Top 10 most iconic Premier League games of the decade

The Premier League is the best league in the world, in terms of quality of football as well as sheer entertainment value. And this past decade has completely validated the fact. There was a host of epic games, which took place in the 2010s. From glorious goals and chilling comebacks to shocking scorelines and catastrophic circumstances, every season produced multiple classics.

The 2000s was an elite decade for the Premier League and following it was always going to be a ridiculously tough ask, but these past ten years have not disappointed fans in the slightest. So many memorable matches and moments transpired throughout the decade. It is a difficult task to narrow all of them down to just ten, from dozens and dozens of classics.

Anyway, here are ten of the most iconic Premier League games which took place in the 2010s.

#10 Southampton 0-9 Leicester City (2019-20)

Leicester City enjoyed a great first half to the season, as Brendan Rodgers has got his team to play some stunning football. However, their most impressive showing came away to Southampton. The Foxes were at their clinical best, thumping the Saints by nine goals to nil.

Leicester scored 5 in the opening half after Southampton went a player down within 15 minutes. They did play some extremely beautiful football in the process. They continued in the same vein for the second 45 as well, coming away with the biggest away victory the Premier League has ever seen.

Both Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy scored hat-tricks as multiple records tumbled. History had been made at St Mary's. Leicester City had equaled the record of the biggest win in Premier League history. This game makes it onto the list for the staggering dominance that Brendan Rodgers' side showed on the night.

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#9 Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur (2011-12)

The North London Derby never fails to disappoint but this encounter between Arsenal and Tottenham, in February 2012, stands out because of its consequences. Spurs were comfortably cruising in third place and even took a 2-goal lead at the Emirates, with public enemy Emmanuel Adebayor among the goals.

But a quick-fire turnaround from Arsenal saw Bacary Sagna and Robin van Persie make it 2-2 before half-time. Tomas Rosicky ran the show after the interval as Harry Redknapp's side capitulated. This defeat still left them in third, but they lost their grip of the Champions League spots in the coming months.

And despite finishing fourth, Spurs failed to qualify for the Champions League because of Chelsea's victory in the competition. Arsenal, meanwhile, coasted to third place after this thumping victory. The Gunners did beat Tottenham 5-2 later that year, but this will remain the more memorable one because of the comeback.

#8 Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea (2013-14)

Liverpool went into their home game against Chelsea requiring seven points from their final three games to seal the Premier League title. It was a position that Reds fans had dreamt about for the past couple of decades and just when everything seemed to be going so well, the worst possible thing happened.

After an extremely tight affair, Steven Gerrard slipped on the stroke of half-time and let Demba Ba in to score in front of the Kop. This was a devastating moment on so many levels, especially since it was the captain who lost the ball in a dangerous area. This moment is still talked about today as probably the darkest day in Gerrard's Liverpool career.

Perhaps, the Reds defence should have been more compact at that point to cover for any mistake. Nevertheless, Liverpool searched for an equalizer but Jose Mourinho's wall of Blue prevented that from happening. It was a defensive masterclass from Chelsea, who ultimately got the second goal to completely dash Liverpool's dreams.

#7 Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City (2017-18)

The Reds have been on the up ever since.

This decade has been one of transformation for Liverpool. After the heartburn of losing out on the title in 2014, the Reds took time to recover. Jürgen Klopp's appointment at Anfield sparked the change at the club and this game at the start of 2018 epitomized that.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City were runaway leaders and looked unstoppable. They were looking to go invincible throughout the season, but those hopes were dashed by the Reds at Anfield. A spell of 10 minutes in the second half saw Liverpool's terrific front three tear City's backline apart, with Firmino, Mane, and Salah all getting a goal each.

At 4-1, it looked like Liverpool were cruising to a massive victory over the champions-elect. But a late City fightback made Anfield a nervous place. In the end, the Reds were just about able to hang on to be the first team to beat Guardiola's team in the league that season. It also laid the groundwork for the ruthless Liverpool we are seeing today.

#6 Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City (2011-12)

Back in 2011, Manchester United were still very much the top dogs of English football. But with their incredibly noisy neighbors quickly catching up, this derby at Old Trafford proved to be hugely important. It began shifting in the times, as Manchester City absolutely humiliated the Red Devils like nothing we had ever seen.

Mario Balotelli kicked things off in style, with his infamous 'Why Always Me?' celebration. The Italian further contributed in tearing United apart, along with the likes of James Milner, Sergio Aguero, and David Silva. It was absolutely surreal to see Sir Alex Ferguson's well-oiled machine get destroyed like that.

Edin Dzeko compounded Old Trafford's misery and completed a resounding 6-1 victory. This thrashing was Man United's worst home defeat in 56 years and began a power shift that now sees the Citizens finish comfortably above their red neighbors. This is possibly the most shocking result on this list, as well.

