2014/15 Premier League season review
Chelsea won the 2014/15 Premier League with 87 points, eight clear of Manchester City, in José Mourinho's second season back at the club. They went unbeaten in their first 14 league games, added the League Cup in March and clinched the title with three games to spare.
Eden Hazard was the season's outstanding player, winning every major award and finishing as Fantasy Premier League's top scorer with 233 points. Simon March won the overall game with 2,470.
You can replay the season here with a £100m squad picked from 339 players across all 20 clubs, or read on for how it unfolded.
Before the season: Suárez out, Costa and Fàbregas in
The summer after Liverpool's near miss, Luis Suárez left for Barcelona. Chelsea signed Diego Costa from Atlético Madrid and Cesc Fàbregas from Barcelona, and bringing Thibaut Courtois back from his loan at Atlético.
Manchester United, under new manager Louis van Gaal, spent heavily. Ángel Di María arrived from Real Madrid for a British-record £59.7m, alongside Luke Shaw from Southampton. Arsenal signed Alexis Sánchez from Barcelona, Liverpool signed Mario Balotelli, and Frank Lampard joined Manchester City on a free.
Two clubs changed managers in a chain. Tottenham appointed Mauricio Pochettino from Southampton in May, and Southampton replaced him with Ronald Koeman. Crystal Palace lost Tony Pulis by mutual consent on 14 August, two days before the season began.
Leicester City, Burnley and Queens Park Rangers were the promoted clubs.
How Chelsea led from start to finish
Chelsea went top after the first round of matches and were rarely threatened. Costa scored seven goals in his first four Premier League appearances, Fàbregas supplied the passes, finishing the season with 18 assists, the most in the league, and Hazard carried the attack.
They were unbeaten in their first 14 league games. The run ended on 6 December 2014 at St James' Park, where Papiss Cissé scored twice in a 2-1 Newcastle win. Manchester City had closed the gap by the turn of the year, but from New Year's Day Chelsea went 16 league games unbeaten.
The League Cup came first. Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-0 at Wembley on 1 March 2015, with goals from John Terry and Costa. Europe went less well: Paris Saint-Germain knocked them out of the Champions League in the last 16 on away goals, after a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge with PSG down to ten men. Chelsea also lost at home to League One Bradford City in the FA Cup.
The title was settled on 3 May with a 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace. Hazard's penalty was saved, and he headed in the rebound just before half-time. It was Chelsea's first league title since 2010, with three games to spare. On the final day they beat Sunderland 3-1, and Didier Drogba, 37, said goodbye to the club.
Hazard was named PFA Players' Player of the Year, Football Writers' Footballer of the Year and the Premier League's Player of the Season. Mourinho was Manager of the Season, and Hazard, Terry and Branislav Ivanović each played in 26 league wins, more than anyone else.
The chasing pack and Gerrard's farewell
Behind Chelsea, the table looked like this:
- Manchester City were second on 79 points. Sergio Agüero won the Golden Boot with 26 goals.
- Arsenal finished third on 75 points and won the FA Cup again.
- Manchester United took fourth on 70 points in Van Gaal's first season, back in the Champions League after a year away. Di María scored three times in his first five league games, then not again in his last 22, and was sold to Paris Saint-Germain the following summer.
- Tottenham were fifth in Pochettino's first season. Harry Kane scored 21 league goals and was PFA Young Player of the Year.
- Liverpool finished sixth on 62 points in Steven Gerrard's last season. His Anfield farewell ended in a 3-1 defeat by Crystal Palace, and on the final day, 24 May, Liverpool lost 6-1 at Stoke. Gerrard scored their only goal.
- Southampton were seventh under Koeman, and beat Sunderland 8-0 in October, the season's biggest win.
The relegation fight and Leicester's escape
Leicester were bottom of the table from late November until mid-April, about four and a half months. They then won seven of their last nine games and finished 14th on 41 points. Earlier in the season they had beaten Manchester United 5-3, on 21 September.
The three relegated clubs went down one by one:
- Burnley were relegated on 9 May, even though they beat Hull 1-0 that day.
- Queens Park Rangers followed on 10 May after a 6-0 defeat at Manchester City. Harry Redknapp had resigned in February. Charlie Austin still scored 18 league goals, the fourth-highest total in the division.
- Hull City went down on the final day, when Newcastle beat West Ham 2-0 to stay up.
Newcastle had lost Alan Pardew to Crystal Palace in January, appointed John Carver and suffered an eight-game losing run, the longest of the season. Sunderland, who brought in Dick Advocaat in March, and Aston Villa, under Tim Sherwood from February, also survived.
2014/15 Premier League final table
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 38 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 73 | 32 | +41 | 87 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 38 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 83 | 38 | +45 | 79 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 38 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 71 | 36 | +35 | 75 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 62 | 37 | +25 | 70 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 58 | 53 | +5 | 64 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 52 | 48 | +4 | 62 |
| 7 | Southampton | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 60 |
| 8 | Swansea | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 46 | 49 | -3 | 56 |
| 9 | Stoke | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 48 | 45 | +3 | 54 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 47 | 51 | -4 | 48 |
| 11 | Everton | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 48 | 50 | -2 | 47 |
| 12 | West Ham | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 44 | 47 | -3 | 47 |
| 13 | West Brom | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 38 | 51 | -13 | 44 |
| 14 | Leicester | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 46 | 55 | -9 | 41 |
| 15 | Newcastle | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 40 | 63 | -23 | 39 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 38 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 53 | -22 | 38 |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 31 | 57 | -26 | 38 |
| 18 | Hull | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 33 | 51 | -18 | 35 |
| 19 | Burnley | 38 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 28 | 53 | -25 | 33 |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 42 | 73 | -31 | 30 |
The bottom three were relegated. In the game, every result behind this table plays out as it really happened.
