Chelsea regained the Premier League title after five years, in José Mourinho's first season back at the club. The Blues also won the League Cup, completing a Premier League and League Cup double that they had also achieved in their first season under Mourinho in 2004–05. Manchester City were unsuccessful in defending their title and finished as runners-up. Arsenal were third and retained the FA Cup. Manchester United took the final spot for the Champions League, securing a return to the competition in Louis van Gaal's first season as manager.
Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Southampton, along with West Ham, all gained Europa League spots. Tottenham failed to qualify for the Champions League in their first season under Mauricio Pochettino, finishing in 5th place. Liverpool were 12th in late November with just fourteen points but rallied after New Year's Day to finish 6th and also reached the semi-finals of both cup competitions. In Ronald Koeman's first season as manager, Southampton challenged for the Champions League places into April, but eventually finished 7th. They qualified for the Europa League because of Arsenal's FA Cup win. Swansea secured their best Premier League points total in Garry Monk's first full season, whilst Stoke finished 9th, also with their best points total in the Premier League.
Rounding out the top ten were Crystal Palace, whose manager Tony Pulis departed just two days before the start of the season; former boss Neil Warnock returned for a second spell, but only lasted four months before being sacked with the club facing another relegation battle. The managerial appointment of former player Alan Pardew saw the Eagles climb to mid-table and ultimately survive, securing their highest ever Premier League finish. Pre-season relegation favourites Leicester City fell to the bottom of the table in November but secured 22 points from their last nine games to become the only promoted team to avoid the drop.
West Ham United, despite being in the top four at Christmas, won just three more games after that, finishing in 12th. Sam Allardyce was dismissed as manager after four years, although the club did qualify for the Europa League via the Fair Play rankings, ensuring that their last season at the Boleyn Ground would feature European football. Sunderland narrowly avoided relegation for the second year in a row, even though they only spent two match days in the bottom three. A run of eleven points from their last six matches under new manager Dick Advocaat confirmed their survival. Their 17 draws were the most of any team in the division. Aston Villa finished 17th, their worst finish in the 20-team Premier League era, though they did reach the FA Cup final.
Queens Park Rangers' return to the Premier League ended in immediate relegation; the club failed to earn an away point until mid-February. Burnley finished second-bottom and were the lowest goalscorers in the league. Hull City filled the last relegation spot, while Newcastle United, who lost form following the departure of Alan Pardew, survived on the last day.
Source: Premier League Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).[7] (C) Champions; (R) Relegated Notes:
In a Championship season marked with constant changes among the top six, AFC Bournemouth completed a turnaround from being within five minutes of liquidation in 2008, to reaching the Premier League for the first time in their history. They remained top for around half the season and snatched the title on the last day to win promotion as champions. This meant that Eddie Howe had achieved the rare feat of taking a club from the fourth tier to the top flight for the first time, an achievement for which he was named the Football League Manager of the Decade.
Despite a spell in which they changed managers four times in 35 days between August and October, Watford found stability under Serbian Slaviša Jokanović and took advantage of slip-ups by other teams to win automatic promotion to the Premier League after an eight-year absence. Securing an immediate return to the Premier League through the play-offs were Norwich City, who beat Middlesbrough in the final; they had topped the standings early on in the season, only to fall to mid-table after a poor run of form within the winter period. Manager Neil Adams ultimately resigned in January, before the appointment of Hamilton boss Alex Neil in January re-invigorated the Canaries' campaign.
Reading endured a season of ups and downs, having first sacked Nigel Adkins in mid-December. This led to former West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Clarke taking over the reins and despite there being an outside chance of relegation going into the last few games, the Royals beat the drop and also reached the FA Cup semi-finals, losing to Arsenal in extra-time. Rotherham United came perilously close to being dropped into the relegation zone in the final weeks after they were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player, though they ultimately stayed up after the teams below them failed to capitalise on the situation.
Blackpool finished in bottom place (having stayed in that place since September until the end of the season), posting the joint-worst points total for a club in a 24-team second tier, failing to win away once and conceding 91 goals overall. Relegation was not helped by fan protests against owner Owen Oyston's running of the club (eventually culminating in an on-field protest that forced their final game of the season to be abandoned), as well as the fact that they had only eight players two weeks before the season started. Wigan Athletic were also relegated, just two years after they had won the FA Cup and played in the Premier League. During the season, they went through three managers and failed to win a home game between September and April as the extra games from the previous season appeared to take its toll on the Latics. Millwall filled the final relegation spot, having sacked Ian Holloway in March and appointed Neil Harris as his replacement, but he could not save them from the drop to the third tier.
