Premier League XI: Champion-slayers like Henry and Rooney

Editor F365
Thierry Henry Arsenal 2000

Heung-Min Son’s strike for Spurs against Manchester City ensured the Premier League winners suffered a loss straight away. Some title holders held out for a lot longer. Others, not so much. Here’s a team made up from players who helped inflict a first defeat of the season on the reigning champions.  

 

Goalkeeper: Brian Jensen
Burnley’s Premier League debut in the 2009/10 campaign saw the Clarets defeat title holders Manchester United in the second game of the season, with Danish goalkeeper Brian Jensen brilliantly saving a Michael Carrick penalty to keep a clean sheet and ensure the home side ended the match with a famous victory at Turf Moor. If you fancy a goalkeeper challenge, try naming the Middlesbrough ‘keeper who helped his side overcome reigning champions Leeds United 4-1 in the third round of games of the inaugural Premier League season.

 

Centre-back: David Wetherall
Former Leeds defender David Wetherall helped slay league champions Manchester United twice in the nineties. Wetherall scored against the Red Devils in a 2-1 win for the Yorkshire side in the fifth round of games in the 1994/95 campaign before netting in a 1-0 for Leeds to inflict a first defeat on Alex Ferguson’s title holders during the 1997/98 season.

 

Centre-back: Philippe Albert
Manchester United are the victims yet again, with Belgian centre-back P
hilippe Albert eligible for this side after straying from his defensive duties to score a famous goal that left Peter Schmeichel with egg on his face in Newcastle United’s 5-0 thrashing of the champions in their tenth match of the 1996/97 campaign.

 

Centre-back: Emanuel Pogatetz
Austrian hard-man Emanuel Pogatetz makes the XI, with his bullet header against title holders Chelsea in 2006 helping to inflict a first defeat of the season on Jose Mourinho’s side.

 

Right wing: Darren Fletcher
Chelsea’s first Premier League title came in the 2004/05 campaign and the Blues held out until the 12th game of the following season before experiencing defeat. Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher was the man who made it happen, with the Scot’s header enough to give the Red Devils all three points.

 

Central midfield: N’Golo Kante
Manchester City’s title defence has taken a hit at the first hurdle this season but a few years back Pep Guardiola’s league winners went undefeated until their 16th game of the campaign, losing out to Chelsea. N’Golo Kante found the net just before half-time to help the Blues to victory.

Chelsea's French midfielder N'Golo Kante plays during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor in Burnley, north west England on October 31, 2020. (Photo by Alex Pantling / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by ALEX PANTLING/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

 

Central midfield: Gus Poyet
From a current Chelsea star to a former one, Gus Poyet scored twice for Gianluca Vialli’s side in a resounding 5-0 triumph over treble winners Manchester United in the October of ’99. It was the Red Devils’ first league defeat since December ’98.

 

Left wing: Chris Waddle
Blackburn Rovers’ momentous Premier League title win in 1995 was followed by a disappointing defence of their crown, with just one win in their first six games of the 95/96 campaign. A first defeat of the season to Sheffield Wednesday in late August saw former England star Chris Waddle get the Owls in motion with a long-range strike in the first half.

 

Striker: Thierry Henry
You remember the goal, right? The flick, the swivel and then the smash past fellow countryman Fabien Barthez. Thierry Henry’s superb strike against Manchester United saw the champions defeated for the first time in the 2000/01 campaign. The Red Devils managed to recover and ended up picking up a third league title in a row, finishing ten points of clear of Henry’s Arsenal.

 

Striker: Wayne Rooney
The roles were reversed a few years later, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney finding the net in a 2-0 win against Arsenal to end the Gunners’ 49-game unbeaten streak during the 2004/05 campaign. Rooney already had form for tormenting Arsenal, with the Merseyside-born forward famously scoring for Everton at just 16 years of age against the title holders in 2002, inflicting a first defeat of the season on Arsene Wenger’s men. England’s record goalscorer also helped the Red Devils overcome their noisy neighbours and reigning champions Manchester City in 2012, scoring twice in a 3-2 win as the Citizens slumped to defeat for the first time in the season.

 

Striker: Carlos Tevez
Rooney’s former striker partner Carlos Tevez completes the line-up, with the Argentine forward bagging the only goal of the game in Manchester City’s win over league champions Chelsea early on in the 2010/11 campaign. Daniel Sturridge is also eligible for the side, after scoring for Liverpool in a 1-0 win against title holders Manchester United in 2013 to inflict a first defeat on new boss David Moyes.

 

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