- The Premier League has seen some of the greatest football matches in history, with intense competition and high stakes.
- The list of the 12 best Premier League matches includes games with incredible comebacks and thrilling moments.
- These matches showcase the excitement and drama that make the Premier League the top football division in the world.
The Premier League is often regarded as the greatest football division in the world and there is a good reason for that. Since its formation in 1992, it has thrown up so many unbelievable moments, and how often have we heard commentators shout down the mic ‘Only the Premier League writes scripts like this!’?
It’s a fiercely competitive league and there have been unforgettable battles throughout the years for the title, survival and even for a spot in the coveted top four, which earns a place in the following season’s Champions League. So often in the competition, some of the greatest managers in football history have been pitted against each other in order to try and gain an edge.
In this list, we’re aiming to name the twelve best matches in Premier League history. Some aren’t necessarily the craziest scorelines but have been included due to the huge stakes riding on the match, which will have only fuelled the excitement for those watching at the time.
There are bound to be some notable absentees, so if there’s a particular game you are stunned to find is missing, see if it has made this list ranking fourteen of the craziest matches down the years. But without further ado, join us at GIVEMESPORT as we count down the 12 best matches in Premier League history.
12 Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur (2015/16)
Tottenham knew they had to win against rivals Chelsea if they were to remain in one of the most bizarre title races in Premier League history with Leicester City. For a while, everything seemed to be going to plan with goals from Harry Kane and Heung-min Son giving Spurs a 2-0 lead. But in the second half, Chelsea were allowed a way back into the match and Eden Hazard‘s late equaliser sparked wild celebrations at Stamford Bridge. Not only in West London, but in Leicester, as this result handed the Foxes their first-ever Premier League title. It was a particularly heated match which saw nine of Tottenham’s players receive bookings and a scuffle in the tunnel at the end of the game.
| Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 May 2016 |
| Ground | Stamford Bridge |
| Attendance | 41,545 |
| Chelsea scorers | Gary Cahill (58′), Eden Hazard (83′) |
| Tottenham scorers | Harry Kane (35′), Heung-min Son (44′) |
11 Everton 5-3 Blackpool (2010/11)
During their only season in the Premier League, Blackpool were the great entertainers of the division, frequently pulling off shock results including a famous 2-1 win at Anfield against Liverpool – a football ground that is known to be a fortress. On a rainy February afternoon, it briefly looked like they were going to do the double in the city of Liverpool when goals from Jason Puncheon and Charlie Adam put Ian Holloway’s side 3-2 ahead away at Everton. But in a thrilling match, the Toffees restored their lead with Louis Saha grabbing four goals on the day.
| Everton 5-3 Blackpool | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 February 2011 |
| Ground | Goodison Park |
| Attendance | 38,202 |
| Everton scorers | Louis Saha (20′, 47′, 76′, 84′), Jermaine Beckford (79′) |
| Blackpool scorers | Alex Baptiste (37′), Jason Puncheon (62′), Charlie Adam (64′) |
10 Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal (2010/11)
Remarkably, Everton’s 5-3 win over Blackpool wasn’t even the best Premier League match that day! While Saha was scoring goals for fun on Merseyside, an even more incredible game was taking place at St James’ Park as Arsenal stormed into a 4-0 lead after just 26 minutes, thanks to goals from Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou and a brace from Robin van Persie. But the Magpies fought back in the second half with Joey Barton scoring twice from the spot either side of Leon Best’s strike before a sublime Cheick Tiote volley three minutes from the end completed one of the greatest Premier League comebacks of all time.
| Newcastle United 4-4 Arsenal | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 February 2011 |
| Ground | St. James’ Park |
| Attendance | 51,561 |
| Newcastle scorers | Joey Barton (68′ pen, 83′ pen), Leon Best (75′), Cheick Tiote (87′) |
| Arsenal scorers | Theo Walcott (1′), Johan Djourou (4′), Robin van Persie (10′, 26′) |
9 Wolves 4-3 Leicester City (2003/04)
There’s only one thing better than completing an incredible comeback like Newcastle’s and that’s completing an incredible turnaround that could prove vital in a survival bid. Wolves and Leicester City were two sides tipped to be relegated come the end of the season so in an early six-pointer, it was the Foxes who were by far the quickest out of the blocks, racing into a shock 3-0 lead after just 34 minutes at Molineux. The home fans would have been shell-shocked at half-time and no one could have predicted their side’s response after the break as incredibly, Wolves went on to win the game, with Henri Camara bagging the winner in the 85th minute.
