• 4 June: A plan to introduce an equivalent to the
National Football League's
Rooney Rule for the 2016–17 season is announced by
The Football League. Under the mooted plan, clubs will be required to interview at least one ethnic minority candidate when recruiting a new first-team manager or youth coach. • 5 June: The Football League announces that the ten-point penalty for clubs who enter administration, which has been in place since the 2004–05 season, will be increased to 12 points starting with the forthcoming season. Another new regulation also requires the
supporters' trust of any club which enters administration to be given the opportunity to submit a bid. • 7 August: The
2015–16 Football League season begins in
Sussex as
Brighton & Hove Albion beat
Nottingham Forest 1–0 at
Falmer Stadium:
Kazenga LuaLua the scorer of the first goal of the top four divisions. • 8 August: The new Premier League campaign kicks off as defending champions
Chelsea start with a 2–2 draw at home to
Swansea City, while
Manchester United need a
Kyle Walker own goal to give them a 1–0 win over
Tottenham Hotspur at
Old Trafford. Elsewhere, newly promoted
AFC Bournemouth's Premier League bow ends in a 1–0 defeat at home to
Aston Villa, while
Watford hold
Everton to a 2–2 draw at
Goodison Park. £10 million summer signing
Yohan Cabaye scores on his
Crystal Palace debut in the Eagles' 3–1 win at
Norwich City, and
Riyad Mahrez nets a double for
Leicester City in their 4–2 win at home to
Sunderland. • 9 August:
Slaven Bilić started his tenure as
West Ham United manager as they defeated
Arsenal 2–0 at the
Emirates Stadium. Elsewhere,
Liverpool beat
Stoke City with a late
Philippe Coutinho goal earning them a 1–0 win at the
Britannia Stadium. • 31 August: The first month of the new season ends with
Manchester City as they stand top of the table with four wins from four, as the league's leading scorers and with no goals conceded. Crystal Palace have made a good start and stand three points behind City, while Leicester and Swansea remain unbeaten to hold joint third place. Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool complete the top seven. Reigning champions Chelsea have are in 13th with four points. Stoke (18th),
Newcastle United and
Sunderland are joint bottom with two points each. In the Championship, Brighton & Hove Albion top this division.
Hull City and
Queens Park Rangers sandwich
Ipswich Town in second and fourth. Unbeaten
Cardiff City stand in fifth, while last season's play-off finalists
Middlesbrough have edged ahead of
Birmingham City,
Charlton Athletic and
Burnley to take sixth place. Bottom club
Rotherham United have one point from their first five games, while
Blackburn Rovers manage to stay ahead of the relegation zone on goal difference at the expense of
Bolton Wanderers and
Huddersfield Town. • 4 September: AFC Bournemouth lose two of their summer signings to long-term injury after their 1–1 draw with Leicester last weekend:
Max Gradel is ruled out for six months and record signing
Tyrone Mings is to be sidelined for the remainder of the season. • 5 September:
England secure qualification for
UEFA Euro 2016 by beating
San Marino 6–0.
Wayne Rooney also equals
Bobby Charlton's record as the national team's all-time top goalscorer, with a goal scored from the penalty spot. • 8 September: Rooney exceeds Charlton's goalscoring record with a goal scored from the penalty spot in a 2–0 victory over
Switzerland. The result also guarantees that England will finish their qualification group in first place. • 12 September: Eighteen-year-old substitute
Kelechi Iheanacho scores the only goal of the game in stoppage time to propel Manchester City over Crystal Palace at
Selhurst Park. On the same day,
Steven Naismith hits a hat-trick as Everton condemn Chelsea to a 3–1 defeat at Goodison Park. It is Chelsea's third defeat already this season.
Anthony Martial scores on his debut for Manchester United in a 3–1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford. Watford earn their first win of the season in five attempts with a 1–0 win over Swansea City at
Vicarage Road. • 19 September: Chelsea and Arsenal renew their
rivalry in a
capital clash at
Stamford Bridge: the home side win 2–0 while the Gunners have
Santi Cazorla and
Gabriel sent off. Manchester City's unbeaten start to the season ends in 2–1 defeat at home to West Ham, who have already added away wins over Arsenal and Liverpool. • 22 September: The FA rescinds Gabriel's red card, while giving
Diego Costa a retrospective three-match ban for his role in the flashpoint. Arsenal compiled and sent a package of video evidence to the FA, reportedly including footage from
ESPN Brasil – unseen in England – that exonerated the defender. • 23 September: In the third round of the League Cup,
Carlisle United hold Liverpool at
Anfield for 120 minutes before being eliminated on penalties,
Sheffield Wednesday knock out Newcastle, and
David de Gea, who was close to leaving for
Real Madrid less than a month previously,
skippers Manchester United for the first time, wearing the armband for the final nine minutes of their win over Ipswich Town. • 26 September: Manchester City are knocked from the summit of the Premier League as they are beaten 4–1 at Tottenham;
Harry Kane scores his first goal for Spurs this season. City's place at the top is taken by Manchester United, who put three past Sunderland without reply. In the late kick-off, Newcastle race into a 2–0 lead, only for Chelsea to level the match with two goals in the final 11 minutes.