Updated to match(es) played on 2 May 2015. Source: Sky Sports Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored (C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated Notes:
^Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the Premier League.
^Rotherham United were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player.[8]
Bristol City ended their two-year absence from the Championship, topping the division for virtually the entire season and becoming the first club in the country to win promotion. Milton Keynes Dons, the top scorers in any of the four divisions, snatched automatic promotion from under the noses of Preston North End on the final day, winning promotion to the Championship for the first time as the current incarnation of the club; they also enjoyed a famous Football League Cup upset over Manchester United in their first ever meeting. Preston made amends for their last-day slip-up by thrashing Swindon Town in the play-off final to end a five-year absence from the second tier, and in the process finally winning a play-off tournament after nine unsuccessful tries.
Despite being hotly tipped to make an immediate return to the Championship, Yeovil Town spent most of the season rooted to the bottom of the table (and in fact, they were glued to the bottom from February) and they suffered their second successive relegation, finding themselves back in League Two for the first time in a decade after only recording ten wins in the whole season. Similarly, Leyton Orient were also among the promotion favourites after their play-off final appearance the previous year but struggled all season after going through four managers and they ultimately finished second bottom. Crawley Town were relegated back to League Two after three years at this level; they had appeared to be well out of the reach of relegation but following manager John Gregory stepping down for heart surgery, their form collapsed under Dean Saunders. Notts County filled the final relegation spot, ultimately being cost dear by a disastrous second half of the season after some promising early form.
Crewe Alexandra survived a second relegation battle in a row despite more heavy thrashings in the season, whilst Colchester United's final day win to deny Preston automatic promotion confirmed their survival having been cut adrift for most of the season.
Updated to match(es) played on 3 May 2015. Source: BBC Sport Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored (C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated Notes:
Just six years after their first ever promotion to the Football League and just missing out on promotion a year earlier, Burton Albion were promoted as champions. While manager Gary Rowett departed for Birmingham City early in the season, his replacement in top-flight legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink guided the club into the top six and then finally promotion. Shrewsbury Town went up in second, securing an instant return to League One; they had actually led the table for much of the season but were made to pay for slip-ups that Burton took advantage of. Taking the third automatic slot in dramatic fashion were Bury, who almost slipped out of the race, but a last-day win over Tranmere Rovers saw the club also promoted. Southend United were forced all the way to extra time and penalties by Wycombe Wanderers, but ultimately scraped past their opponents to take the last promotion spot and secure their place in League One.
Luton Town, on their return to the Football League after five years, just missed out on a playoff place by virtue of Plymouth Argyle's victory over Shrewsbury whilst Portsmouth suffered an even lower league finish than the previous year, finishing in 16th with the club failing to make anything similar to a promotion challenge, but some good run of forms prevented them from being in another relegation battle.
Falling out of the Football League were Tranmere Rovers, who suffered a second relegation in a row and dropped into the Football Conference after 94 years. Cheltenham Town filled the second relegation spot, falling out of the Football League after sixteen years; they had started the season reasonably well with 23 points from 14 games, but imploded disastrously after long-serving manager Mark Yates was sacked in favor of Paul Buckle, with not even the late-season arrival of veteran manager Gary Johnson saving them. Hartlepool United had been in the relegation zone for good chunks of the season, but an impressive March saw the club fight their way to safety.
Updated to match(es) played on 23 May 2015. Source: BBC Sport Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored (C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated Notes:
A close title race saw Barnet return to the Football League after a two-year absence, which also made them the first club to win promotion to the Football League three times. Pushing them all the way and then winning in the playoffs were Bristol Rovers who secured an immediate return to the Football League, despite being pushed themselves all the way to penalties by Grimsby.
Following the departure of manager Kevin Wilkin late in the previous season, Nuneaton were relegated in bottom place. AFC Telford United were immediately relegated back to the Conference North after being in bottom place for most of the season. Dartford finished third-bottom and experienced the relegation that they only avoided the previous season thanks to the demise of Salisbury City. Alfreton Town filled the final relegation spot and went down on goal difference; they were ultimately cost dear by having the worst defensive record in the division, eventually culminating in a 7–0 thrashing by Bristol Rovers on the final day of the season, when a draw would have been sufficient to prevent relegation.
Updated to match(es) played on 17 May 2015. Source: Football Conference Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored (C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated Notes:
^Four teams play for one spot and promotion to League Two.
