The 10 Most Gripping Matches in Premier League History

With Brighton vs West Ham, Saturday saw the Premier League enjoy its 10,000th match since its formation in 1992. We’re going to look back at 26 years of some of the best league football the world has ever seen with a rundown of ten of the most white-knuckle fixtures in history.

10. Man Utd vs Arsenal, 8-2, August 2011

While Arsenal could take some solace from the fact that they fielded a side racked by injuries and suspension, there was little solace to be had in this absolute trouncing they received at the hands of Man United vs Arsenal. Despite valiant goals from Walcott and Van Persie, the side was steamrolled, not least by Rooney, who scored the sixth hat-trick of his career at Old Trafford for a side that ruthlessly exploited their opponent’s weaknesses.

9. Tottenham vs Reading, 6-4, December 2007

The back and forth in this game was incredible to witness, as Spurs came from behind an incredible three times to finally secure the win at White Hart Lane. Dimitar Berbatov was undoubtedly the man of the match, scoring himself a hat-trick over the course of a raucous match that looked like it was in the bag for best odds football. That is, until Tottenham came back with sixteen minutes on the clock to score an astonishing three goals, bringing the score to a whopping 6-4.

8. Everton vs Man Utd, 3-4, February 2004

Everton were languishing behind the reigning champions 3-nil when the half-time whistle was blown. Their luck changed when they started the next half with a teenage player by the name of Wayne Rooney, who helped rally the side to a stunning comeback that left them at 3-3 by the 75th minute. They didn’t manage to bring home the victory though, with Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring the winner in the final minute. Nonetheless, it was a display the Toffees could be proud of. You also can check latest Man Utd vs Everton football odds here.

7. Tottenham vs Man Utd, 3-5, September 2001

This time around, Man United were the ones dragging their game to 3-nil at half time, swamped by Spurs at home. Right out the gate, however, Man Utd vs Spurs scored at the start of the next half, and, with momentum on their side, the team surged to the lead by the 76th minute, leaving it to Beckham to cap the victory with a fifth goal three minutes before the whistle.

6. Arsenal vs Tottenham, 4-4, October 2008

Tottenham were facing relegation on the league table by the time they visited Arsenal for the derby. It looked like their fortunes would continue to worsen with the Gunners building a 4-2 lead coming to the final whistle. However, Jermaine Jenas scored in the 89th minute, which was followed by the remarkable sight of Aaron Lennon scoring in injury time to end the game in a draw with the Tottenham away fans losing their minds with glee.

5. Man Utd vs Liverpool, 3-2, September 2010

This match will be remembered for Dimitar Berbatov’s magisterial display vs Liverpool, securing himself a phenomenal hat-trick of goals, including a particularly stunning rebound from the crossbar he kicked from the edge of the area. Steven Gerrard valiantly rallied his team with two goals in the second half, but the Bulgarian was having none of it, sealing his side’s victory with a third goal in the 84th minute.

4. Man Utd vs Man City, 4-3, September 2009

With City under a new owner with deep pockets, United had to dig deep against their newly revitalised neighbours. It was a match characterised by back-and-forths, drawing back United’s lead three times. It was only a goal from Michael Owen in the last gasps of injury time that sealed the result in United’s favour, but City had firmly announced themselves as a threat to the Red Devils’ dominance.

3. Newcastle Utd vs Arsenal, 4-4, February 2011

Arsenal were riding high in the tables coming into this match and looked to be cruising through to victory with the score standing at 4-nil by the 26th minute. Newcastle only popped their cherry in the 68th minute to put the game at 4-1, but what happened in the last twelve minutes has become the stuff of legend: three goals were scored, stunning both sides of fans, in one of the most gripping comebacks in modern memory.

2. Liverpool vs Newcastle United, 4-3, April 1996

Arguably the greatest Premier League match ever, this encounter featured two aggressively attacking sides at the top of their game. The players slugged it out over the match, trading goals throughout. With the score at 3-3 in the 68th minute, both teams drove hail-mary attacks at each other with reckless abandon, until Collymore managed to bring it home for Liverpool with the winning goal deep in injury time.

1. Man City vs QPR, 3-2, May 2012

Much of the excitement behind this match occurred miles over in Sunderland, where Man United vs Man City in title race were simultaneously playing Newcastle for their final score on the tables. Them winning away meant City needed nothing less than a win in the league. This wasn’t as simple as it seemed, when outsiders QPR had the score at 2-1 by the 68th minute. However, City rallied with an injury time equaliser and winning goal five minutes through injury time, resulting in one of the most memorable finishes to a season ever witnessed.