Alexis Sánchez scores his first Premier League hat-trick as Arsenal beat Leicester 5–2 at the
King Power Stadium, ending the Foxes' unbeaten start to the season. • 30 September: The month ends with Manchester United having taken over the top of the table from their cross-city rivals. Manchester City are a point behind them, with West Ham and Arsenal rounding out the top four. Everton, Tottenham and Crystal Palace are a point behind in the top seven. Chelsea are eight points behind Manchester United and four points above the relegation zone. Sunderland remain bottom with the same two points that they had a month prior, with rivals Newcastle above them by one point. Aston Villa, a further point ahead of Newcastle, fill the final relegation spot. Brighton continue to lead the way in the Championship, though Middlesbrough have cut their lead to just one point.
Reading, Hull City, Birmingham City and Cardiff City are sat in the play-off spots, tied on 15 points apiece, with Burnley and Ipswich Town also on the same number of points. The three teams promoted from League One last season comprise the bottom three, with Bristol City now bottom,
Milton Keynes Dons one point ahead, and
Preston North End only ahead of the MK Dons on goal difference. • 3 October:
Sergio Agüero helps himself to a 20-minute second-half hat-trick as Manchester City come from a goal down to defeat Newcastle 6–1 at the
Etihad Stadium. Chelsea have their fourth defeat in their opening eight games as they go down 3–1 at home to Southampton. Crystal Palace climb to third place with a 2–0 win over
West Bromwich Albion. • 4 October:
Brendan Rodgers is sacked an hour after half time as Liverpool manager following their 1–1 draw with Everton in the Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park.
Arsenal defeat
Manchester United 3–0 at the
Emirates Stadium, with
Alexis Sánchez scoring a double inside a 20-minute spell in the first half. It is the first time that the Gunners have scored three goals against United since 2001, and it was also United's worst defeat against Arsenal since 1998. • 8–10 October: Chelsea's Serbian defensive pair
Branislav Ivanović and
Nemanja Matić, Newcastle goalkeeper
Tim Krul, Manchester United midfielder
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Manchester City attackers Sergio Agüero and
David Silva all pick up injuries on international duty. • 25 October: The
Manchester derby ends in a 0–0 stalemate between United and City at Old Trafford. Harry Kane scores the second hat trick of his career as Tottenham have a win at AFC Bournemouth. Sunderland make it six-straight league wins over Newcastle as they beat their local rivals 3–0 at the
Stadium of Light, giving
Sam Allardyce his first win as Black Cats manager. • 31 October: The end of this month sees top spot having swung back in Manchester City's direction, though Arsenal are behind City on goal difference alone. Leicester are three points behind the top two. Manchester United, meanwhile, have slipped down to fourth place, a point behind Leicester, and West Ham are a further point behind United. Tottenham and Liverpool are in sixth and seventh place respectively. Aston Villa have fallen to bottom place, while Sunderland and Newcastle have both earned wins, but are still in the relegation zone, two points and one point respectively behind AFC Bournemouth. Brighton still lead the way in the Championship, but are now two points ahead of Hull and Burnley. Middlesbrough are three points off top, and
Derby County are level with Middlesbrough on points, with Birmingham rounding out the top six. Rotherham have fallen back to bottom place, with Bolton ahead on goal difference and Charlton a point ahead of the bottom two. • 6 November:
Nélson Oliveira is the sole goalscorer in the
East Midlands derby as Nottingham Forest beat Derby at the
City Ground. • 8 November: The North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham ends 1–1 at the Emirates Stadium, while Crystal Palace defender
Scott Dann scores the winning goal in their 2–1 win over Liverpool at Anfield, making it three straight league wins for the Eagles over the Reds. • 28 November:
Jamie Vardy scores for the 11th consecutive Premier League match in Leicester's 1–1 draw with Manchester United, setting a Premier League record. He is promptly congratulated on the feat by the former record-holder
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who broadcast on
Instagram, "Well done @vardy7! You're number one now and you deserved it. #11inarow."
