25 Most Memorable Moments of 2012-13 Premier League Season

The 2012-13 Premier League season was rife with memorable moments.

The year was crammed with surprise decisions, hilarious mishaps and serious situations that will live long in the memory. As preparation begins for a summer of preseason, we're looking back at a campaign that produced its fair share of drama.

Is your favourite moment included? Read on to find out.

25. Arsene Wenger's Coat

To kick off, a special mention goes to Arsene Wenger as the Premier League's longest serving manager. Now that Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to call time on his Manchester United career, the Frenchman is the top flight's most loyal boss.

Wenger has mellowed in recent years. He has also lost the ability to zip up his coat; an item of clothing that continues to produce chuckles on the Internet. As posted by Ladbrokes, does his jacket get longer every year he fails to win a trophy?

24. Youssouf Mulumbu's Red Card

Mulumbu gets angry. Mulumbu picks ball up. Mulumbu fires ball into the back of his opponent.

In one of the season's more bizarre incidents, the West Bromwich Albion midfielder managed to combine handball and serious foul play into one memorable sending off.

23. Newcastle Fan Punches a Horse

Barry Rogerson is a 45-year-old man who decided to punch a horse after Newcastle United's 3-0 loss to arch-rivals Sunderland.

He is a fully-developed human adult whose idiocy was propelled around the world. To condemn his own stupidity even further, Rogerson decided to sell his story and admit he is both an animal lover and scared of stepping outside in fear of revenge attacks.

Showing his face and details in The Daily Mirror was probably not the smartest move then. Rogerson's actions may have created some humorous imagery, and certainly reminds us of a certain Ross Kemp sketch in Extras, but he's a reminder that English football has suffered a criminal setback in recent years.

22. Bargain of the Season

Swansea City signed Michu from Rayo Vallecano for £2 million last summer.

The decision turned out to be a masterstroke from new boss Michael Laudrup, who saw his classy forward destroy a number of defences across the campaign.

Michu scored 18 goals, and provided two assists in 35 Premier League appearances, making him fifth on the top scorers list and the season's best bargain.

21. Bye Bye Balotelli

It was never going to work for Mario Balotelli in England. Despite Roberto Mancini's best efforts, the Italian badboy secured a £19 million move to Milan during the January transfer window.

The 22-year-old scored one Premier League goal in seven starts and seven substitute appearances during his shortened campaign. In Serie A, he netted 12 goals in 12 games and one sub appearance.

Occasionally brilliant in England, it's Balotelli's off-the-field antics that the Premier League misses most.

20. Paolo Di Canio's Celebration

Paolo Di Canio is a passionate man who was brought in to rescue Sunderland from relegation. His first huge result came during the 3-0 away win over local rivals, and fellow relegation fodder, Newcastle.

Forgive the Italian for getting a little excited when his team scored.

19. Belgian Brilliance

A theme running throughout this season has been the brilliance of Belgian players in the Premier League.

Eden Hazard, Marouane Fellaini, Simon Mignolet and Jan Vertonghen all posted brilliant seasons. Even so, Christian Benteke and Romelu Lukaku deserve the biggest plaudits, having scored 19 and 17 goals respectively.

Consider the age of these starlets, who played in their first full English season, you have to wonder how amazing their futures could turn out to be. While many are tipping Belgium for an excellent World Cup 2014, it's exciting to see many of the national team's top players producing memorable displays in England.

18. Manchester United's Never Say Die Attitude

Manchester United won nine games from losing positions throughout the season. The Premier League champions also managed two draws, accumulating 29 points after going behind.

This is six more than nearest comeback kings, Tottenham Hotspur, who managed to grab 23 points from these situations. Second place Manchester City recouped 16 points in this manner with four wins and four draws.

Most interestingly, the Red Devils claimed 32.6 percent of their 89 points in matches where they trailed the opposition.

17. Newchâteau's French Invasion

Newcastle signed five French players in January 2013, adding to the five already situated at St. James' Park.