^Forest Green were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Southport on 9 August 2014.[9]
^Telford were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Lincoln City on 11 April 2015.[10]
^Nuneaton were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Welling United on 28 February 2015.[11]
8 August: Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City play out a 1–1 draw in the opening game of the season, with Kenwyne Jones getting the season's first goal.[122]
16 August: The Premier League's first fixture sees Swansea defeat Manchester United 2–1. Swansea end the day joint-top with Arsenal, who won their own game against Crystal Palace by the same margin.[123]
21 August: Crystal Palace sporting director Iain Moody is forced to resign from his position after a team investigating accusations of fraud made by his previous club Cardiff City discover numerous e-mails containing apparently racist, homophobic and anti-semitic insults, sent to and from former Cardiff manager Malky Mackay. The discovery also causes Crystal Palace to confirm that they will not appoint Mackay as their new manager, the position having been vacant since the resignation of Tony Pulis a week prior.[124] Coventry City confirm that they will return to their former Ricoh Arena ground starting with their home game against Gillingham on 5 September, ending a spell of a little over a year playing at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium due to a rent dispute.[125]
26 August: In the League Cup second round, Manchester United lose 4–0 to League One side Milton Keynes Dons. Three other Premier League sides fall to lower-league opposition, as Burnley are knocked out by Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City by Shrewsbury Town, and West Ham by Sheffield United.[126]
28 August: Wayne Rooney is confirmed as the new England captain, following Steven Gerrard's decision to retire from international football.[127]
31 August: The first month of the Premier League ends with Chelsea leading the table and Swansea and Aston Villa in second and third respectively. Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top six. Newly promoted Burnley, stand at the bottom of the table with one point, behind Crystal Palace due to goals scored and one point behind West Bromwich Albion. Nottingham Forest lead the Championship, a point ahead of Watford and newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. The other three play-off spots are occupied by Norwich City, Millwall and Charlton Athletic. The relegation zone is occupied by Bolton Wanderers, Fulham and Blackpool.
8 September: England's European Championship qualifying campaign begins with a 2–0 away win over Switzerland, with new Arsenal signing Danny Welbeck scoring both goals.
20 September: Arsenal score three goals inside four minutes to defeat Aston Villa, with new £16 million striker Danny Welbeck getting his first goal for the club. Newcastle Utd, whose manager Alan Pardew faced a barrage of protests from fans wanting him out of the club, recover from 2–0 down to claim a point against Hull, with Papiss Cissé coming off the bench to score twice in the final 15 minutes. In the evening game, West Ham score twice in the opening seven minutes on their way to defeating Liverpool 3–1. In the Championship, Nottingham Forest remain unbeaten at the top after a 0–0 draw with Millwall. Leeds United, who have now claimed 10 points out of a possible 12 under caretaker manager Neil Redfearn, beat local rivals Huddersfield Town 3–0 at Elland Road. Newly promoted Wolves are now just a point behind Forest after another home win, their third in a row, this time 1–0 over Bolton.
21 September: West Bromwich Albion secure their first win under Alan Irvine, defeating Tottenham 1–0 at White Hart Lane. Leicester, trailing 3–1 with 20 minutes remaining, defeat Manchester United 5–3 in front of a full house at the King Power stadium. Crystal Palace defeat Everton at Goodison Park 3–2, after falling behind 1–0 inside the opening 15 minutes. Frank Lampard, now on loan at Manchester City, scores an 84th-minute equaliser against his former club, to give ten-men City a point against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
30 September: The month ends with Chelsea continuing to lead the Premier League, three points ahead of Southampton. Defending champions Manchester City are a further two points behind Southampton, and a point ahead of a clutch of sides including Arsenal, Swansea and Aston Villa. Burnley and Newcastle United, both of whom are without a single win this season, sit bottom of the table, with Newcastle ahead on goals scored alone. Queens Park Rangers make up the bottom three. In the Championship, Norwich have taken over the top of the table, though Nottingham Forest are unbeaten and behind on goal difference. Wolves, Watford, Ipswich and Derby occupy the play-off spots. The bottom three remains unchanged from the previous month, with Blackpool bottom and still winless, and Fulham and Bolton Wanderers ahead of them by only one and two points respectively.
31 October: October ends with Chelsea still leading the Premier League, four points ahead of Southampton. Manchester City remain in third, while West Ham United stand in fourth. Arsenal, Swansea and Liverpool are behind in the European chase. Newcastle United have moved above QPR and out of the relegation zone, at the expense of their northern rivals Sunderland. Winless Burnley remain at the bottom of the table. Derby County have moved to the top of the Championship, though only goal difference is separating them Watford, Norwich and Wolves. AFC Bournemouth and Middlesbrough are two points behind in fifth and sixth. Blackpool remain bottom of the Championship. Birmingham City have moved below Bolton, while Fulham has escaped the relegation zone under new manager Kit Symons.