| Wolves 4-3 Leicester City | |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 October 2003 |
| Ground | Molineux |
| Attendance | 28,578 |
| Wolves scorers | Colin Cameron (52′, 59′ pen), Alex Rae (67′), Henri Camara (85′) |
| Leicester scorers | Les Ferdinand (11′, 15′), Riccardo Scimeca (34′) |
8 Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa (2007/08)
Curiously, this was one of three 4-4 draws in the 2007/08 campaign that were all shared between Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham. Taking place on Boxing Day, Shaun Maloney’s first-half brace gave the Villains a shock 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge, but it was cancelled out by two strikes from Andriy Shevchenko either side of half-time. With the score at 3-3, Michael Ballack’s free-kick in the 88th minute looked like it was going to be the winner, but after Ashley Cole was forced to handle on the line, reducing the Blues to nine men after Ricardo Carvalho’s earlier dismissal, Gareth Barry was able to equalise with a cool penalty.
| Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa | |
|---|---|
| Date | 26 December 2007 |
| Ground | Stamford Bridge |
| Attendance | 41,686 |
| Chelsea scorers | Andriy Shevchenko (45+5′ pen, 50′), Alex (66′), Michael Ballack (88′) |
| Aston Villa scorers | Shaun Maloney (14′, 44′), Martin Laursen (72′), Gareth Barry (90+2′ pen) |
7 Tottenham Hotspur 4-5 Arsenal (2004/05)
In one of the highest-scoring games in Premier League history, Tottenham and Arsenal played out an enthralling North London Derby in November 2004. It was a relatively quiet first half with goals from Noureddine Naybet and Thierry Henry seeing the sides go into half-time with the score at 1-1, but the match suddenly burst into life after the break. Jermain Defoe and Robert Pires scored the pick of the goals for their respective sides as Spurs wouldn’t give up on trying to claw their way back level but eventually, it ended 5-4 to the Gunners, making it one of the most memorable North London derbies of all time.
| Tottenham Hotspur 4-5 Arsenal | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 November 2004 |
| Ground | White Hart Lane |
| Attendance | 36,096 |
| Tottenham scorers | Noureddine Naybet (36′), Jermain Defoe (61′), Ledley King (73′), Frederic Kanoute (88′) |
| Arsenal scorers | Thierry Henry (45+1′), Lauren (55′ pen), Patrick Vieira (60′), Freddie Ljungberg (69′), Robert Pires (80′) |
6 West Ham United 5-4 Bradford City (1999/00)
We go from one 5-4 thriller to another, but this one is another superb turnaround. In their first season in the Premier League, Bradford City were struggling near the foot of the table but thought they had done enough to secure a vital three points for their survival bid when two quickfire goals from Jamie Lawrence saw them go 4-2 up at the Boleyn Ground with less than 40 minutes to go. But the Hammers rallied and goals from Paolo di Canio, Joe Cole (his first home goal for the club) and a young Frank Lampard saw Harry Redknapp’s talented young side pull off an impressive turnaround.
| West Ham United 5-4 Bradford City | |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 February 2000 |
| Ground | Boleyn Ground |
| Attendance | 25,417 |
| West Ham scorers | Trevor Sinclair (35′), John Moncur (43′), Paolo di Canio (65′ pen), Joe Cole (70′), Frank Lampard (83′) |
| Bradford scorers | Dean Windass (30′), Peter Beagrie (45′ pen), Jamie Lawrence (47′, 51′) |
5 Portsmouth 7-4 Reading (2007/08)
The highest-scoring match in Premier League history, contested between Portsmouth and Reading in late September 2007, simply had to make it into this list. Pompey’s Benjani had a particularly enjoyable afternoon on the south coast as he scored his only hat-trick in English football. By the time the Zimbabwean scored his third goal in the 70th minute, the scoreline was only 4-2, but in a truly extraordinary final 20 minutes, a further five goals were scored with Niko Kranjcar and Shane Long both getting their names on the scoresheet, as well as Sulley Muntari from the spot and an own goal from each team courtesy of the unfortunate Sol Campbell and Ivar Ingimarsson.