Alan Pardew believes signings from across the English Channel represent value for money. After a desperate scramble to avoid relegation, Pardew now has the summer to embed the likes of Yoan Gouffran and Mapou Yang-Mbiwa into the side more seamlessly.

16. Roberto Di Matteo's Sacking

Roberto Di Matteo's sacking was unjust and extremely unfair. After landing Chelsea's first-ever Champions League trophy in May 2012, the Italian was fired from his post the following November.

Despite Chelsea's early-season dominance, Premier League stutters against Manchester United, Swansea City, Liverpool and West Brom helped Roman Abramovich's axe gain momentum. With a Champions League loss to Juventus confirmed, that blade made the telling movement.

15. Wayne Rooney: Benchwarmer

God forbid an overpaid, under-performing and out-of-shape footballer be placed on the substitutes' bench.

Wayne Rooney was dropped for Manchester United's Champions League clash with Real Madrid, and started five Premier League ties on the bench. His fitness, form and happiness remained inconsistent all season, forcing the England international to hand in a second transfer request for a move away from Old Trafford.

14. RVP Leads the Way

Rooney's loss is Robin van Persie's gain.

RVP topped the Premier League goals tally with 26 strikes, and contributed eight assists across the season, including vital winners against Manchester City, Southampton, West Ham and Liverpool.

He fully justified the £24 million price tag, after helping to deliver the Premier League title and should now be considered United's biggest star.

13. Roberto Mancini Forced out of City

Similar to his Italian counterpart Di Matteo, Roberto Mancini can count himself extremely unlucky for being sacked as the season came to a close.

The former Inter boss delivered great success to the Etihad fans. He ended the team's trophy drought with an F.A Cup triumph in 2011, and proceeded to land the club's first top-flight championship in 44 years with Sergio Aguero's late winner against QPR in 2011-12.

Mancini was let go after losing the 2013 FA Cup final 1-0 to Wigan. His side finished second in the Premier League, but failed to meet any of the club's seasonal goals.

12. Hatred for Rafa Benitez

Roman Abramovich's decision to install Rafa Benitez as interim manager didn't go down well with Chelsea fans.

The former Liverpool boss had enjoyed a number of heated encounters with the Stamford Bridge club during his Anfield tenure. So much so, that a minority of Chelsea fans voiced their discontent in his first game as Blues boss.

Outgoing manager Di Matteo was applauded, while a number of anti-Rafa signs and "Fat Spanish Waiter" songs could be heard from the crowd.

11. Redemption for Rafa

It's amazing what a run of great results can do for your reputation.

Although many Chelsea fans still begrudge Benitez's arrival, they cannot deny he did an excellent job for the London club. Rafa masterminded a Europa League victory, and finished third in the Premier League, qualifying Chelsea for another shot at the Champions League next year.

The expert tactician handled himself in a dignified manner throughout times of pressure and galvanised his credibility with instant success. Hopefully he will receive better treatment as the new Napoli manager.

10. Peter Odemwingie Arrives in London...

Peter Odemwingie is a special kind of guy. Not only did he actually want to join the mess that is Queens Park Rangers, he decided to try and force a move as the January transfer window closed.

How did the Nigerian international do this? By driving down to Loftus Road, of course. QPR caught wind that he didn't have permission to leave West Brom and decided he wasn't allowed in the building.

Baggies boss Steve Clarke branded Odemwingie's actions as "total lunacy" and the striker failed to start another game all season.

9. Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United

Robin van Persie's late winner against Manchester City was one of the season's most important goals. Although he netted a more iconic strike against Villa, and individuals such as Matthew Lowton rescued their team with stunning strikes, this result defined the title race.

Manchester United's Dutchman—who dismissed interest from City to join the Red Devils—couldn't have timed his free kick any better. Samir Nasri's failure to block the curling shot left Joe Hart stranded, condemning City to their first Premier League home loss for over a season.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side never looked back.

8. Goal-Line Technology Approved

Although goal-line technology is yet to make a physical difference to Premier League games, 2012-13 was the year its usage became possible.

The inclusion of Hawk-Eye should stop difficult goal-line calls from ruining matches. Tested during England's friendly victory over Belgium, the system could put a halt to all those moaning fans down at the local pub.

