1998–99 in English football – 19 September 1998 – Newcastle United show signs of a return to their old form with a 5–1 away win over Coventry City. Newly promoted Charlton Athletic hold Liverpool to a 3–3 draw at Anfield. 20 September 1998 – Arsenal beat Manchester United 3–0 in the league at Highbury – the fourth defeat they have inflicted upon Alex Ferguson's team in less than a year. 23 September 1998 – Everton sign 22-year-old goalkeeper Steve Simonsen from Tranmere Rovers for £3.3million. 30 September 1998 – September ends with Aston Villa as Premier League leaders 5 points above second-placed Derby County
Aston Villa F.C.–West Bromwich Albion F.C. rivalry Aston Villa F.C.–West Bromwich Albion F.C. rivalry Aston Villa F.C. and West Bromwich Albion F.C. are two English football clubs from the West Midlands who share a local rivalry. The matches between them are known as West Midlands derbies. Their stadiums, Villa Park and The Hawthorns respectively, are four miles away from each other. Both clubs have bigger rivals—Birmingham City for the former in the Second City derby, and Wolverhampton Wanderers for the latter in the Black Country derby. A 2010 article in "The Daily Telegraph" ranked the rivalry between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion as the third most