#4 Newcastle United – 2001-2002
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If things had gone their way, Shola Ameobi and Nikos Dabizas would have had a Premier League medal to their list of honours. However, the league had other ideas and neither they nor Alan Shearer ended up with either that season. The Magpies started the season well, winning five and drawing two in their first ten games, beating Manchester United and Leicester City.
They established themselves as genuine title contenders after they beat Arsenal 3-1 and Leeds United 4-3 two weeks into December, and the Magpies led the league at the turn of the year, frog-hopping over Leeds United after their win over them. However, it was after this that their season turned and the Toons soon started chasing the rest behind Arsenal and Liverpool for the title.
Losses to Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool proved to be fatal and the Geordies lost out on their first title since 1927, but they also managed to finish fourth behind Manchester United, Liverpool and eventually Champions Arsenal, their highest since 1997. This gave them Champions League football for the only the second time in their history.