Junior Stanislas scores a late equaliser for AFC Bournemouth to salvage a point in their 3–3 draw with Everton, while
Alan Pardew and Crystal Palace defeat Newcastle 5–1 at Selhurst Park.
Junior Stanislas scores a late equaliser for AFC Bournemouth to salvage a point in their 3–3 draw with Everton, while
Alan Pardew and Crystal Palace defeat Newcastle 5–1 at Selhurst Park. • 30 November: Manchester City are leading the Premier League at the end of this month, again by virtue of goal difference, this time ahead of Leicester. Manchester United are a point behind the top two, and Arsenal a further point behind United. Tottenham have moved up to fifth place, and behind them are a whole clutch of sides, with five points separating sixth placed Liverpool and 13th-placed West Brom. Aston Villa remain bottom and are now five points adrift of second-bottom Newcastle while Sunderland have moved out of the relegation zone at AFC Bournemouth's expense. Brighton continue to lead the way in the Championship, still by two points, with Middlesbrough having moved back up to second place. Derby are behind Middlesbrough only on goals scored, and Hull and Burnley remain hot on their heels, one point and two points respectively behind them. Birmingham City occupy the final play-off spot on goal difference, heading up a large chasing pack. Bolton have fallen to the foot of the table, three points off the pace, with Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town also in the relegation zone, but just a point behind the three sides above them. • 5 December: Leicester go top of the Premier League with a Riyad Mahrez hat trick helping them to a 3–0 win at Swansea. The Foxes displace former leaders Manchester City, who go down to a 2–0 defeat at Stoke. Chelsea lose for the eighth time this season in a 1–0 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth. Meanwhile, the FA Cup reaches round two: non-leaguers
Eastleigh win away at
Stourbridge to qualify for round three for the first time and Welsh side
Newport County seal their first entry into the third round since the Monmouthshire club reformed in 1989 with victory over
Barnet. • 6 December: In more second round action, League Two
Exeter City are the only side to defeat a club from a higher division, dispatching third-tier
Port Vale. Elsewhere,
Whitehawk reach the third-round draw for the first time in their history – the East Brightonians' goal in the 95th minute cancels out 40-year-old
Jamie Cureton's opener for
Dagenham & Redbridge • 8 December: Differing fortunes for the Mancunian sides in Europe:
Raheem Sterling scores a double as City top their group following a 4–2 win over
Borussia Mönchengladbach, while United drop down into the
UEFA Europa League after being beaten 3–2 at
VfL Wolfsburg. • 12 December: AFC Bournemouth beat Manchester United 2–1 at the
Vitality Stadium.
Romelu Lukaku scores for the sixth consecutive game in Everton's 1–1 draw at Norwich. • 17 December: After losing 9 out of 16 league games, and being a point outside the relegation zone, Chelsea announced that they have parted company with manager José Mourinho "by mutual consent". They went on to say, "The club wishes to make clear José leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea." • 19 December: Manchester United lose 2–1 at home to Norwich, which is the first time that the Canaries have beaten United at Old Trafford since 1989. The result means United fall out of the top four on goal difference. Riyad Mahrez scores two penalties in a 3–2 win over Everton at Goodison Park. • 20 December:
Odion Ighalo scores a double as Watford go four games unbeaten with a 3–0 win over Liverpool at Vicarage Road. • 26 December:
Vincent Kompany is reintroduced to the Manchester City side as a substitute in their match at Sunderland, only to leave the field nine minutes later as City win 4–1. Their cross-city rivals, United, lose for the third league game in a row following a 2–0 defeat at Stoke.
