2015–16 Premier League

Summary

Leicester City were the surprise of the season. Following their late escape from relegation in the previous season many pundits had predicted that they would be relegated and bookmakers gave 5,000–1 odds on them winning the title. After the dismissal of manager Nigel Pearson, they began the new season with Italian Claudio Ranieri in charge. Pearson had been known for his short temper with the press, while Ranieri has a reputation for good humour. The appointment was met with scepticism by pundits, including Leicester fan and former player Gary Lineker, as Ranieri had recently been sacked from his previous post as manager of the Greek national team after suffering a humiliating defeat to the Faroe Islands in his last game in charge.

Despite winning their opening game against Sunderland and topping the table, they dropped back following a 5–2 defeat by Arsenal in September. However, aided by Jamie Vardy's record feat of scoring in eleven consecutive Premier League games, they then remained unbeaten – and returned to the top of the table – until 26 December, when a 1–0 defeat by Liverpool dropped them to second place. They returned to the top after a 1–1 draw with Aston Villa on 16 January and remained there for the rest of the season. Following a 2–2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on 2 May 2016, Leicester City were confirmed champions, their first title in the top flight of English football, eclipsing the runners-up spot they reached in 1929.

Meanwhile, defending champions Chelsea had a torrid season, sacking manager José Mourinho in December while in 16th place and failing to qualify for European football for the first time in two decades. Eden Hazard, the previous season's PFA Players' Player of the Year, did not score a league goal until late April.

Arsenal were looking for their first title since 2004. Following a poor start their form improved and they took the top spot from Leicester in early January. However, a poor run of results, including draws with Liverpool, Stoke and Southampton, and a loss to Chelsea saw them drop to fourth by mid-February. They remained in contention, but draws with West Ham, Sunderland and Crystal Palace in April saw their title hopes vanish. Meanwhile, their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur won six matches in a row, and when Arsenal lost to Manchester United at the end of February, Tottenham leapfrogged them into second place, where they remained until the final weekend of the season. Draws with West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea stopped them winning their first title since 1961. The match in which Tottenham's title challenge ended, their 2–2 draw at Chelsea on 2 May, saw them receive nine yellow cards — a league record. After a 5–1 defeat to Newcastle United in their final match, Tottenham ended the season in third place, one point behind Arsenal.

Aston Villa, a presence in the Premier League since the league's foundation in 1992, were the first team relegated this season, after a 1–0 loss at Manchester United on 16 April. On 11 May, Sunderland won 3–0 against Everton, a result which relegated Newcastle United and Norwich City with one game remaining.

All of the final fixtures of the season were scheduled for 15 May, and to kick off at the same time. However, Manchester United's home game against Bournemouth was postponed for a future date after Old Trafford was evacuated because of the discovery of a suspicious device, which was destroyed in a controlled explosion. It was confirmed to be an accidental leftover from a training exercise.

Reactions

The unlikely nature of Leicester's title led to a flood of coverage from across the globe. Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted his congratulations, saying it was "An extraordinary, thoroughly deserved, Premier League title." Congratulations were also sent by the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who praised his compatriot Ranieri.

Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore described it as "biggest story we've ever had" in English football. Former Leicester manager Martin O'Neill described it as the "greatest achievement of this century". Gary Lineker, the former Leicester striker who led a consortium that saved the club from administration in 2002, had said he would host the BBC football show Match of the Day in his underwear if Leicester won the title. After they won the title he said: "There were no odds that I would have taken at the start of the season. No odds. You could have given me 10 million to one and I’d have said ‘Nah, it’s a waste of a quid’". José Mourinho, manager of 2015 champions Chelsea and Ranieri's replacement at the same team eleven years earlier, sent his congratulations, saying: "I lost my title to Claudio Ranieri and it is with incredible emotion that I live this magic moment in his career." Ranieri said after winning his first title at the age of 64 that he wouldn't have appreciated it as a young man: "Now I am an old man I can feel it much better."

The long odds bookmakers had given Leicester at the start of the season led to them incurring losses of up to £25 million, with one punter winning over £100,000, having wagered £20 at the original 5,000–1 odds; the largest payout was £200,000 to an anonymous bettor who wagered £100 on the team in October when the odds were improved to 2,000–1.

Superstitious claims of phenomena helping Leicester win the league include the club's Thai owners employing Buddhist monks to bless the players, and the reburial of King Richard III in the city's cathedral in March 2015.

Teams

A total of 20 teams competed in the league, including 17 sides from the 2014–15 season and three promoted from the 2014–15 Football League Championship. On 25 April 2015, Watford became the first Championship side to be promoted following their 2–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. On the final day of the season AFC Bournemouth won the Championship title and their first-ever promotion to the top flight, with a 3–0 victory over Charlton Athletic. Norwich City became the third and final team to be promoted after beating Middlesbrough 2–0 in the Championship play-off final, bouncing back from relegation from the Premier League following the 2013–14 season.

The three promoted clubs replaced Burnley, Queens Park Rangers and Hull City. Burnley were relegated despite a 1–0 victory at Hull City, and Queens Park Rangers suffered the same fate after a 6–0 defeat by Manchester City. Hull City became the third team to be relegated after a 0–0 draw with Manchester United on the final day of the 2014–15 season.

Stadia

Personnel and kits

Hat-tricks

⁴ Player scored 4 goals
⁵ Player scored 5 goals

Player

Club

Premier League Player of the Season

Jamie Vardy was named Premier League Player of the Season.

PFA Player of the Year

The PFA Players' Player of the Year was awarded to Riyad Mahrez.

PFA Team of the Year

The PFA Team of the Year was:

PFA Young Player of the Year

The PFA Young Player of the Year was awarded to Dele Alli.

FWA Footballer of the Year

The FWA Footballer of the Year was awarded to Jamie Vardy.