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Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United And More Premier League Title Collapses

Liverpool, Newcastle And More Title Collapses (PICTURES)
Samuel Luckhurst
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Luis Suárez resembled a defendant arriving at court as he hid his tears. Steven Gerrard, wont to kissing the camera, pushed it away. Liverpudlians blubbered like Bubba Watson. Others were on their knees.

It is not over, yet, and in this most remarkable of Barclays Premier League seasons, it would be no surprise if there is another twist to the narrative. However, Liverpool's players and supporters' reactions to their capitulation at Crystal Palace appeared to signal it was all over for them, that the title drought would extend to a quarter of a century, rather than end at 24.

Vibrant, attacking and, purportedly, favoured by the neutrals, Liverpool are a mirror image of Kevin Keegan's Newcastle side 18 years ago. Appropriately and, unfortunately, for Brendan Rodgers and his team, they are braced for similar disappointment.

Title collapses
Newcastle, 1995-96(01 of05)
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Why you shouldn't employ Kevin Keegan as manager? Just stick the 1995-96 Premier League years on and you will see why. Newcastle were 12 points clear of Liverpool and Manchester United with 15 games remaining, however, they lost five of them and even the memorable 4-3 at Liverpool - regarded as the death knell - occurred with seven matches left to play.A comeback was never on, though, and Keegan lost it on live TV as Alex Ferguson ramped up the mind games before collecting his third title with United. The parallels with Rodgers' Liverpool are glaring. (credit:PA)
Manchester United, 1997-98(02 of05)
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Twelve points was the unlucky number again two years after Newcastle's collapse. United, chasing their first hat-trick of titles, had shown vulnerable signs already with losses to Southampton and Leicester, as well as a last-gasp draw against Bolton, but their 1-0 win at Chelsea put them 12 points clear of Arsenal. Then they blew it.Sheffield Wedneday beat them the following week before a scrappy draw at West Ham offered Arsène Wenger's side encouragement. Arsenal, coming into form, arrived at Old Trafford to beat a depleted United 1-0 and seized the initiative.A Good Friday draw with 10-man Liverpool and a 1-1 result against a poor Newcastle side completed United's surrender. (credit:Getty)
Arsenal, 2002-03(03 of05)
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On the weekend United lost to a Jerzy Dudek-inspired Liverpool in the League Cup final, Arsenal dismissed Charlton with ease to extend their lead at the summit to eight points. United edged past Leeds in their game in hand thanks to a Mikael Silvestre header, and, crucially, narrowly won at Villa Park on the same day a vibrant Blackburn outplayed Arsenal in a 2-0 win to turn the title tide. Arsenal were eliminated from Europe days later but recovered from a brilliant Wayne Rooney equaliser to defeat Everton. Only a comical Kolo Touré own goal at Villa Park continued their gradual slump.United, rampant after a 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool and 6-2 evisceration of Newcastle, registered a decisive 2-2 draw at Highbury with five games remaining. Arsenal threw away a 2-0 lead to draw at Bolton 10 days later and then lost to struggling Leeds, as United regained their championship with a game to spare. (credit:Getty)
Manchester United, 2011-12(04 of05)
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Manchester City knew better than to surrender after their surprise draw at Sunderland last month. Two years ago, they clawed back an eight-point deficit with six matches remaining to beat neighbours United to the title on goal difference.Sir Alex Ferguson tinkered at the wrong time for United's trip to Wigan, who deservedly won 1-0 as City battered West Brom to trim the lead to five with five to play.United cracked most vividly against Everton, though. 4-2 up with seven minutes to spare, Patrice Evra hit the post and Everton, astonishingly, fought back through goals from Nikica Jelavić and Steven Pienaar to draw 4-4. City won comfortably at Wolves with three games left, and their next opponents were United.Ferguson picked a cautious, borderline cowardly, line-up for the trip to the Etihad and Vincent Kompany stooped to head in the winner just before half-time. City, in most dramatic fashion, held their nerve to end their 44-year title drought. (credit:Getty)
Liverpool, 2013-14(05 of05)
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In this most fascinating of seasons, it is not over yet, technically, although Liverpool's players did a good job of suggesting otherwise."We don't let this slip, we go again," Steven Gerrard implored his teammates with four games to go. Their slender win at Norwich was a warning sign, and Chelsea punished them the following week with a counter-attacking display as Gerrard slipped - literally - to gift Demba Ba the opener.With City in the ascendant, Liverpool's naivety was exposed again at Palace. Three-nil up with 11 minutes to go, they conceded, and then attacked. They conceded again, and again attacked. Palace eventually got their third goal for one of the most memorable matches in modern English football history. (credit:PA)
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