Guus Hiddink's second spell as Chelsea manager begins with a Diego Costa double in a 2–2 draw at home to Watford. Leicester have their second defeat of the campaign, losing 1–0 at Liverpool. Arsenal are beaten 4–0 at Southampton, with
Shane Long bagging a double for the Saints. The result is Arsenal's worst defeat in the league since losing 6–0 to
Chelsea in March 2014. • 29 December:
Leeds United owner
Massimo Cellino takes the unprecedented step of attempting to ban
Sky Sports from televising the club's home game with
Derby County, blaming the televising of games for disrupting the club's schedule. Later in the day, Cellino relents and allows the game to be televised. • 30 December: The Premier League schedule for 2015 is rounded out by Liverpool's 1–0 win over Sunderland:
Christian Benteke the sole goalscorer at the Stadium of Light. • 31 December: 2015 ends with Arsenal having taken over the top of the Premier League, and Leicester once again second on goal difference. Manchester City have dropped to third place, three points behind the top two, while Tottenham have moved into the top four, a point behind City. Crystal Palace, enjoying their best ever start in the top flight since 1990, have moved up to fifth place, while Manchester United are now sixth, as a six-game run without a win has seen manager
Louis van Gaal under serious pressure from the fans, and level on points with Liverpool. Aston Villa remain bottom, still having not recorded a win since the opening day and are 11 points off safety, while a run of five-straight defeats has also left Sunderland seven points off safety. Newcastle remain in the relegation zone, though are five points ahead of the Mackems. Middlesbrough have taken over the lead in the Championship, a point ahead of Derby County. Hull and Brighton are both four points off the top two, with Burnley and Ipswich rounding out the play-off spaces. Bolton remain bottom, now just four points off safety following some improved results, though financial problems and the threat of administration still hang over them. Charlton and Bristol City have now fallen into the relegation zone, two points and four points respectively ahead of Bolton, and with Rotherham United ahead of Bristol only on goal difference. • 12 January: After 19 league games without a win, Aston Villa record their second win of the season with a 1–0 win over Crystal Palace at Villa Park. A Wayne Rooney double is not enough for Manchester United as they are held 3–3 at Newcastle after a goal from
Paul Dummett. • 13 January:
Jermain Defoe scores his fourth Premier League hat-trick in a Sunderland 4–2 win at Swansea. Liverpool and Arsenal have a 3–3 draw at Anfield, with Reds midfielder
Joe Allen netting a last minute equaliser. This allows Leicester to go level on points with the Gunners at the top of the table with a 1–0 win at Tottenham. • 23 January: Liverpool defeat Norwich 5–4. Canaries defender
Sébastien Bassong scores an injury time equaliser before
Adam Lallana wins it for the Reds. New Southampton striker
Charlie Austin scores seven minutes into his debut as they win 1–0 at Manchester United, while
Dele Alli scores in Tottenham's 3–1 win at Crystal Palace. Elsewhere, a Sergio Agüero double rescues a point for Manchester City in their 2–2 draw at West Ham. • 31 January: The first month of 2016 ends with Leicester now three points clear at the top of the Premier League. Manchester City and Arsenal are second and third, with City ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. Tottenham are a further two points behind City and Arsenal. Manchester United are in fifth place, five points behind Spurs. United head up a large chasing pack, with just four points separating them and ninth-placed Stoke. Aston Villa are ten points off safety. North-East rivals Newcastle and Sunderland remain in the relegation zone, two points and four points from safety respectively. Hull are now leading the Championship, a point ahead of Middlesbrough, who have a game in hand. Burnley, Brighton, Derby County and Birmingham City are currently in the play-off spots, with Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town following close behind. The bottom three remain the same as a month previously, though Charlton have moved to being within a point of safety, and Bolton can close on the sides above them by winning their game in hand. • 2 February: Jamie Vardy scores twice as Leicester beat Liverpool 2–0 to maintain their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Manchester City keep pace with a 1–0 win at Sunderland, while a Harry Kane brace helps Tottenham beat Norwich 3–0 at Carrow Road. Arsenal drop to fourth after a goalless draw at home to Southampton. Aston Villa remain rooted to the bottom after a 2–0 defeat at West Ham, their 15th defeat of the season. • 6 February: The early kick-off at the Eitihad Stadium sees Leicester defeat Manchester City 3–1 to extend their lead at the top to five points. Tottenham jump into second place with a 1–0 win at home to Watford. At Anfield, thousands of Liverpool fans stage a 77th minute walkout in protest at high ticket prices. It is not enough, however, as they throw away a two-goal lead in a 2–2 draw with Sunderland. At the bottom, Aston Villa pick up just their third (and final) win of the campaign by beating struggling Norwich 2–0 at Villa Park. • 7 February: Diego Costa's late equaliser earns a point for Chelsea in their 1–1 draw with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal win 2–0 at AFC Bournemouth. • 11 February: Sunderland sack winger
Adam Johnson, following his pleading guilty to a charge of underage sex. Two further charges of the same crime still remain against Johnson, who pleaded not guilty to them. • 13 February: Manchester United crash to their seventh defeat of the season, losing 2–1 at Sunderland. The result deals a huge blow to United's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. Norwich throw away a two-goal lead to draw 2–2 with West Ham at Carrow Road, while a Troy Deeney double helps Watford to a 2–1 win at Crystal Palace, leaving the Eagles without a win in 9 league games. • 14 February: The top of the table clash at the Emirates Stadium sees Arsenal beat Leicester 2–1, a late Danny Welbeck goal allowing the Gunners to move within 2 points of the Foxes. North London rivals Tottenham win 2–1 against Manchester City, completing the double over City in the process. Aston Villa lose 6–0 to Liverpool at
Villa Park, which is the club's worst home defeat for 81 years. • 28 February: Manchester City win the first domestic trophy of the season, beating Liverpool on penalties in the
2016 Football League Cup Final after a 1–1 draw. City goalkeeper
Willy Caballero saved all but one of Liverpool's penalties. In the Premier League, Manchester United get revenge on Arsenal for their heavy defeat at the Emirates earlier in the season by defeating them 3–2 at Old Trafford after a double from Marcus Rashford. • 29 February: Leicester City continue to lead the way in the Premier League at the end of this month, still by two points, with Tottenham Hotspur now their nearest rivals. Arsenal are three points behind their north London rivals, with Manchester City four points behind Arsenal, though with a game in hand. Manchester United are in fifth place and now just three points behind their cross-city rivals although they have played a game more than City. West Ham are a point behind Manchester United in sixth place. For the third successive month, Aston Villa are bottom, Sunderland second-bottom and Newcastle third-bottom; Sunderland and Newcastle are only in the relegation zone via one point and goal difference respectively, but Villa are still in very serious trouble, seven points behind Sunderland. Burnley are now heading up the promotion race in the Championship, a point ahead of Hull City, though Middlesbrough can overtake them both if they get even a single point from either of their games in hand. Brighton have moved back into automatic promotion contention, while Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday remain in the play-off zone, with a solid lead (five points and three points respectively) over the chasing pack. Charlton have now fallen to the bottom of the table, seven points adrift of safety, with Bolton are only ahead of them on goal difference. Rotherham are also in the relegation zone, three points behind the MK Dons. • 18 March: Manchester United and Liverpool are both charged by UEFA for varying reasons, including chants referring to the
Hillsborough and
Munich disasters. • 24 March: Following a second conviction for underage sex (though being acquitted on a third charge), Adam Johnson is sentenced to six years in prison. • 31 March: March ends with Leicester City five points clear at the top of the Premier League, though Tottenham Hotspur continue to pursue them, and have a far superior goal difference. Arsenal have a game in hand on the top two, but are eleven points behind Leicester. Manchester City are a further four points behind Arsenal, and one point ahead of West Ham and Manchester United, who are separated by just a single goal. At the other end of the table, managerless Aston Villa are looking all but certain to be relegated, 12 points off safety with just 21 left to play for. Newcastle and Sunderland still make up the relegation places, three points and two points respectively behind Norwich. In the Championship, Burnley have a four-point lead over second-place Brighton, but Middlesbrough can go within two points of Burnley if they win their game in hand. Hull, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday make up the play-off spots. At the bottom, Bolton are twelve points off safety and looking increasingly likely to be relegated, while Charlton are six points off safety. MK Dons have now dropped into the relegation zone, following an unbeaten month for Rotherham, which has seen them leapfrog both the Dons and Fulham. • 6 April: Honours even at the
Parc des Princes as Manchester City draw 2–2 with
Paris SG in the first leg in the quarter-final of the Champions League. • 7 April: In the Europa League,
Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool play out a 1–1 draw at
Westfalenstadion:
Divock Origi is the scorer of the Kopites' away goal. • 8 April: Liverpool are charged by UEFA for the second time in this Europa League campaign: this time for their supporters releasing fireworks in the match against BVB. • 9 April: Northampton Town become the first side in the top four divisions to win promotion this season, after holding Bristol Rovers to a 2–2 draw. Conversely, Bolton Wanderers and Crewe Alexandra are the first League sides to be relegated, with Bolton being sent down by a 4–1 defeat by Derby County, while Crewe are relegated by a combination of losing to Port Vale, and relegation rivals Oldham Athletic's victory over Walsall. Aston Villa are also left on the brink of relegation from the Premier League, 15 points from safety with only five games left. Arsenal's 2–0 lead over West Ham United is reduced, negated and overturned in eight minutes, courtesy of
Andy Carroll's first hat-trick since August 2010; the Gunners and Hammers eventually share the points, after an errant offside flag denied
