1989–90 Football League First Division

Overview

Season summary

Liverpool overhauled a greatly improved Aston Villa side to win their 18th league championship trophy and their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish’s management. Having won their 18th title overall, and their 11th in 17 season, this title turned out to mark the end of their domestic dominance of English football in the 1970s and 1980s - they would not win the title again until the 2019–20 Premier League season, 30 years later. Gary Lineker’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur saw the North Londoners occupy third place after a season of improvement. Defending champions Arsenal finished fourth, while newly promoted Chelsea finished an impressive fifth. Everton briefly topped the league in late autumn but were unable to maintain their title challenge into the second half of the season and finished sixth. Seventh placed Southampton enjoyed their highest finish for five years, while Wimbledon continued to thrive on limited resources and low crowds to finish eighth.

Nottingham Forest won the League Cup for the second successive season, but finished ninth in the league one year, having finished third during the previous two seasons.

Manchester United's season began well with a 4–1 win over defending champions Arsenal, but they were soon struggling in the league and finished a disappointing 13th in a season dominated by the collapse of Michael Knighton's takeover bid and continued calls from the fans for manager Alex Ferguson to be sacked. The season ended on a high note with a win over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final - the club's first major trophy under Ferguson's management.

Newly promoted Manchester City secured survival back in the First Division with a 14th-place finish, having replaced Mel Machin as manager with Howard Kendall during the first half of the season.

Luton Town stayed up on goal difference at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday, while Charlton’s four-year spell in the First Division came to an end at the beginning of May. Millwall were rooted to the bottom of the division despite briefly topping the league in September, as they won just two more games in the league after their brief lead of the table vanished.

After the generally good behaviour of England fans at the World Cup in Italy, the ban on English clubs in European competitions was lifted for the 1990–91 season. Liverpool, who were present at the Heysel disaster which had prompted the ban in 1985, were denied a place in the European Cup, but runners-up Aston Villa entered the UEFA Cup and FA Cup winners Manchester United entered the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Managerial changes

Personnel and kits

Background

First Division maps

Arsenal Aston Villa Charlton Chelsea Crystal Palace Coventry City Derby County Everton Liverpool Luton Town Manchester City Manchester United Millwall Norwich City Nottingham Forest QPR Sheffield Wednesday Southampton Tottenham Wimbledon

Arsenal Charlton Athletic Chelsea Crystal Palace Millwall Tottenham Hotspur Queens Park Rangers Wimbledon

League table

Results table

Individual awards

Season statistics

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

:Note: (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Notes

References

References

1. "English League Leading Goalscorers".
2. (14 January 1990). "Millwall top two dismissed".
3. (7 December 1989). "City succumb to Kendall demand for escape clause".
4. (4 January 1990). "Harford and Luton agree to differ".
5. (12 January 1990). "Ryan and Smith finish on top in Luton shake-up".
6. (15 February 1990). "Pearson appointed by Milllwall to fill managerial vacancy".
7. (17 April 1990). "Deserving Millwall refuse to go quietly".
8. "First Division Top Scorers - 1989-1990". free-elements.com.
9. "Millwall v Chelsea".