How every Premier League season would have finished after gameweek 29: 2008-09

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 03 May 2020

Given the current uncertainty over the resumption of the Premier League, Sports Mole looks at how the 2008-09 season would have ended after gameweek 29.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought the Premier League season to a standstill and it remains to be seen whether the campaign will conclude.

Top-flight clubs met again on Friday to discuss 'Project Restart', with a return in early June being mooted.

However, the longer the uncertainty goes on, the more likely it seems that an alternative plan will have to be found.

That could mean declaring 2019-20 null and void, or possibly freezing the table as it stands - either way, all 20 teams face an anxious wait over their final positions.

Ligue 1 and Eredivisie are the most high-profile divisions to bring an early end to their campaigns, but what would have happened if previous Premier League seasons finished after gameweek 29?

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the 2008-09 campaign.

Manchester United lift the Premier League title at the end of the 2008-09 campaign © Reuters

Manchester United finished four points above Liverpool to retain the title, getting over the line with a game to spare.

The Red Devils moved into top spot on January 18 and maintained that position until the end of the campaign, despite some strong pressure from Liverpool.

Rafael Benitez's side were third after gameweek 29, level on points with Chelsea, who finished comfortably in third to seal Champions League football.

There was no change in terms of fourth place as Arsenal finished nine points better off than Everton, who leapfrogged Aston Villa in the final two months of the season.

Alex Ferguson pictured on his final game in charge of Manchester United on May 19, 2013 © Reuters

The final European spot went to Fulham following the Cottagers' impressive climb from ninth to seventh in their remaining nine matches.

Indeed, had 2008-09 finished after 29 games, Fulham would never have got the chance to take on Europe's elite and reach the final of the following year's Europa League.

At the opposite end of the division, the bottom two remained unchanged as West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough were relegated to the Championship.

Stoke City pulled off a great escape of sorts, though, by winning five of their last nine matches to avoid the drop and finish in a respectable 12th place.

An early end to the campaign would have benefited Newcastle United, with Alan Shearer's appointment not having the desired impact as the Magpies replaced Stoke in the bottom three.

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur moved from 11th to eighth, narrowly missing out on European football, while Manchester City could not improve on their position of 10th.

Wigan Athletic had been flying high in eighth after 29 matches, but they were unable to maintain that and dropped into the bottom half of the division.