7. QPR Creates Frankenstein's Monster

QPR have become one of England's most entertaining clubs, but not for the right reasons.

The decision to throw together a bunch of international names doesn't always guarantee success. With players such as Esteban Granero, Julio Cesar and Chris Samba purchased throughout the 2012-13 campaign, Tony Fernandes' project began to look more-and-more like a horror story.

Somebody thought it would be a good idea to buy a 28-year-old Samba for £12.5 million; his contract valued at £100,000 per week across four years. As discussed by the BBC's Ben Smith in January 2013, this level of commitment put money before sense.

Relegation ensued. QPR are now left with a staggering wage bill and cast of unsavoury characters that are unlikely to attract many bids. Too many contracts would need to be paid off, representing terrible value for any potential buyers.

That hole just keeps on getting bigger.

6. Bale to the Rescue

Gareth Bale won both the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards for his outstanding contribution to Tottenham's season. Days after this, his achievement was amplified when the Football Writers' Association voted him the best Premier League player of the year.

It's no secret that Spurs would have struggled without their leading man. He consistently "Baled" them out of trouble with vital goals against Norwich, Liverpool, West Brom, Newcastle, West Ham, Arsenal, Swansea, Manchester City, Wigan, Southampton and Sunderland. Phew!

Such brilliance has seen the Welshman linked with a move to Real Madrid. Can Spurs hold onto him any longer?

5. Arsenal Topple Spurs...again

The answer to that last question may rest with Spurs' inability to overhaul Arsenal for a place in the Champions League.

St. Totteringham's Day arrived once more.

Despite the fact Arsenal fans had to wait until the last day of the season for such celebrations, the Gunners finished one point ahead of their North London rivals after going unbeaten in 10 Premier League games since losing 2-1 to Spurs at the beginning of March.

4. Suarez Snacks on Ivanovic

Sometimes humans gets hungry. Sometimes the only thing to eat is other humans. Look at Hannibal Lecter and Nelly Furtado, both defined by their willingness to chow down on man flesh.

Luis Suarez can be added to that list. Not content with nibbling on just the one opponent in his Ajax days, the Liverpool star decided to bite Branislav Ivanovic during the tightly-contested match against Chelsea.

3. Stiliyan Petrov Prepares for the Future

Stiliyan Petrov's battle with leukemia has been in the consciousness of every football fan across the 2012-13 Premier League season.

Aston Villa fans have continued to applaud the Bulgarian midfielder throughout the 19th minute of every match at Villa Park.

On the last day of the season, with Petrov's retirement announced, Villa fans paid tribute to the inspirational 33-year-old with 'Petrov Day' at Wigan. All visiting fans donned Petrov masks, and celebrated a memorable career that spanned three decades.

Still on the road to recovery, Petrov's future looks to remain in England. He has accepted a developmental coaching role at Villa and will aim to help the club produce young talent for the future.

2. Frank Lampard Breaks Chelsea Goalscoring Record

Frank Lampard finally beat Bobby Tambling's record haul of Chelsea goals on 11 May, 2013.

The English midfielder has now racked up 203 goals for the Blues; a record that looks set to continue after he signed a one-year contract to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge.

Consistently one of the Premier League's top performers, the 34-year-old is a true great amongst the English game. His ability to win tight matches hasn't diminished and keeps him relevant to a team that is constantly in flux.

1. The End of an Era

Above all, the 2012-13 Premier League season will be remembered as the year Sir Alex Ferguson finally decided to retire as Manchester United manager.

The Scottish legend served over 26 years as Old Trafford boss, and accumulated 49 trophies across his managerial career. His move towards a director's role will see David Moyes try his hand at the famous club, calling time on his significant Premier League era at Everton in the process.

With Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher, David Beckham and Michael Owen also retiring, this year's campaign will ultimately be defined by as the season in which colossal change hit English football.

Which moments from the 2012-13 Premier League season are most memorable for you? Let me know in the comments section below and be sure to follow me on Twitter right here:

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