2005–06 FA Premier League
The 2005–06 FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April. On the same day, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City were relegated, joining Sunderland in the Championship for the following season.
Season summary
Several clubs reported disappointing attendances and/or trouble selling out their grounds for the opening weeks' matches. Many have argued that this was due mainly to the comparatively early season start, and the Ashes Test cricket series which caught the nation's imagination and which England went on to win. Other possible reasons are continued escalation of ticket prices and the increasing number of games shown on television. The overall decline in attendances for the season was only around 2%, but that figure is reduced by the fact that bigger clubs were promoted into the Premiership than were relegated and several clubs have suffered larger falls.For the second time in two seasons, José Mourinho's Chelsea triumphed in the Premier League, with a home win over closest rivals Manchester United confirming them as champions after a record setting albeit tense season.
Chelsea's early season form with 14 wins out of 16 gave the champions an unequivocal head start. With Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool falling way short of their expectations before Christmas, Chelsea had effectively became champions-elect by early 2006. However, a sudden collapse in form by mid-March caused their seemingly unassailable lead of 16 points to be cut to just 7 in two months due to the impressive late run of form of Manchester United, who went on a nine-match winning streak scoring over 20 goals. However, a shock home draw with bottom of the table Sunderland at Old Trafford killed United's title hopes. The momentum was back with Chelsea who didn't need a second bite at the apple with wins over Bolton, Everton and finally Manchester United giving the west Londoners their second successive championship under Mourinho.
The top two clubs at the end of the season earned the right to participate in the UEFA Champions League group stages, while the third- and fourth-placed clubs get places in the Champions League Third Qualifying Round. However, if an English team wins the Champions League, but finishes outside the top four, then they get the final Champions League spot instead of the fourth-placed club, who have to settle for a place in the UEFA Cup. This could have been the case with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, but Arsenal pipped Spurs to fourth place in the final matchday of the season before losing 2–1 to FC Barcelona in the final of the UEFA Champions League.
The fifth-placed club always earns a spot in the UEFA Cup. The winners of the FA Cup also earn a place in the UEFA Cup. If they have already qualified for European competition by their league position or winning the League Cup, then the FA Cup runners-up get their place. If the runners-up, too, have already qualified, then the highest league finisher who have not already qualified for Europe are given the place. This season, the FA Cup final featured Liverpool and West Ham. Since Liverpool finished third they were assured of a spot in the Champions League qualifying round, which in turn meant that West Ham received the cup winner's UEFA Cup place.
The League Cup winners also qualify for the UEFA Cup. If they have already qualified for European competition through other means then their place is, unlike the FA Cup, not awarded to the runner-up, but instead the highest league finisher who has not qualified for Europe. League Cup winners Manchester United finished second, placing them directly into the Champions League group stage. This meant that the sixth-placed club, Blackburn Rovers, qualified for the UEFA Cup. The team directly after the UEFA Cup places, goes into the UEFA Intertoto Cup which means in turn, if the team – Newcastle United this season – wins a 2-legged match means they earn a place in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.
Teams
Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the Championship. The promoted teams were Sunderland, Wigan Athletic and West Ham United. Sunderland and West Ham United returned to the top flight after an absence of two years while Wigan Athletic played in the top flight for the first time in history. They replaced Crystal Palace, Norwich City and Southampton.Stadiums and Locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Arsenal | London | Arsenal Stadium | 38,419 |
| Aston Villa | Birmingham | Villa Park | 42,553 |
| Birmingham City | Birmingham | St Andrew's | 30,079 |
| Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn | Ewood Park | 31,367 |
| Bolton Wanderers | Bolton | Reebok Stadium | 28,723 |
| Charlton Athletic | London | The Valley | 27,111 |
| Chelsea | London | Stamford Bridge | 42,360 |
| Everton | Liverpool | Goodison Park | 40,569 |
| Fulham | London | Craven Cottage | 24,600 |
| Liverpool | Liverpool | Anfield | 45,276 |
| Manchester City | Manchester | City of Manchester Stadium | 48,000 |
| Manchester United | Old Trafford | Old Trafford | 68,217 |
| Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough | Riverside Stadium | 35,049 |
| Newcastle United | Newcastle upon Tyne | St James' Park | 52,387 |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 20,220 |
| Sunderland | Sunderland | Stadium of Light | 49,000 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | London | White Hart Lane | 36,240 |
| West Bromwich Albion | West Bromwich | The Hawthorns | 26,484 |
| West Ham United | London | Boleyn Ground | 35,146 |
| Wigan Athletic | Wigan | JJB Stadium | 25,138 |
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
League table
Results
Top scorers
Awards
Monthly awards
Annual awards
PFA Players' Player of the Year
The PFA Players' Player of the Year award for 2006 was won by Steven Gerrard.The shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award was as follows:
- Thierry Henry
- Wayne Rooney
- Steven Gerrard
- Joe Cole
- Frank Lampard
- John Terry
PFA Young Player of the Year
The shortlist for the award was as follows:
- Darren Bent
- Cesc Fàbregas
- Anton Ferdinand
- Wayne Rooney
- Aaron Lennon
- Cristiano Ronaldo
PFA Team of the Year
Defence: Pascal Chimbonda, Jamie Carragher, John Terry, William Gallas
Midfield: Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole
Attack: Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney