The 1998/99 Premier League campaign will always be remembered as the season which Manchester United defied all odds to win their historic treble.
Success never tasted sweeter for United as they defeated their bitter rivals Arsenal en route to the FA Cup final before they wrested the league title from them again on the last day of the season.
The Red Devils then went on to clinch the European Cup after a truly amazing comeback against finalists Bayern Munich, where few will actually need any reminding of the events.
Their sensational achievement not only helped manager Alex Ferguson gain a knighthood, but also enhanced their reputation as power houses on the European stage.
But the Red Devils’ route to glory was anything but smooth-sailing, as in title holders Arsenal, the Premier League had worthy champions who seemed to be pulling away from United as the season goes underway.
The Gunners inflicted a heavy blow on United’s moral by thrashing them 3-0 in the FA Charity Shield and then emerging triumphant over Ferguson’s men again in a league fixture a month later with the same scoreline.
It signalled a miserable start to the new term for United, who were still in the midst of experimenting their formation and match tactics following the inclusion of three new signings, Jaap Stam, Dwight Yorke and Jesper Blomqvist.
In truth, Arsenal were also not the pacesetters at the opening few months of the season, as Aston Villa, under John Gregory, were playing their best football in eons before injury problems caught up with them and they faded into sixth place.
Yet the biggest story then was not the Villans’ stupendous form, but of Sheffield Wednesday’s Paolo Di Canio doing a ‘Cantona’ after being red-carded and ended up getting a lengthy ban – the only difference was, the assaulted victim was a referee and not a fan.
Another story that hogged the headlines was the shocking appointment of George Graham, former Gunners and Leeds United gaffer, as Tottenham Hotspur’s manager following the sacking of the incompetent Christian Gross in September.
While Graham’s return to London was rewarded with a League Cup triumph for the White Hart Lane club few months later, his tenure at Spurs, which was never a happy one, would not last long.
The sudden departure of Graham to Spurs turned out to be blessing in disguise for Leeds United though. Under stand-in manger David O’Leary, the exciting crop of young players featuring Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Smith, Harry Kewell and many others prospered and eventually finished in a remarkable fourth position.
But the title race was still down to the two heavyweights United and Arsenal, with dark horses Chelsea lurking behind and ready to pounce should the favourites falter.
Defending champions Arsenal made a late surge reminiscent of last season as new acquisitions Freddie Ljungberg and Nwankwo Kanu gelled into the team well, and together with Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka, were firing on all cylinders.
With two months to go before the end of the season, the Gunners found themselves at the pinnacle of the league table and in every chance of repeating the “double”.
But United were adamant not to let that happen, as they delivered a knock-out punch to the Gunners in the semi-final replay by virtue of Giggs’ wonder strike, and the same time, plugged the gap at the top of the table with a string of impressive results.
By early May, Chelsea’s slim hopes of winning the title have all but vanished after a trip to Hillsborough. Nevertheless, their third place finish in the league booked them a third successive European campaign, and they continued to develop under the inspiring leadership of manager Gianluca Vialli.
Attention was soon shifted to the last day of the season as United and Arsenal battled it out for the coveted Premier League crown.
The Red Devils were handed an advantage following Arsenal’s blip at Leeds United in midweek, and only needed a win over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford to seal the title.
The Gunners though were required to beat Aston Villa to stand a chance, and they got their wish when Kanu scored the all important goal to see off the Villans.
But all eyes turned to Manchester.
And when Arsenal’s bitter London neighbours Spurs opened the account through Les Ferdinand, Highbury was silently praying for the result to stay that way as United faithful feared for the worst.
However, it was not to be for Arsenal as the Red Devils came from behind to win 2-1 through goals from David Beckham and Andy Cole, bringing an end to a truly classic Premier League season.