12 November: The news that Ched Evans, who was convicted of rape in 2012 and given a five-year prison sentence, is being allowed to train with his former club Sheffield United results in TV presenter Charlie Webster resigning as a club ambassador,[128] and sponsors DBL Logistics threatening to terminate their deal with immediate effect should Evans be offered any form of contract by the club.[129]
30 November: At the end of November, Chelsea continue to lead the Premier League, now six points ahead of second place, which is occupied by Manchester City. Southampton are a point behind in third, while Manchester United take fourth place, with West Ham, Arsenal and Spurs not far behind. Burnley have edged above Leicester to rise off the bottom of the table, and QPR remain in the relegation zone. With the exception of leaders Derby, the Championship's top six has changed since the end of October: Ipswich and Brentford have risen to joint second (Ipswich leading on goal difference), AFC Bournemouth and Middlesbrough have each risen a place, and Blackburn have moved into sixth place. Although Bolton and Birmingham have escaped the relegation zone, Blackpool have had no such luck and remain bottom, now joined by two teams that reached the play-offs last season, Wigan (23rd) and Brighton.
10 December: Hereford United, currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division, are suspended "from all football activity" with immediate effect by The Football Association following failure to respond to questions from an Independent Regulatory Commission.[130]
11 December: The suspension of Hereford United from all footballing activities is lifted.
19 December: Hereford United go out of business and are forced to resign from the Southern League. The club had been in existence for 90 years, played in the Football League from 1972 to 1997 and again between 2006 and 2012.
31 December: As the year closes, Manchester City have begun to whittle away at Chelsea's lead at the top of the table and are now three points behind. A losing streak has seen Southampton drop behind Manchester United into fourth. Arsenal have climbed above West Ham, but the top seven remains unchanged, as is the relegation zone, except for Crystal Palace replacing QPR in 18th. In the Championship, Derby have slipped behind leaders AFC Bournemouth and second-placed Ipswich, and Blackburn has been replaced in the top six by Watford, who have knocked Brentford down to sixth. Millwall have replaced Brighton in the relegation zone, but it otherwise remains unchanged from the end of November.
23 January: Cambridge United, newly promoted back to the Football League for this season, manage to hold Manchester United to a 0–0 draw in the fourth round of the FA Cup, forcing a replay at Old Trafford.
24 January: The FA Cup sees Chelsea eliminated by League One side Bradford City, Manchester City knocked out by Championship side Middlesbrough, Southampton eliminated by Premier League side Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur eliminated by the top-flight's basement side Leicester City, and Swansea knocked out by Championship team Blackburn Rovers. Liverpool and Sunderland are also held to goal-less draws by Championship sides Bolton Wanderers and Fulham respectively.
31 January: By the end of January Chelsea have restored their five-point lead over Manchester City. The top four remains unchanged, while West Ham dropped out of the top seven, to be replaced by Liverpool. Burnley stand in 17th, ahead of Hull, QPR and Leicester. In the Championship, Derby have returned to second place, a point ahead of Middlesbrough and separated from AFC Bournemouth by goal difference. In the promotion race, Ipswich, Brentford and Watford are a few points behind. Millwall, Wigan and Blackpool remain in the bottom three.
28 February: February ends with Chelsea five points ahead of Manchester City. Manchester United remain third, while Southampton have slipped behind Arsenal in fifth. Liverpool and Spurs also remain in the top seven. Leicester remain stuck to the foot of the table, but Hull and QPR have climbed clear at the expense of Burnley and Aston Villa. The Championship promotion race has eight points separating leaders Derby and eighth-placed Wolves. AFC Bournemouth have slumped in recent weeks to slip behind Middlesbrough and Watford, while both Ipswich and Norwich can overtake the South Coast side if they win their games in hand. Brentford have fallen to seventh. The bottom three remains unchanged from the end of January.
1 March: Chelsea defeat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 at Wembley Stadium in the League Cup Final, winning the first major trophy of the season. It is their fifth League Cup trophy, and the first trophy won by the club since José Mourinho returned as manager in 2013.
22 March: Bristol City defeat Walsall 2–0 at Wembley Stadium in the League Trophy Final, winning it for a record third time.
