2012–13 Premier League

Premier League
Season	2012–13
Champions	Manchester United; 13th Premier League title; 20th English title
Relegated	Queens Park Rangers; Reading; Wigan Athletic
Champions League	Manchester United; Manchester City; Chelsea; Arsenal
Europa League	Tottenham Hotspur; Swansea City; Wigan Athletic
Matches played	380
Goals scored	1,063 (2.8 per match)
Top goalscorer	Robin van Persie; (26 goals)
Biggest home win	Chelsea 8–0 Aston Villa
Biggest away win	Newcastle United 0–6 Liverpool
Highest scoring	Arsenal 7–3 Newcastle United; West Brom 5–5 Manchester United
Longest winning run	7 games; Manchester United
Longest unbeaten run	18 games; Manchester United
Longest winless run	16 games; Queens Park Rangers
Longest losing run	7 games; Reading
Highest attendance	75,605; Manchester United 1–0 Reading; (16 March 2013)
Lowest attendance	15,436; Wigan Athletic 3–2 Reading; (24 November 2012)
Average attendance	35,931
	← 2011–12 2013–14 →

The 2012–13 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st season of the Premier League, the English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992. The fixture schedule was released on 18 June 2012.^[3]^[4] The season began on 18 August 2012 and ended on 19 May 2013.^[4]

Manchester City were the defending champions, having won their first Premier League title the previous season. This was their first top division league title since the 1967–68 season.

On 22 April 2013, Manchester United won their 13th Premier League title and 20th English title overall by defeating Aston Villa 3–0 at Old Trafford. This left reigning champions Manchester City 16 points behind with only 15 left to play for.^[5]^[6] It was the first time the title had been decided in April since Chelsea were the winners in 2005–06. It was also only the fourth time in the history of the Premier League that it had been won with at least four games of the season remaining, the last time being in 2003–04 when Arsenal were the champions.^[7] England national football team manager, Roy Hodgson declared that United's manager, Alex Ferguson, was a "magician" having won 13 titles in 21 seasons.^[8]

On 28 April 2013, Queens Park Rangers and Reading were both relegated from the Premier League after a 0–0 draw against each other.^[9] Wigan Athletic were the third and final club to be relegated, after a 4–1 defeat to Arsenal on 14 May 2013. This brought an end to their eight-year stay in the Premier League, and also meant that they became the first ever club to win the FA Cup and suffer relegation in the same season.^[10]

Season summary

The season opened the weekend of 18 August 2012. Defending champions Manchester City opened their season with a narrow 3–2 victory over Southampton, who had just been promoted back to the Premier League after seven seasons in lower divisions. Man City had taken a 1–0 lead, with Southampton turning it on its head to go 2-1 up with 20 minutes remaining. City eventually came back and Samir Nasri scored the winning goal with 10 minutes left.^[11] In a Monday evening fixture at Goodison Park, Manchester United started their season with a 1–0 loss to Everton, the goal scored by Marouane Fellaini.^[12] The first goal of the season, however, was scored by Swansea City's Michu, whose team thrashed Queens Park Rangers 5-0 away from home.

Manchester United recovered from their opening week loss with a 3–2 win over Fulham in their opening home game at Old Trafford, but lost striker Wayne Rooney to injury during the match.^[13] Other second week highlights included Chelsea's 2–0 win over Newcastle United, with recent Belgian signing Eden Hazard involved in both goals.^[14]^[15]

Early leaders Chelsea had week three off, while a win by Manchester City over Queens Park Rangers left the defending champions two points off the pace. The game was a highly anticipated rematch between the two teams that squared off on the final day of the 2011–12 season, when Manchester City snatched the title on goal difference with a late goal by Sergio Aguero. This time though, it was less exciting, with Manchester City comfortably winning 3–1.^[16] Level on points with Manchester City in second place were Swansea City, who registered a 2–2 draw with Sunderland, and West Bromwich Albion, who defeated Everton 2–0.^[17]

