The 2013-14 English Premier League season was another eventful campaign which pro-duced fine football, milestones and several changes with players moving in and out of the country in the two transfer windows.
The most eye-catching move last season was the transfer of Welsh winger Gareth Bale from Totten-ham Hotspur to Spain’s Real Madrid in a deal worth a stag-gering £86 million.
While Real’s investment paid off after Bale helped them to win an elusive 10th European Cup in Lisbon, the Spurs failed to use the money in their coffers wisely.
In fact, at the end of last season, the Londoners failed to reach their goal of a top-four finish in the Premiership as they were ousted by Arsenal again.
Others notable transfers for season 2013-14 that included club record fees were:
• West Ham pay Liverpool £10m for striker Andy Carroll.
• Crystal Palace complete the record (£8.5m) signing of Peterborough striker Dwight Gayle.
• Jonjo Shelvey, forward from Liverpool − Swansea £6m.
• Pablo Osvaldo, forward from Roma − Southampton £15m.
• Paulinho, midfielder from Corinthians − Tottenham £17m.
• Victor Wanyama, forward from Celtic − Southampton £12.5,
• Wilfried Bony, forward from Vitesse Arnhem − Swansea £12m.
• Steven Caulker, defender from Tottenham − Cardiff City £8m.
• Roberto Soldado, forward from Valencia − Tottenham £26m.
• Gary Medel, midfielder from Sevilla − Cardiff City £8.2m.
• Tom Huddlestone, midfielder from Tottenham − Hull City £5m.
• Stephane Sessegnon, forward from Sunderland − WBA £6m.
Interesting details from season 2013-14 in England:
• Frank Lampard’s netting in the opener against Hull City at Stamford Bridge was another milestone for the Chelsea veteran.
He scored a goal in the first game of the season for the eighth time (on one occasion he was still a West Ham player).
• Michael O’Neill savours his first win as Northern Ireland coach after 10 matches, defeating Russia 1-0 (Paterson) at Windsor Park in a World Cup qualifier.
• The last time Liverpool opened with three wins was in season 1994-95, beating Arsenal (home), Southampton (away) and West Ham (home) under the tutelage of Roy Evans.
• In keeping clean sheets in each of his first three league games, Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet matched the record of Billy McOwen in 1893 and Pepe Reina in 2005.
Reina extended his trek without conceding a goal to a fourth match.
• After six games, Manchester United were 12th in the Premier League standings last season, their worst start to a new campaign since 1989.
• Aston Villa keeper Brad Guzan pulled off a string of saves against Norwich – including a penalty – then admitted he could not remember the last time he had kept a clean sheet.
Indeed, you can’t blame Guzan as it was 27 league matches before that Aston Villa had claimed a blank − home vs Stoke 0-0.
• Tottenham 0 West Ham 3: three goals in 14 minutes give the Hammers their first success at White Hart Lane since 1999.
• In the Europa League group phase, Championship side Wigan chalk up a deserved 3-1 win over Slovenia champions Maribor to attain their first ever success in continental competition.
• Harry Wilson made a three-minute appearance towards the end of a 1-1 draw against Belgium to become the youngest player ever to represent Wales.
Wilson beat Gareth Bale’s record by 108 days after making his debut aged 16 years and 207 days.
• The last time Southampton had been at the top of the English League was in Division One, in the 1988/89 season when Kevin Keegan played for the club.
• Jermaine Defoe, of Tottenham, sets a new club record total in Europe with his 23rd netting in the home win over Tiraspol, surpassing Martin Chivers’s haul.
• At Greenhouse Meadow, Shrewsbury, England U-21 score a record 9-0 triumph over San Marino in a Euro Championship encounter.
The record win exceeds the previous best of seven-goal margins set in 1976 and in 2009.
• Everton scored a late winner to secure their first victory at Manchester United in 21 years − and make it a night of misery for their former manager David Moyes.