Failure to win any of their first twelve Premiership games cost manager Mike Walker his job, but the appointment of Oldham Athletic's Joe Royle as his successor and the signing of controversial striker Duncan Ferguson helped to revive Everton's fortunes.

On 25 January 1995, Eric Cantona, the Manchester United and France forward, was sent off in a Premiership game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park for lashing out at Eagles defender Richard Shaw.

Just before Merson's return, it was revealed that manager George Graham had accepted £425,000 worth of illegal payments from a Scandinavian agent who had overseen the signings of Pål Lydersen and John Jensen three years earlier.

Strikers Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton scored more than 60 goals between them during the course of the season, while centre half Colin Hendry and full back Graham Le Saux ensured that there was solidity and consistency away from the attack.

Manchester United narrowly missed out on a third successive league title, and were also on the losing side in the FA Cup final, although their fortunes were not helped by the loss of several players including Eric Cantona, Andrei Kanchelskis, Roy Keane and Paul Parker for considerable periods due to suspension or injury.

Leading goalscorer: Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers) – 34 A dream start in management saw Bryan Robson guide Middlesbrough to the Division One title and regain the Premiership place that was lost two years ago.

Cambridge United had narrowly missed out on a place in the then-new Premier League three years earlier and poor form in the run in sealed their fate after AFC Bournemouth avoided the drop in the final two games of the season after spending most of it in the bottom five.

6 July 1994 – Tottenham Hotspur's 12-point penalty is reduced to 6 points on appeal at a Football Association hearing, while the £600,000 fine is increased to £1.5 million and the FA Cup ban remains in place.

22 July 1994 – Leicester City, newly promoted to the Premier League and in the top flight for the first time since 1987, pay a club record £1.25 million for Notts County midfielder Mark Draper.

[14] 22 August 1994 – Bryan Roy's fine start in English football continues when he scores the equaliser for Nottingham Forest as they hold double winners Manchester United to a 1–1 draw at the City Ground.

[41] 19 October 1994 – A late equaliser from Lee Sharpe preserves Manchester United's 38-year unbeaten run in European competitions as they hold FC Barcelona to a 2–2 draw in their third Champions League group fixture at Old Trafford.

14 November 1994 – Ray Wilkins, 38, quits as Crystal Palace player-coach to return to Queens Park Rangers as their new player-manager, while Brian Little resigns as manager of Leicester City, sparking rumours that he will take over at Aston Villa.

In the Champions League, Manchester United are left facing likely elimination after losing 3–1 to IFK Gothenburg, being reduced to 10 men after Paul Ince was sent off.b[55] 25 November 1994 – Brian Little is named as the new Aston Villa manager on his 41st birthday.

Manchester United's short-lived lead is ended as they are held to a goalless draw at Arsenal in an ill-tempered match where Mark Hughes is sent off and Paul Ince injures his ankle blocking a shot from John Jensen.

A thrilling match in Division One sees Sheffield United win 6–3 at Luton and move to the brink of the playoff places, boosting their hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League.

21 December 1994 – Brian Little's rebuilding of Aston Villa begins when he signs midfielder Ian Taylor from Sheffield Wednesday, with striker Guy Whittingham moving in the opposite direction[62] in a deal worth £1 million.

Liverpool and Nottingham Forest are still in distant contention while a resurgent Tottenham Hotspur are now putting pressure on the top five, while Leeds United and Manchester City's challenges are practically dead and buried as they have slid down the table considerably.

14 February 1995 – George Graham, whose job as Arsenal manager is reportedly under threat due to sub-standard Premier League form as well as allegations of illegal payments, pays Vitesse Arnhem £2million for the Netherlands winger Glenn Helder.

[81] 26 February 1995 – Peter Taylor resigns as manager of Southend United, who were considered one of the pre-season favourites for promotion, but have fallen to being just one place outside the relegation zone after a disastrous run of form.

28 February 1995 – Blackburn Rovers remain month-end leaders of the Premier League, but failed to take maximum advantages of the two games they had in hand and are still only three points ahead of second-placed Manchester United.

[87] 12 March 1995 – Everton's season which began with a 12-match winless start in the league is showing signs of turning into a success after they beat Newcastle United 1–0 at Goodison Park in the FA Cup quarter-final.

14 March 1995 – Liverpool's hopes of making a late run to the title are virtually ended when they lose 3–2 at home to Coventry City, with Peter Ndlovu scoring a hat-trick for the Sky Blues.

[88] 17 March 1995 – Southampton pay a club record £1.2million for Sheffield Wednesday striker Gordon Watson to partner Matthew Le Tissier and Neil Shipperley in attack, with manager Alan Ball looking for fresh blood to lift his side out of the relegation zone.

[89] 20 March 1995 – Norwich's 11-match winless run in the Premier League ends with a 3–0 win over local rivals Ipswich in the East Anglian derby at Carrow Road, and lifts John Deehan's team five places into 11th position and pushes the visitors closer to an almost inevitable relegation.

Previous caretaker Russell Slade is also dismissed, and veteran player Steve Nicol, who was signed by Kendall shortly into his brief reign, is handed control of the team for the remainder of the season.

[102] 20 April 1995 – New Leyton Orient owner Barry Hearn dismisses co-managers John Sitton and Chris Turner, and replaces them with Tottenham Hotspur coach Pat Holland.

[106] 6 May 1995 – Norwich City's relegation is confirmed as they lose 2–1 at Leeds United, a mere four months after they had been in contention for a UEFA Cup place and two seasons after they had almost won the inaugural Premier League title.

Simon Charlton had given the visitors an early lead before Andy Cole equalised to score his 12th goal in 17 league games, with Denis Irwin converting a penalty to secure victory for United just minutes before the championship celebrations were set to begin in Blackburn.

20 May 1995 – Everton win the FA Cup thanks to a Paul Rideout goal in the final, which leaves Manchester United (who narrowly missed out on repeating the double) without a major trophy for the first time since 1989.

26 June 1995 – Aston Villa pay a club record £3.5 million for Partizan Belgrade's 22-year-old Serbian striker Savo Milošević, taking the place of Dean Saunders, who had linked up with his former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness at Turkish side Galatasaray along with Newcastle United's Barry Venison and Coventry City's Mike Marsh.