2008–09 Ukrainian Premier League
The 2008–09 Ukrainian Premier League season was the eighteenth since its establishment. The league was restructured and split off from the Professional Football League of Ukraine. It was officially named as the EpiCentre Championship of Ukraine in football.
| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Dynamo Kyiv 13th title |
| Relegated | FC Lviv FC Kharkiv |
| Champions League | Dynamo Kyiv Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Europa League | Metalist Kharkiv Metalurh Donetsk Vorskla Poltava (via Ukrainian Cup) |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 551 (2.3 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Oleksandr Kovpak (17) (Tavriya Simferopol) |
| Longest winning run | Dynamo Kyiv (10) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Shakhtar Donetsk (15) |
| Longest losing run | FC Kharkiv (8) |
← 2007–08 2009–10 → | |
Shakhtar Donetsk were the defending champions of the past season, having won their fourth league title. The season began on 16 July 2008 with a scoreless draw between Tavriya Simferopol and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. The last round of matches were played on 26 May 2009. A total of 16 teams participated in the league, 14 of which had contested in the 2007–08 season, and two of which were promoted from the Persha Liha.
Vorskla Poltava's Ahmed Januzi scored the first goal of the tournament on 18 July 2008 in the 72nd minute of an away match against FC Kharkiv. Dynamo Kyiv won their title several games before the end of the season after a home win against Tavriya Simferopol. Dynamo finished with a 15-point lead over the defending champions and current runners-up Shakhtar Donetsk.