2014/15 top scorers
| Player | Goals | Assists | Our price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Agüero Manchester City | 26 | 8 | £12.0m |
| Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur | 21 | 4 | £10.5m |
| Diego Costa Chelsea | 20 | 3 | £10.5m |
| Charlie Austin Queens Park Rangers | 18 | 6 | £9.5m |
| Alexis Sánchez Arsenal | 16 | 8 | £11.0m |
| Olivier Giroud Arsenal | 14 | 3 | £9.5m |
| Saido Berahino West Brom | 14 | 1 | £9.0m |
| Eden Hazard Chelsea | 14 | 9 | £12.0m |
| Christian Benteke Aston Villa | 13 | 2 | £8.5m |
| David Silva Manchester City | 12 | 7 | £10.5m |
2014/15 assist leaders
| Player | Assists | Goals | Our price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cesc Fàbregas Chelsea | 18 | 3 | £10.0m |
| Santi Cazorla Arsenal | 11 | 7 | £9.5m |
| Ángel Di María Manchester United | 10 | 3 | £7.0m |
| Gylfi Sigurðsson Swansea | 10 | 7 | £8.5m |
| Leighton Baines Everton | 9 | 2 | £6.5m |
| Chris Brunt West Brom | 9 | 2 | £6.0m |
| Jordan Henderson Liverpool | 9 | 6 | £8.0m |
| Eden Hazard Chelsea | 9 | 14 | £12.0m |
| Matt Phillips Queens Park Rangers | 8 | 3 | £6.5m |
| Oscar Chelsea | 8 | 6 | £8.0m |
League goals and assists only. Players who moved clubs mid-season are listed under the club they played most for.
Surprises and disappointments
Some of the season's best stories came from outside the top four:
- Harry Kane broke through with 21 league goals and a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
- Leicester escaped from the bottom with seven wins in nine, and Nigel Pearson was Manager of the Month for April.
- Charlie Austin scored 18 goals for a QPR side that finished bottom.
- Southampton finished seventh in Koeman's first season, after losing their manager to Tottenham.
Others had seasons to forget:
- Liverpool, second the season before, dropped to sixth after selling Suárez, and Gerrard's last game ended in a 6-1 defeat.
- Ángel Di María went from British-record signing to sold within a year.
- Newcastle lost their manager in mid-season and survived only on the final day.
- Chelsea's European campaign ended against ten-man PSG, and their FA Cup run against a League One side.
2014/15 in Fantasy Premier League
About 3.5 million managers played Fantasy Premier League in 2014/15. Simon March won with 2,470 points, under the team name Atletico Marchid, and has since become one of the best-known FPL winners.
Hazard was the game's top scorer with 233 points, ahead of Agüero (216) and Sánchez (207) in his first season in England. Kane finished on 191 in his breakthrough year.
The season's quirk came from the bottom of the table. Charlie Austin scored 176 FPL points for a relegated QPR side, the third-highest total of any forward, behind only Agüero and Kane.
The PFA Team of the Year
Chelsea had six players in the players' own Team of the Year.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | David de Gea (Manchester United) |
| Defenders | Branislav Ivanović (Chelsea), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton) |
| Midfielders | Nemanja Matić (Chelsea), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) |
| Forwards | Harry Kane (Tottenham), Diego Costa (Chelsea) |
Agüero, the Golden Boot winner, was left out.
The season's awards: Hazard was PFA Players' Player of the Year, Football Writers' Footballer of the Year and the Premier League's Player of the Season. Kane was PFA Young Player of the Year, and Mourinho was Manager of the Season.
Most expensive players by position
The premium picks a £100m budget forces you to choose between in 2014/15.
Goalkeepers
- Thibaut Courtois£6.5m
- Asmir Begović£6.0m
- Fraser Forster£6.0m
Defenders
- Branislav Ivanović£7.0m
- Leighton Baines£6.5m
- John Terry£6.5m
Midfielders
- Eden Hazard£12.0m
- Alexis Sánchez£11.0m
- David Silva£10.5m
Forwards
- Sergio Agüero£12.0m
- Harry Kane£10.5m
- Diego Costa£10.5m
2014/15 on Retro Fantasy Football
129 managers have finished a 2014/15 season on our leaderboard (as of October 2026). The best scores so far:
- 2,072 pts
- 2,050 pts
- 2,037 pts
- 2,036 pts
- 2,032 pts
Points follow our scoring rules. Think you can beat them?
2014/15 quick answers
Who won the Premier League in 2014/15? Chelsea, with 87 points, eight ahead of Manchester City.
When did Chelsea clinch the 2014/15 title? On 3 May 2015, with a 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace and three games to spare.
Who was relegated in 2014/15? Hull City, Burnley and Queens Park Rangers.
Who was the Premier League top scorer in 2014/15? Sergio Agüero, with 26 league goals.
Who was PFA Player of the Year in 2014/15? Eden Hazard. Harry Kane was Young Player of the Year.
Who scored the most FPL points in 2014/15? Eden Hazard, with 233.
Who won Fantasy Premier League in 2014/15? Simon March, with 2,470 points.