2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 20th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season began on 13 August 2011 and ended on 13 May 2012 with Manchester City sealing their third league title – their first since 1968 – with victory over Queens Park Rangers on the final day. The title was City's first Premier League success, making them the fifth club to win the Premier League in its 20-year history. City finished level on 89 points with Manchester United, but they had a superior goal difference to their local rivals, making it the only time the Premier League had been won on goal difference.
| Season | 2011–12 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 August 2011 – 13 May 2012 |
| Champions | Manchester City 1st Premier League title 3rd English title |
| Relegated | Bolton Wanderers Blackburn Rovers Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Champions League | Manchester City Manchester United Arsenal Chelsea (as Champions League winners) |
| Europa League | Tottenham Hotspur Newcastle United Liverpool |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 1,066 (2.81 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Robin van Persie (30 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Joe Hart (17 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Manchester United 8–2 Arsenal (28 August 2011) Fulham 6–0 Queens Park Rangers (2 October 2011) Arsenal 7–1 Blackburn Rovers (4 February 2012) |
| Biggest away win | Bolton Wanderers 0–5 Manchester United (10 September 2011) Manchester United 1–6 Manchester City (23 October 2011) Fulham 0–5 Manchester United (21 December 2011) Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–5 Manchester United (18 March 2012) Norwich City 1–6 Manchester City (14 April 2012) |
| Highest scoring | Manchester United 8–2 Arsenal (28 August 2011) |
| Longest winning run | 8 games Manchester United |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 games Manchester City |
| Longest winless run | 12 games Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Longest losing run | 8 games Wigan Athletic |
| Highest attendance | 75,627 Manchester United 4–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (10 December 2011) |
| Lowest attendance | 15,195 Queens Park Rangers 0–4 Bolton Wanderers (13 August 2011) |
| Total attendance | 13,148,465 |
| Average attendance | 34,601 |
← 2010–11 2012–13 → | |
The league was contested by 20 teams, 17 returning from the 2010–11 season and three promoted from the Football League Championship. Championship winners Queens Park Rangers and runners-up Norwich City gained automatic promotion whilst Swansea City gained promotion through the Football League Championship play-offs beating Reading 4–2 in May 2011, becoming the first non-English team to play in the Premier League. All three promoted clubs avoided relegation for the first time since the 2001–02 campaign. The season was voted as the greatest Premier League season in the Premier League 20 Seasons Awards.