| Portsmouth 7-4 Reading | |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 September 2007 |
| Ground | Fratton Park |
| Attendance | 20,102 |
| Portsmouth scorers | Benjani (6′, 37′, 70′), Herman Hreidarsson (55′), Niko Kranjcar (75′), Ivar Ingimarsson (81′ og), Sulley Muntari (90+2′ pen) |
| Reading scorers | Stephen Hunt (45′), Dave Kitson (48′), Shane Long (79′), Sol Campbell (90+4′ og) |
4 Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City (2009/10)
We now enter the realm of some of the most important matches in Premier League history. Man City had infamously bought Carlos Tevez off their city rivals in the summer, and the Argentinian played a big hand in City’s first goal as he capitalised on a Ben Foster mistake, allowing Gareth Barry to slot into an empty net and cancel out Wayne Rooney’s early opener. Darren Fletcher and Craig Bellamy each bagged braces in the second half, and it appeared as if there was nothing to separate the two teams before Michael Owen scored a last-gasp winner for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
| Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 September 2009 |
| Ground | Old Trafford |
| Attendance | 75,066 |
| Man United scorers | Wayne Rooney (2′), Darren Fletcher (49′, 80′), Michael Owen (90+6′) |
| Man City scorers | Gareth Barry (16′), Craig Bellamy (52′, 90′) |
3 Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle United (1995/96)
In what for a long time was considered the greatest Premier League of all time, Newcastle needed to win against Liverpool at Anfield to keep pace with Man United at the top of the table. After falling behind to an early Robbie Fowler goal, the Magpies quickly recovered and found themselves 3-2 ahead by the 57th minute. Liverpool’s Stan Collymore then proceeded to break Geordie’s hearts by equalising moments later, before then firing home a winner in the 92nd minute, inflicting a set-back on Newcastle that Kevin Keegan’s never really recovered from and they ended up finishing four points behind the Red Devils.
| Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle United | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 April 1996 |
| Ground | Anfield |
| Attendance | 40,702 |
| Liverpool scorers | Robbie Fowler (2′, 55′), Stan Collymore (67′, 90+2′) |
| Newcastle scorers | Les Ferdinand (10′), David Ginola (14′), Faustino Asprilla (57′) |
2 Manchester City 3-2 QPR (2011/12)
This was undoubtedly the most thrilling climax to a title race in Premier League history. Manchester City just needed to beat QPR at home to clinch their first league title in 44 years ahead of rivals Man United, but the West London outfit had their own relegation battle to contend with and managed to take an improbable 2-1 lead in the 66th minute through Jamie Mackie’s header. Roberto Mancini’s side were forced to go all out to try and turn the tie back around in their favour and finally, the dam burst when Edin Dzeko equalised in stoppage time moments before Sergio Aguero blasted home arguably the most iconic goal in the history of the Premier League.
| Manchester City 3-2 QPR | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 May 2012 |
| Ground | Etihad Stadium |
| Attendance | 48,000 |
| Man City scorers | Pablo Zabaleta (39′), Edin Dzeko (90+2′), Sergio Aguero (90+4′) |
| QPR scorers | Djibril Cisse (48′), Jamie Mackie (66′) |
1 Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool (2018/19)
It may not have been the highest-scoring match but Manchester City’s overcoming of Liverpool in January 2019 was by far the best match out of many thrilling encounters between two of the greatest sides to ever grace English football. While competing in the tightest title race in Premier League history, the two teams clashed at the Etihad and goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane were enough for Pep Guardiola’s side to emerge as the victors. The game is also well-remembered for John Stones making a vital goal-line clearance, preventing a goal which would have undoubtedly had huge implications on where the Premier League crown ended up that season.
| Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 January 2019 |
| Ground | Etihad Stadium |
| Attendance | |
| Man City scorers | Sergio Aguero (40′), Leroy Sane (72′) |
| Liverpool scorers | Roberto Firmino (64′) |
Source: GiveMeSport
