The English Premier League enthusiasts are in for a treat this season. The 2023-24 season promises to be an exciting one. Three top teams of the world are going at it in full throttle to be crowned the PL champions. While Manchester City are vying to script history, Liverpool are pushing to provide a proper send-off to outgoing manager Juergen Klopp. Arsenal, who have not won a PL title in two decades, are desperate to make this year count after missing out narrowly last year. The last time Premier League witnessed a three-way race this close was a decade ago, in 2013-14 season. Let’s take a look at how the season unfolded then.
Before we discuss how the race for the Premier League ended in the 13-14 season, this season’s tantalisingly close standings should be focused on. Liverpool are currently at the top of the PL table, with 51 points from 23 matches. Man City are chasing close on heels, with 49 points having played a game less. Arsenal are at third, having the same number of points as City in 23 matches.
It is a closely contested battle, with a slip-up potentially spelling doom for all the three teams. City are the favourites to lift the title again, but a single game week can change all the calculations.
On that note, let’s look at the three way race for the PL title in the 2013-14 season.
Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea were neck-to-neck that year. Brendan Rogers, the Liverpool manager, had coached his side brilliantly and it looked like the Merseyside team will end their over two decade old wait for their Premier League trophy. However, it was cat-and-mice chase, with the first place changing hands 25 times in the season.
The championship was not decided until the final day of play. With two weeks to go, Liverpool were leading the race to become the PL champions. However, the Merseyside team had a loss and a draw in two of their final three games. Manchester City, who were top of the Premier League table for just 14 days, went on to lift the trophy with a 2-0 win over West Ham on final matchday. City ended the league with a two point gap over 2nd placed Liverpool, with Chelsea finishing third. The difference between the top three teams were just 4 points. Will history play itself out after a decade again this season? One way or the other, PL fans are in for a thrilling business end.