That decision would ultimately prove fatal for Bolton on the final day of the campaign. Five years on from Leicester City’s ‘Great Escape’ under Nigel Pearson and how it led to their Premier League title success the following season By Josh Fordham 27th April 2020, 9:31 am At one point, the general rule of thumb was if a team propped up the Premier League table on 25 December, they were almost certain to be relegated. by AG 7th May 2020 7th May 2020 With this May seeing no Houdini acts against Premier League relegation, we look back today at some of the greatest escapes of them all. A season of struggle ultimately ending in relief, and another year of Premier League football to look forward to. Since its inception in 1992, the FA Premier League has provided countless games of high drama, entertainment, joy and despair. The Latics had endured a dismal season and were rooted to the foot of the table when they shocked Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield on March 24th. A late 2-1 win at home to West Ham set the wheels in motion, before a 91st-minute winner a week later from Jamie Vardy in a 3-2 comeback win at West Brom proved to be the catalyst that culminated in what appeared to be a miracle. The great escapes from Premier League relegation. But in 2004-05, West Brom bucked the trend with their great escape on the final day of that campaign. However, they were plunged into the relegation zone in the 81st minute, after Graham Stuart slotted an absurdly-weak toe poke past Wimbledon goalkeeper Hans Segers to win it 3-2 for Everton. A goalless draw at the Reebok Stadium was mired in controversy as the Trotters were denied a goal even though the ball had clearly crossed the line. The ‘Christmas Curse’, in which the side lying bottom on Christmas Day ends up relegated, was a constant theme throughout the first twelve seasons of the Premier League’s existence. The English Premier League's final day of 2020 included a great escape, a sleeping giant's return to the big time, and a farewell to a league legend … Unforgettable goals. Confirmation of Southampton’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United, Norwich’s 6-0 thrashing at Fulham, and Palace’s 2-2 draw with Charlton created scenes of pure joy at The Hawthorns as fans rushed onto the pitch to celebrate with their heroes. 2-1 to Wimbledon was the half-time score at Goodison Park, while Ipswich were holding their own (0-0) at Ewood Park. For West Brom, there is now a glimpse of hope. A 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, coupled with Everton’s 1-1 draw at home to Coventry, ensured the Blues stayed up on goal difference at the expense of Colin Todd’s side. Premier League debutants Bradford City found the going tough in the top-flight and it came as little surprise that they were embroiled in a relegation battle after just one win in their opening seven games. Here are seven of the greatest escapes from Premier League relegation. The club only lost two more games during the rest of the season leaving their destiny in their own hands when they faced Middlesbrough on the final day. After failing to win any of its first 17 games — a first in the Premier League — United has now won three of its last five. After a quiet start to the second half, a thunderbolt equaliser for Everton (from Barry Horne) gave Everton renewed hope. Great goals. Having begun the final day in the bottom three, Everton’s fate was out of their … Baggies’ eventual 2-0 win over Portsmouth, Best Games Based on Football for Adrenaline Addicts, Watch Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04 Live Stream: Live Score, Results and Match Centre, This is How You Can Pick the Best Casino Game to Play, SenseBall: the training ball increasingly used in professional clubs, Manchester United midfielder planning loan move, Solskjaer backs Manchester United over Jadon Sancho talks. It earned Big Sam enough plaudits that just two months later, he was appointed manager of the England national team. Callum Rice Coates. Fulham manager Scott Parker believes his relegation-threatened team can win "any game" as he plots a Premier League great escape, with fellow strugglers Sheffield United the next team in his sights. The Premier League website employs cookies to make our website work and improve your user experience. Safety was sealed after Sheffield United’s equally dramatic 3-2 defeat to Chelsea, as Mark Stein’s 90th-minute winner condemned the Blades to relegation. Little did Leicester fans know an even bigger miracle would occur 12 months later…. Important goals. Four years after their miraculous escape against Wimbledon, Everton had to do it all again. Everton and Ipswich (1994) A 2-0 half-time deficit at Manchester City, in their third-from-final game of the season, would have relegated the Cottagers with two games to spare, had it stood until the end. A Great Escape is simply when a team seems “nailed on” for relegation to the next league down in the English football pyramid, only to beat “the drop” and “stay up.” Everybody loves a great escape – well, except the folks who didn’t get out. Within their final ten games, the Latics were slated to face Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea away, while hosting a title-chasing Manchester United between the latter trips. Stephen Hunt’s late superb strike provided the salvation, and when Spurs scored late in stoppage time against Blackburn to earn the win, it secured Wolves’ Premier League status with fans of both sides joining to sing songs of survival in the glorious West Midlands sunshine. We’ve already profiled this season’s relegation battle, but join us as we look back at 10 of the best tales of survival. With this May seeing no Houdini acts against Premier League relegation, we look back today at some of the greatest escapes of them all. The Top Four Greatest Escapes In Premier League History. A horrendous run of just three wins against 15 defeats between September and March left Wigan 19th. Please