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The Premier League has remained one of the best leagues in the world for a long time now. Rebranded as the Premier League in 1992 after a change from the First Division title, England's top flight of football is the most entertaining domestic league in the world.
This decade, we have witnessed some magical moments in this competition which will be etched into our memory forever. With four different teams winning the league title this decade, fans have seen the rise and fall of footballing empires, transfer records being broken almost every window, former legends returning as managers, and some new players establishing themselves as Premier League legends.
In this list, we take a look back at the best moments of the Premier League over the past decade. This list contains everything from hilarious moments to heartbreaking situations which saw a season end in tears. Here is our top 10 -
10. Louis van Gaal takes a tumble (2016)
Manchester United fans choose not to remember Louis van Gaal's reign as the manager of the club for various reasons. It was a bitter marriage towards the end of van Gaal's time at Old Trafford as his team were playing the worst football they had and not a single player seemed motivated or willing to play for the club. However, there are some moments we just cannot forget - the most iconic of them is the manager's pretend fall at the touchline.
With Manchester United leading 3-2 against Arsenal, then-Gunner Alexis Sanchez fell easily during the run of play, which saw a fuming Van Gaal get up from his seat and argue with the fourth official. What followed remains one of the funniest moments of the past decade, as the then 66-year-old "dived" in front of the referee to get across his point.
Watching a usually stoic van Gaal intentionally fall in a high-octane game was a moment to remember, as fans across the world bursted into laughter.
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9. The Arsenal goal against Norwich City (2013)
10 seconds where Arsenal showed what "Wengerball" really stood for at its peak. 10 beautiful seconds at the Emirates, wherein we saw a goal so well-worked that you'd think it was scored by the Barcelona team in 2008-09, and not a trophyless Arsenal squad under pressure to perform.
Jack Wilshere's sublime finish at the Emirates against Norwich City in October 2013 is one of the best goals ever scored in England's first division. The passing, the one-touch defence penetrating balls in the final third, and the astonishment of the Emirates crowd have all gone down in league history. This goal is widely considered as the best team goal in the league this decade. As such, it well and truly deserves its place here.
8. Mohamed Salah goal vs Arsenal, Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal (2014)
Since joining Arsenal in 1996 and leaving the club in 2018, Arsene Wenger has given the Premier League moments that we will never forget. The Invincibles, the duo of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, and so on. However, this is one memory which the Frenchman would want to forget.
In charge of his 1000th game at Arsenal in March 2014, Wenger led his team to Stamford Bridge against his rival Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side. The next 90 minutes were an absolute disaster as Mourinho's men dismantled their opponents by smashing six goals past them. It was one of the worst performances that any Wenger team has put out and that one game highlighted everything wrong with the club, and Wenger's tactics at the time.
The match is also famous for referee Andre Marriner sending off Kieran Gibbs instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain due to a hilarious case of mistaken identity. It was Mohamed Salah's goal which completed the humiliation, and it is a moment that Gooners all around the world would love to forget.
7. "I have nothing to say" - Jose Mourinho (2016)
Jose Mourinho is a Premier League legend in his own right - he has won the competition thrice, and his presence at the touchline adds an automatic "X-factor" to the game due to what he brings to the table.
The Portuguese man has had several amazing moments in the Premier League - from stopping Liverpool from winning the title to calling Arsene Wenger a "specialist in failure", Mourinho barely disappoints both on and off the field. However, this post-game interview is famous for its comic factor and has gone down as one of the best managerial interviews ever.
A man famously known for saying a lot of words, Mourinho was at a loss of the same post-Chelsea's 3-1 loss to Liverpool. Having been previously fined for speaking controversially in post-game interviews and for skipping them, Jose found a loophole. He simply declined to comment on anything (much to the astonishment of the interviewer), and his lack of words has since gone down in history as the special one became a speechless one.
6. Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement (2013)
When you think of manager's in the Premier League, no one's name stands out more than Sir Alex Ferguson. With 13 Premier League titles to his name, there is no single individual who has impacted the course of this competition as much as the legendary Scottish international, who was a part of the league for over 20 years.
In 2013, the manager announced his plan to retire following 27 years at the Red Devils, where he had transformed the club. His last game in charge was against West Bromwich Albion, which finished 5-5.
Ferguson left Manchester United as 20-time league champions, and his farewell at Old Trafford was something to see as thousands of faith chanted his name. He won the Premier League title in his last season too, and the Red Devils are yet to replace their legendary manager more than six years after his departure.