#5 Crystal Palace 3-3 Liverpool (2013-14)

After Liverpool lost 2-0 to Chelsea, their hopes of lifting the Premier League were hanging by a thread. They needed to win both their remaining games and improve their goal difference by a significant margin. This spurred the Reds on to venture out for blood when they visited Crystal Palace. It looked to be another comfortable victory, with Liverpool taking a 3-0 lead by the start of the second half.

Luis Suarez and co were out for more goals in an attempt to further improve their goal difference heading into the final game of the season. But that's where it all exploded. The Reds' defensive frailties were completely and utterly exposed by the Eagles, who struck twice in a couple of minutes to make it 3-2.

Then, with only a couple of minutes remaining, Dwight Gayle pounced and grabbed the equalizer for Palace and sent the Liverpool fans into utter disbelief. This completely finished their title challenge and it was visible, as Suarez was left shell-shocked and in tears at the final whistle. It remains notorious to this day under the name, 'Crystanbul'.

#4 Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur (2015-16)

Man, Tottenham just couldn't catch a break in the 2010s, could they? In 2016, Spurs were in the hunt for the Premier League title. However, a string of inconsistencies left Leicester City within touching distance of the crown. Tottenham had to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to have any chance of winning the league. This game was dubbed as the 'Battle of the Bridge'.

Mind you, this was the Chelsea side which finished in 10th place in 2015-16. Spurs started off strongly, leading 2-0 at half-time with goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. But the second half saw one final twist in the title race, as the Blues fought back.

Eden Hazard, who had been quiet all season, finally found his magic pair of boots and ended Tottenham with a splendid strike to make it 2-2. The final ten minutes of the game was feisty as ever, with tackles flying around. At full-time though, it was the Foxes that were flying. This result meant that Leicester were crowned Premier League champions. A truly memorable affair.

#3 Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal (2011-12)

What is it with 2011-12? This is the third game on this list from that season and there is still more to come. This was another astounding result at Old Trafford. Happening a couple of months before their derby humiliation, Manchester United were absolutely flying as they hit eight (yes, EIGHT) past a sorry Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger had an incredibly depleted team, but the level of destruction affected to them was still unfathomable at the time. Ashley Young scored a couple of belters while Nani scored a scrumptious chip. But the day belonged to Wayne Rooney. The Englishman scored a hat-trick, including two lovely free-kicks as Sir Alex Ferguson looked on in positive disbelief.

This game remains the biggest demolition of a 'top six' team by another one in Premier League history. Along with everything that happened, what makes this game even more special was the Old Trafford atmosphere on the day.

#2 Newcastle United 4-4 Arsenal

This may be the most stunning comeback in Premier League history. In February 2011, Arsenal looked to maintain their title pursuit by beating Newcastle United at St James' Park. The Gunners began brilliantly, as Robin van Persie made it 1-0 in only 44 seconds. They made it 3-0 inside 10 minutes and the game already seemed over.

The first-half ended with a resounding 4-0 lead for Arsenal and possibly the easiest three points of the season. Newcastle themselves improved in the second half after Abou Diaby had been sent off for the visitors. The Magpies began their comeback with around 20 minutes to go, with Joey Barton scoring a penalty.

Fifteen minutes later, Arsenal was on the ropes and desperate to hang on with the score at 4-3. But then, Cheick Tiote (R.I.P) scored an unbelievably stunning goal to equalize for the Toons. It was a goal, and a comeback, that would immortalize the Ivorian forever.

#1 Manchester City 3-2 Queens Park Rangers (2011-12)

After all the classics that transpired over the course of the decade, only one of them stands as the greatest. Both teams had a lot riding on this game. Manchester City needed a win to capture their first league title in close to 50 years, while Queens Park Rangers were fighting for survival in the Premier League.

City's dream turned into a nightmare when QPR overturned a 1-0 deficit to lead, heading into stoppage time. Manchester United's victory over Sunderland meant that anything but a City win would mean another title for the Red Devils. So with the pressure at maximum, Edin Dzeko scored to make it 2-2 and set up a grandstand finish to the Premier League season.

Then, the most incredible moment in Premier League history happened. Sergio Aguero raced away and finished perfectly in the dying moments to make it 3-2. The look on Sir Alex Ferguson and his players' faces after receiving the news was priceless.

It was staggering, to say the least, never will we see anything like that ever again. Scoring 2 goals in stoppage time to win your first Premier League title, on goal difference that too, is the stuff of dreams. Manchester City achieved that dream on May 13th, 2012. Martin Tyler said it best, "I swear you will never see anything like this ever again!".