vote below and comment on any particular reasons or other ‘escapes’. But a Graham Stuart penalty before half-time gave hope, and in the second half, a fine volley from Barry Horne plus an 81st-minute strike from Stuart sent Goodison into raptures. Hosting Blackburn, both sides went into the final game at risk of the drop. An iconic pitch invasion followed the Baggies’ eventual 2-0 win over Portsmouth, with the sight of Bryan Robson hoisted aloft by West Brom fans an enduring image even today. A home win over Aston Villa and a memorable 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford got Bolton off to a promising start of the 2002-03 season. Under the management of Bryan Robson, West Bromwich became the first team to break the curse, after negotiating a four-way duel for one final ‘safe’ spot. Just one more defeat (at Fulham) preceded three straight victories to seal Wigan’s safety with a game to go. Plus: Southampton lose 9-0 again, Wolves pick up a first Premier League … English football’s great escape artists. What was even more remarkable was the fact that heading into the season finale, no team had yet been condemned to the second tier and a dramatic afternoon ensued. Premier League hits and misses: Man Utd return to form, Arsenal suffer bizarre defeat, while Blades plot great escape. You may disable these but this may affect website functionality. Pre-match cognac shots, Al Pacino's speech from Any Given Sunday (although not every player understood it!) Sit back, relax and take three minutes out of your day to watch every Carlos Tevez goal in a West Ham United shirt pic.twitter.com/LLSmQTfrwS. Centre-half David Wetherall scored in the first half and, with Wimbledon losing to Southampton, the hosts held on to provoke celebratory scenes at the final whistle. Football fans – what is the Premier League’s ‘Greatest Escape’ from relegation? Still only needing a draw, Ipswich continued to hold firm at Blackburn. Danny Murphy equalised nine minutes later, before Kamara completed the comeback in the second minute of added time. In terms of pure drama, there has never been a relegation battle quite like it. Naturally, there would be a vicious backlash in that event, especially with stories like Southampton’s 1998/99 season, which prove that you can never write a team off until it is mathematically confirmed. After beating Leicester and Wimbledon to haul themselves out of the drop zone for the first time all season, Southampton won their finale (2-0 vs Everton). Fulham won twice more to survive, finishing the campaign with a gutsy 1-0 win at FA Cup winners to-be Portsmouth. Form picked up after November, but it was not enough to avoid a last-day relegation dogfight. After months of rumination, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters revealed the … Thereafter, Roberto Martinez’ team duly went into overdrive, beating Manchester United and Arsenal. The relegation battle at the bottom of the Premier League has heated up with victories for Leicester and QPR last weekend. The signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, and allegations of third-party ownership, was heavily investigated during a relegation battle that the Hammers were right in the middle of. For a change though, it was not Matt Le Tissier bailing Southampton out of trouble. After a 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in March, the East Midlands side were seven points adrift of safety and even the most ardent of fans must have feared the worst. So dramatic was their upturn in form, they finished seven points clear of the drop zone, with Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers and Wolves dropping into the Championship. Eight minutes from time, Jonathan Fortune became the toast of the West Midlands, equalising against Crystal Palace. West Ham’s escape act in 2007 was not without controversy. By the end of the day, however, it was Bryan Robson’s side who prevailed courtesy of their 2-0 win over Portsmouth. The culmination of which came on the final day as the Argentine’s strike in a 1-0 win against newly-crowned champions Manchester United was coupled with the Blades’ 2-1 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic. But their form following that was a run for the ruins. Sheffield United’s improbable quest to escape relegation from the Premier League gathered pace as the last-place team came from behind to beat fellow struggler West Bromwich Albion 2-1 on Tuesday. Allardyce was up to his old tricks again, 13 years after dragging Bolton out of trouble, he was once again on call to save Sunderland. Great Escapes in Premier League History. Though Mascherano eventually joined Liverpool, Tevez was integral as West Ham won seven of their final nine league games to secure safety at the expense of Sheffield United. Take a look back on the famous Premier League teams that survived relegation after sitting in last place on Christmas Day, including Nigel Pearson's L Premier League great escapes from relegation | NBC Sports Six of the best Premier League great escapes to give Aston Villa fans hope ASTON VILLA sit bottom of the Premier League at Christmas with a meagre seven points to their name. West Bromwich’s task was made psychologically harder by the fact that they were bottom of the league going into the final weekend. Portsmouth behind Leicester, West Brom, Sunderland and Fulham among the best Premier League great escapes Pompey’s Great Escape in 2006 has only been ranked the fifth-best in Premier League history. After closing March with a 2-1 home win vs Stoke, they hit a wall, going down 2-1 at Chelsea. West Bromwich led 1-0 for most of the second half, but Crystal Palace led 2-1 at Charlton as the 2004/05 entered its final ten minutes of life, rendering that meaningless. That result prompted the most spectacular of revivals as Wigan went on to win six of their final eight games, including victories over Manchester United and Arsenal, as they jumped out of the bottom three in considerable style.