31 March: Chelsea ended the month still top of the Premier League table, 6 points ahead of Manchester City with a game in hand. Manchester City's shock defeat to Burnley coupled with Arsenal's good run of form saw them trail City by only a single point and also a point ahead of Manchester United in fourth. Liverpool, Southampton, and Tottenham Hotspur occupy the top seven. Although Burnley defeated Manchester City earlier in the month, they stay in the bottom three with QPR and Leicester, who are still rock bottom. AFC Bournemouth reoccupy top spot in the Championship and followed closely by Watford in second. Middlesbrough, Norwich, Derby, and Ipswich complete the top six. Brentford and Wolves are still in the hunt for a playoff spot as only 8 points separate first to eighth. Wigan move above Millwall in the bottom three and Blackpool still rooted to the bottom, 17 points adrift with only 7 games left.
25 April: Watford confirm promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 2007 after a 2–0 away victory at Brighton, followed by Middlesbrough's 3–4 loss at Fulham and Norwich's failure to win at Rotherham.
27 April: AFC Bournemouth confirm their first ever promotion to the Premier League with a 3–0 home win over Bolton. However, Middlesbrough can still draw level on points, but, as Charlton Athletic's Twitter feed pithily points out, AFC Bournemouth would need to lose 19–0 at Charlton in the final round for Middlesbrough to be able to overcome their superior goal difference.
30 April: A poor run of form from Manchester City has not been enough for them to concede second place, but their hopes of retaining the title are over with Chelsea only needing one more win from their last four matches to avoid being caught by third-placed Arsenal, who are behind City only on goal difference and a whopping 13 points behind Chelsea despite their game in hand. Manchester United, despite inconsistent form, appear to have fourth place secured with their nearest rivals Liverpool and Tottenham seven points behind. Southampton's push for European football continues as they are only a point behind Liverpool and Spurs with a superior goal difference to either. At the bottom, Leicester have gone on a four-match winning streak to escape the relegation zone and looked poised to become only the third team in Premier League history to avoid relegation after being bottom on Christmas Day, despite 18th-placed Sunderland having a game in hand. Salvation for Sunderland and the other teams avoiding relegation may yet appear in the form of Newcastle, who are five points ahead of Sunderland but have lost their past six league matches. It appears to be too late for Burnley (now bottom) and QPR, however, and it is almost certain that both will be returning to the Championship next season. With one game left in the Championship, the automatic promotion spots have been all but decided and Middlesbrough and Norwich have confirmed their places in the play-offs. The only remaining question is whether Ipswich and Derby will slip up to let Brentford and Wolves into the last two play-off places. Despite Rotherham's point deduction, Millwall and Wigan have failed to capitalise and both will join Blackpool in the third tier next season.
2 May: AFC Bournemouth win 3–0 at Charlton to pip Watford to the Championship title following the latter letting slip their lead in the last minute at home to Sheffield Wednesday. Derby's capitulation concludes with a 3–0 home defeat by Reading allowing Brentford and Ipswich to claim the final two play-off places ahead of the Rams, who finish eighth.
9 May: Leicester, Sunderland, and Aston Villa won their games, while Newcastle ended their eight-match losing run after they drew against West Brom. All these results combined to relegate Burnley to the Championship despite their 1–0 win against Hull City.
10 May: QPR's relegation to the Championship is confirmed after a 6–0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City.
16 May: Following Middlesbrough's victory over Brentford in their play-off semi-final the previous evening, Norwich are confirmed as Boro's opponents at Wembley after they beat local rivals Ipswich in the other semi-final.
24 May: In the final day of this Premier League season, Hull City suffer relegation after they can only draw 0–0 against Manchester United. Ultimately though, even a win would not be enough for the Tigers because Newcastle's 2–0 win against West Ham was enough to confirm their Premier League status for another season. Meanwhile, Tottenham pushed their way to fifth place and Europa League group stage qualification with a 1–0 win away to Everton, combined with Stoke's 6–1 win over Liverpool, their worst defeat since 1963.
23 May: In the League 2 play-off final Southend score an injury-time equaliser and then beat Wycombe on penalties to earn promotion to League 1 after 5 years in the basement tier.[134]
24 May: Preston thrash Swindon 4–0 in the League 1 play-off final and return to the Championship after a four-year absence.[135]
25 May: Norwich secure an instant return to the Premier League following a comfortable 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final.[136]
30 May: Arsenal put four without reply past Aston Villa in the 2015 FA Cup Final at Wembley. This result has significance in Hampshire, as Arsenal's victory, combined with the Gunners' league finish of third, sees Southampton qualify for Europe for the first time since 2003. The Saints will enter the 2015–16 Europa League at the third qualifying round.[139]
^Although Pearce was announced on as new manager on 3 April, his official tenure began on 1 July
^Moore was suspended from his duties for gambling-related offences on 17 February, before being formally dismissed on 9 April. John McMahon managed Tranmere from Moore's suspension until the end of the season.