The fourth week of the season began with controversy, as the Chelsea v Queens Park Rangers match was fraught with racial tensions when QPR's Anton Ferdinand refused to shake hands with Chelsea's John Terry, who was suspended for four games for using racial epithets against Ferdinand during the previous season.^[18] The teams would play out a 0–0 draw, however second place Manchester City could not gain ground as they also drew, with Stoke City.^[19]

Week five saw Chelsea extend their league lead to 3 points with a 1–0 win over Stoke City. A late goal in the 85th minute by Ashley Cole secured the win for the Blues.^[20] Everton and West Bromwich Albion maintained control of second place, each notching a win in week five, though a draw by the Baggies in week six would drop them back to fifth place, which they would share with Tottenham Hotspur following their surprise 3–2 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Chelsea, Everton, and Manchester City would all win in week six. The results table after six games would have Chelsea in the lead with 16 points, followed by Everton and Manchester City with 13 points each, and Manchester United with 12. At the bottom of the league, Liverpool forward Luis Suárez scored a hat trick against Norwich City, leading Liverpool to a 5–2 victory. It was the second consecutive year that Suárez had scored a hat trick at Carrow Road.^[21]

The month of October saw a tightening at the top of the standings, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City all winning their first two of three games for the month, setting up a vital Sunday afternoon match at Stamford Bridge between third placed Manchester United and the leaders Chelsea. The game did not disappoint, as Chelsea went down 2–0 early on an own goal by David Luiz in the fourth minute and a goal by Robin van Persie in the twelfth. Van Persie had also taken the shot that had rebounded off of Luiz, and thus was ultimately responsible for the Red Devil's one goal lead at half-time, following a late first half goal by Chelsea's Juan Mata from a free kick. Eight minutes into the second half Ramires equalised for Chelsea, and in the 75th minute United's Javier Hernández scored what proved to be the deciding goal via a rebound from a missed Van Persie shot. Replays showed that Hernández was in an offside position, generating a great deal of controversy. After the game, only a single point separated leaders Chelsea from second placed Manchester United.^[22] The rest of the standings were tightly packed in mid-table as 4 points separated fourth through ninth place. Another key match in October included a fixture between Liverpool and Reading, with Liverpool winning 1-0 (with winger Raheem Sterling scoring his first goal for the club) and giving manager Brendan Rodgers his first win over Reading, a team he formerly managed.^[23] The final week of October featured the longest match in the 20-year history of the Premier League, a 103-minute game between Manchester City and Swansea that featured two serious injuries, one to the groin of Swansea keeper Michel Vorm and the other to the knee of Manchester City back Micah Richards, both of which required stretchers to carry them off. City prevailed 1–0 in the marathon event with a goal from Carlos Tevez.^[24]^[25]

League leaders Chelsea suffered a dip in form in November. They opened the month with draws against Swansea City and Liverpool, dropping them to third in the standings. A loss to West Bromwich Albion on 17 November was marked by ineffective second half play, as the team was unable to capitalize on a late first half equalizer by Eden Hazard.^[26] The Blues closed out the month with uninspiring 0–0 draws against Manchester City and Fulham. The primary beneficiaries of Chelsea's slide were Manchester United and Manchester City, as the two rivals moved into commanding control of the first two places in the league table. Key November games included a 2–1 Manchester United win over Arsenal on 3 November,^[27] and a dominating 5–0 win by Manchester City over Aston Villa on 17 November marked by a pair of two-goal performances by Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero.^[28] West Bromwich Albion proved to be the biggest mover up the league table, moving from eighth up to joint third with Chelsea, on the strength of four wins over Southampton, Wigan Athletic, Chelsea, and Sunderland. At the bottom end of the table, Queens Park Rangers found themselves as the only team without a league win by the end of November.

