 2.0
Real Madrid Until The End
Today's games header
10am
Ofner
Cressy
10am
Kypson
Albot
10am
Khachanov
Lestienne
10am
Goffin
Hurkacz
10am
Martinez
Greikspoor
Result
Kostyuk
Sabalenka
3 2
6 6
10am
Udvardy
Shymanovich
Result
Podoroska
Ponchet
6 6
0 2
Result
Zhang
Frech
1 1
6 6
10am
Parrizas Diaz
Hunter
11.30am
Vesely
Tsitsipas
11.30am
Kokkinakis
Evans
11.30am
Fucsovics
Grenier
11.30am
Isner
Borges
11.30am
Kubler
Diaz Acosta
12pm
McDonald
Korda
12pm
Arnaldi
Elahi Galan
12pm
Bejlek
Rakhimova
12pm
Linette
Fernandez
12pm
Sakkari
Muchova
1.30pm
Cornet
Giorgi
1.30pm
Tauson
Sasnovich
1.30pm
Jeanjean
Birrell
1.30pm
Mertens
Hruncakova
1.30pm
Djere
Rublev
1.30pm
Cazaux
Moutet
1.30pm
Shelton
Sonego
1.30pm
Carballes Baena
Nava
2pm
Zidansek
Zheng
2pm
Townsend
Potapova
3pm
Pouille
Rodionov
3pm
Shevchenko
Otte
3pm
Musetti
Ymer
3.30pm
Niemeier
Kasatkina
3.30pm
Collins
Pegula
3.30pm
Sherif
Brengle
3.30pm
Samsonova
Volynets
3.30pm
Bondar
Begu
3.30pm
Errani
Teichmann
6pm
Mannarino
Humbert
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38285594336189
2Arsenal38266688434584
3Manchester UnitedMan Utd38236958431575
4Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381914568333571
5Liverpool381910975472867
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381881272531962
7Aston Villa38187135146561
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs38186147063760
9Brentford381514958461259
10Fulham38157165553252
11Crystal Palace381112154049-945
12Chelsea381111163847-944
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38118193158-2741
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham38117204255-1340
15Bournemouth38116213771-3439
16Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest38911183868-3038
17Everton38812183457-2336
18Leicester CityLeicester3897225168-1734
19Leeds UnitedLeeds38710214878-3031
RSouthampton3867253673-3725

Real Madrid Until The End
Ted Lasso creative

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!