Manuel Lanzini an early opener. Elsewhere in the capital, Crystal Palace taste victory for the first time this calendar year with a 1–0 home win over Norwich City. • 10 April:
Jamie Vardy scores late on for Leicester as they beat Sunderland 2–0 to confirm their place in next season's
UEFA Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, beat
Manchester United 3–0 at White Hart Lane after goals from
Dele Alli,
Toby Alderweireld and
Erik Lamela. It is the second time this season that United have lost a match by three goals or more, and are left four points off fourth–placed
Manchester City. • 16 April: Aston Villa are relegated to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1987 after they lose 1–0 to Manchester United at
Old Trafford. Elsewhere, in League Two,
Dagenham & Redbridge are relegated to the National League after losing 3–2 to
Leyton Orient at
Brisbane Road, ending their nine-year stay in the Football League. • 23 April: In the Premier League,
Rafael Benítez makes his first return to Anfield as an opposition manager and his Newcastle side score a pair of second-half goals to draw level at the Kopites. In the Football League, MK Dons lose their lead and their Championship status after losing 4–1 at home to Brentford; at the top of the second tier, Brighton's win over Charlton Athletic sees them join Middlesbrough and Burnley with 87 points from 44 games and only goal difference keeping the South Coast side out of the automatic promotion places. Colchester United and York City are confirmed as relegated from Leagues One and Two respectively. • 26 April: After nearly three weeks of deliberation, the jury in the Hillsborough Inquest finds that the 96 fans who died as a result of crushing at the
1989 FA Cup semi-final, were unlawfully killed, ending 27 years of campaigning by the victims families to overturn what was perceived as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history. The verdict was marked by fans of both Liverpool and Everton in their league games on the following weekend. • 30 April: April ends with Leicester three points away from the title as they stand seven points clear of Tottenham with three games left. Arsenal and Manchester City's title challenges are mathematically over, and the objective is now to see off West Ham, Manchester United and Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification. Aston Villa are confirmed as the bottom-placed team for the season, but a four-game unbeaten run has seen Newcastle climb clear of the relegation zone, although Sunderland (1 point behind) and Norwich (2 points) have a game in hand over the Toon, and Swansea and Crystal Palace have not yet mathematically confirmed safety. Middlesbrough now lead the Championship by one point, but only because Burnley and Brighton (joint second) are yet to play their 45th game. Hull, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed their play-off places, and Bolton, MK Dons, and Charlton have confirmed their relegation to League One. • 2 May: Leicester City's first-ever league title is finally confirmed, as Tottenham's failure to beat Chelsea leaves them seven points behind Leicester with only six left to play for. • 7 May: The Championship season ends with Burnley finishing top of the League, beating already-relegated Charlton Athletic 3–0. Middlesbrough and ten-man Brighton drew 1–1, a result that takes Boro up at the Albion's expense. They will instead face the playoffs, as will Hull City, Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday. • 8 May: The final day of the League One season sees Wigan Athletic crowned champions, with Burton Albion joining them in the second tier next season. Walsall, Millwall, Bradford City and Barnsley make up the playoff picture, the latter keeping out Scunthorpe United on goal difference alone. At the bottom of the division, Doncaster Rovers and
2010–11 Premier League club Blackpool are relegated to the basement tier. • 9 May: Burnley are presented with the Football League Championship trophy outside
Burnley Town Hall after security risks at The Valley prevented the trophy reaching south London on the final day. • 11 May: Sunderland beat Everton; a result that relegates both Newcastle United and Norwich City, despite the Canaries' 4–2 victory over Watford. • 15 May: The final day of action in the Premier League sees Arsenal overhaul rivals Tottenham Hotspur for second place, after the latter unexpectedly suffer a 5–1 defeat at the hands of already-relegated Newcastle United. However, by far the biggest story of the day is that Manchester United's game against AFC Bournemouth is postponed because of a terror threat, after a suspected bomb is found at Old Trafford. The device in fact turns out to be a fake bomb accidentally left there as part of an anti-terrorism drill earlier in the week, but the game's postponement leaves the final league placings still undecided; United cannot realistically overhaul neighbours Manchester City for the final Champions League spot, barring an infeasible 19-goal victory over Bournemouth in the replayed fixture, but they can take fifth place from Southampton so long as they avoid defeat. • 17 May: Manchester United beat AFC Bournemouth 3–1 to finish in fifth place in the Premier League behind their neighbours Manchester City and ahead of Southampton. • 21 May: Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2–1 in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Soon after the match, Louis van Gaal is sacked and replaced as manager by José Mourinho. == Deaths ==