The month of December saw little change in the standings at the top end of the table. The situation by New Years Eve with the top three places was the same as it was at the start of the month, though Manchester United had extended their lead over second place Manchester City to seven points, with Chelsea four points back from City in third place. Tottenham Hotspur occupied fourth place with Arsenal, Everton, and West Bromwich Albion all tied for fifth. Chelsea stopped their November slide with a 3–1 win at Sunderland on 8 December on the strength of two goals by Fernando Torres.^[29] The Manchester derby was renewed on 9 December at the City of Manchester Stadium with first place on the line. United took a two goal lead thanks to two goals from Wayne Rooney in the 16th and 30th minute. City responded with a Yaya Touré goal in the 60th minute, a goal that followed two saves in rapid succession by United keeper David De Gea. Pablo Zabaleta equalized in the 86th minute, but Robin van Persie once again proved to be the hero for United, scoring the winning goal two minutes into extra time to extend United's lead over City at the top of the table to six points.^[30] The last team without a league win, Queens Park Rangers, finally got their first win of the season on 15 December.

Teams

A total of 20 teams contested the league, including 17 sides from the 2011–12 season and three promoted from the 2011–12 Football League Championship.

The relegation for Wolverhampton Wanderers to the 2012–13 Football League Championship was confirmed on 22 April 2012, ending a three-season Premier League tenure.^[31] Blackburn Rovers were relegated after a 1–0 defeat against Wigan Athletic on 7 May 2012, ending an eleven-season tenure in top-flight football.^[32] The final team to be relegated from the 2011–12 Premier League was Bolton Wanderers on 13 May 2012, the final day of the season, also after eleven seasons in the top flight. For only the second time in the history of the Premier League, all three sides who were promoted from the 2011–12 Football League Championship survived and will compete in this season.

Reading (as Champions) and Southampton (as runners-up) secured direct promotion to the Premier League from the Championship. Reading returned to the Premier League after an absence of four years, while Southampton make a comeback to the highest tier after making two successive promotions and seven seasons in the leagues below. The third promoted team was decided in a four-team play-off between the Championship teams ranked third through sixth. Ultimately, third-placed West Ham United defeated fifth-placed Blackpool in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium on 19 May 2012. West Ham returned to the Premier League after one season of absence.

London

London teams
Arsenal
Chelsea
Fulham
Queens Park Rangers
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United

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Locations of the 2012–13 Premier League teams

Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal

Queens Park Rangers

Chelsea

Fulham

West Ham United

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Greater London football clubs

Stadia and locations

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.^[33]

Team	Stadium^[34]	Capacity
Arsenal	Emirates Stadium	60,362
Aston Villa	Villa Park	42,785
Chelsea	Stamford Bridge	41,798
Everton	Goodison Park	40,157
Fulham	Craven Cottage	25,700
Liverpool	Anfield	45,276
Manchester City	Etihad Stadium	47,405
Manchester United	Old Trafford	75,765
Newcastle United	St James' Park	52,405
Norwich City	Carrow Road	27,224
Queens Park Rangers	Loftus Road	18,439
Reading	Madejski Stadium	24,197
Southampton	St Mary's Stadium	32,689
Stoke City	Britannia Stadium	27,740
Sunderland	Stadium of Light	48,707
Swansea City	Liberty Stadium	20,750
Tottenham Hotspur	White Hart Lane	36,284
West Bromwich Albion	The Hawthorns	26,445
West Ham United	Boleyn Ground	35,016
Wigan Athletic	DW Stadium	25,133

Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Team	Manager¹	Captain^[35]	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Arsenal	Arsène Wenger	Thomas Vermaelen	Nike	Fly Emirates
Aston Villa	Paul Lambert	Ron Vlaar	Macron	Genting Casinos
Chelsea	Rafael Benítez	John Terry	Adidas	Samsung
Everton	David Moyes	Phil Neville	Nike	Chang Beer
Fulham	Martin Jol	Brede Hangeland	Kappa	FxPro
Liverpool	Brendan Rodgers	Steven Gerrard	Warrior Sports	Standard Chartered
Manchester City	Brian Kidd (caretaker)	Vincent Kompany	Nike	Etihad Airways
Manchester United	Sir Alex Ferguson	Nemanja Vidić	Nike	Aon
Newcastle United	Alan Pardew	Fabricio Coloccini	Puma	Virgin Money
Norwich City	Chris Hughton	Grant Holt	Erreà	Aviva
Queens Park Rangers	Harry Redknapp	Clint Hill	Lotto	AirAsia
Reading	Nigel Adkins	Jobi McAnuff	Puma	Waitrose
Southampton	Mauricio Pochettino	Adam Lallana	Umbro	aap3
Stoke City	Tony Pulis	Ryan Shawcross	Adidas	Bet365
Sunderland	Paolo Di Canio	Lee Cattermole	Adidas	Invest In Africa
Swansea City	Michael Laudrup	Garry Monk	Adidas	32Red
Tottenham Hotspur	André Villas-Boas	Michael Dawson	Under Armour	Hewlett-Packard
West Bromwich Albion	Steve Clarke	Chris Brunt	Adidas	Zoopla
West Ham United	Sam Allardyce	Kevin Nolan	Macron	SBOBET
Wigan Athletic	Roberto Martínez	Gary Caldwell	MiFit	12BET

¹ According to current revision of List of English Football League managers
Additionally, referee kits are now being sponsored by Expedia.com, and Nike has a new match ball, the Maxim Premier League.

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
West Bromwich Albion	Roy Hodgson	Signed by England	13 May 2012^[36]	Pre-season	Steve Clarke	8 June 2012^[37]
Aston Villa	Alex McLeish	Sacked	14 May 2012^[38]		Paul Lambert	2 June 2012^[39]
Liverpool	Kenny Dalglish	Sacked	16 May 2012^[40]		Brendan Rodgers	1 June 2012^[41]
Swansea City	Brendan Rodgers	Signed by Liverpool	1 June 2012^[41]		Michael Laudrup	15 June 2012^[42]
Norwich City	Paul Lambert	Signed by Aston Villa	2 June 2012^[39]		Chris Hughton	7 June 2012^[43]
Tottenham Hotspur	Harry Redknapp	Sacked	13 June 2012^[44]		André Villas-Boas	3 July 2012^[45]
Chelsea	Roberto Di Matteo		21 November 2012^[46]	3rd	Rafael Benítez	21 November 2012^[47]
Queens Park Rangers	Mark Hughes		23 November 2012^[48]	20th	Harry Redknapp	24 November 2012^[49]
Southampton	Nigel Adkins		18 January 2013^[50]	15th	Mauricio Pochettino	18 January 2013^[50]
Reading	Brian McDermott		11 March 2013^[51]	19th	Nigel Adkins	26 March 2013^[52]
Sunderland	Martin O'Neill		30 March 2013^[53]	16th	Paolo Di Canio	31 March 2013^[54]
Manchester City	Roberto Mancini		13 May 2013^[55]	2nd	Manuel Pellegrini	14 June 2013^[56]

League table

Results

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Rank	Player	Club	Clean sheets
1	Joe Hart	Manchester City	18
2	Petr Čech	Chelsea	14
2	Pepe Reina	Liverpool	14
4	Asmir Begović	Stoke City	12
5	David de Gea	Manchester United	11
	Jussi Jääskeläinen	West Ham United
	Simon Mignolet	Sunderland
8	Tim Howard	Everton	10
8	Wojciech Szczęsny	Arsenal	10
10	Hugo Lloris	Tottenham Hotspur	9

Season summary

Teams

Stadia and locations

Personnel and kits

Managerial changes

League table

Results

Season statistics

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

Clean sheets (player)

Scoring

Clean sheets (club)

Discipline

Awards

Monthly awards

Annual awards

Premier League Manager of the Season

Premier League Player of the Season

PFA Player of the Year

PFA Team of the Year

FWA Footballer of the Year

PFA Young Player of the Year

Barclays Golden Glove

Barclays Merit Award

References