5. Luis Suarez bites Branislav Ivanovic (2013)
Luis Suarez is one of the most brilliant players which the Premier League has ever seen. A golden boot and PFA Player of the Year winner, the former Liverpool forward was the best player in England for two full seasons. However, the player's time in England was not without controversy.
Having been accused of racially abusing Patrice Evra previously, it was in 2013's Liverpool vs Chelsea game where Suarez did something no one in the league had done before - he bit an opposing team's player as he dug his teeth into Branislav Ivanovic who was guarding him. A ridiculed Ivanovic tried to show the bite mark to the referee, and although the Uruguayan received no punishment in the game, he was banned for 10 matches afterwards when video replays found him guilty.
A truly bizarre moment, to this day it boggles the mind why the forward did what he did. We will never understand his motives, but there is no doubt that this is the craziest moment of the last decade in the Premier League.
#4 Wayne Rooney's overhead kick against Manchester City (2011)
Arguably the best goal in the history of the Premier League. When a new-look Manchester City visited Old Trafford for one of the most hotly contested Manchester derbies, everything was at stake. The two clubs were going at it for the league title that year, and their match was decided in the most fantastic way possible as Wayne Rooney stepped up.
In the 78th minute, Luis Nani whipped a cross into the box. Rooney went for the spectacular as he bicycle kicked the ball into the back of Joe Hart's net, and Old Trafford exploded with joy. The Red Devils ended up eventual winners of the game, and Rooney's goal has gone down in history as one of the most iconic goals to have ever been scored.
3. Steven Gerrard's slip (2014)
Not even Liverpool's recent Champions League victory will have erased this horrible moment from the minds of the fans. The story is as infamous as it is popular.
After a hard-earned 3-2 victory against rivals Manchester City, club captain and legend Steven Gerrard gathered his team in a huddle and said to them, "this does not f*****g slip". All the Liverpool player wanted was to win the Premier League title after achieving everything else with his boyhood club, and he had never been closer to glory as he was in 2014. What followed was the stuff of nightmares.
When Jose Mourinho's Chelsea visited Anfield, all the Reds needed was a draw to remain favourites for the title that season as the Cityzens were playing catch up. Near the half-time mark, however, all of Liverpool's season came undone - going to receive a bad pass from defender Mamadou Sakho, Gerrard slipped and an opportunistic Demba Ba stole the ball and ran half the pitch to finish past Simon Mignolet. Gerrard looked like a man who had seen his death, and his team ended up losing the game 2-0; the title subsequently slipped away from their hands.
2. Eden Hazard's goal against Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City win the league title (2016)
The 2015-16 season is one of the most famous league seasons ever, for simply one reason - Leicester City's improbable title win. Promoted just a year ago, the Foxes went on and did the impossible as they captured England's crown and shocked the world in what was the most historic season of the decade.
It was the moment that Leicester captured the title which stands out here. Their closest rivals Tottenham Hotspur visited Chelsea in gameweek 36, and the away team needed a win to keep alive their tiny hopes of winning the Premier League. They went 2-0 up but were unable to hold on as goals from Tim Cahill and Eden Hazard saw the game end 2-2. Hazard's goal in the 83rd minute ensured that Leicester would be crowned champions, as the world marvelled at the impossible happening right in front of our eyes.
The Leicester City players were all gathered to watch the game together, and their reaction to Hazard's goal is a moment etched in history.
#1 AGUERRROOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! (2012)
Never in doubt, was it? For as long as the Premier League exists, it is hard to see any moment eclipse this particular goal, which captured the league title for Manchester City in the most dramatic of circumstances.
On the last day of the 2011-12 Premier League season, the league title was on the line. Manchester City and Manchester United were going head-to-head for the crown, and the Cityzens needed to win to capture the title - they were ahead on goal difference. Facing a Queen's Park Rangers team who were fighting relegation, City were 1-2 behind till the 92nd minute of the game with Manchester United closing out with a win against Sunderland.
Edin Dzeko equalised for the home team in the second of five minutes of stoppage time. Eithad was rocking, and City kept on attacking until the ball fell to Sergio Aguero, who shot from inside the box to give his club their first league title in over 40 years. It was the most unbelievable finish as 38 weeks of football literally came down to one kick of the ball. The fans could not hide their joy as thousands of people created a memorable scene at the Etihad, whereas rivals Manchester United could only hand their head in dismay at what had occurred.
There is no doubt that in this decade, not a single moment has been as iconic as Aguero's goal in stoppage time vs QPR.
