Football League Second Division 1988/89
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
| 1st | Chelsea | 46 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 96 | 50 | +46 | 99 | ▲Champions |
| 2nd | Manchester City | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 77 | 53 | +24 | 82 | ▲Runners Up |
| 3rd | Crystal Palace | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 71 | 49 | +22 | 81 | ♦▲PO Winners |
| 4th | Watford | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 78 | ♦Playoffs |
| 5th | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 74 | 59 | +15 | 77 | ♦Playoffs |
| 6th | Swindon Town | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 68 | 53 | +15 | 76 | ♦Playoffs |
| 7th | Barnsley | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 66 | 58 | +8 | 74 | - |
| 8th | Ipswich Town | 46 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 71 | 61 | +10 | 73 | - |
| 9th | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 65 | 41 | +24 | 72 | - |
| 10th | Leeds United | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 59 | 50 | +9 | 67 | - |
| 11th | Sunderland | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 63 | - |
| 12th | AFC Bournemouth | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 53 | 62 | -9 | 62 | - |
| 13th | Stoke City | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 57 | 72 | -15 | 59 | - |
| 14th | Bradford City | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 52 | 59 | -7 | 56 | - |
| 15th | Leicester City | 46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 56 | 63 | -7 | 55 | - |
| 16th | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 11 | 21 | 14 | 75 | 72 | +3 | 54 | - |
| 17th | Oxford United | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 62 | 70 | -8 | 54 | - |
| 18th | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 55 | 66 | -11 | 54 | - |
| 19th | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 57 | 66 | -9 | 51 | - |
| 20th | Portsmouth | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 53 | 62 | -9 | 51 | - |
| 21st | Hull City | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 52 | 68 | -16 | 47 | - |
| 22nd | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 8 | 18 | 20 | 40 | 67 | -27 | 42 | ▼Relegated |
| 23rd | Birmingham City | 46 | 8 | 11 | 27 | 31 | 76 | -45 | 35 | ▼Relegated |
| 24th | Walsall | 46 | 5 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 80 | -39 | 31 | ▼Relegated |
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Football League Second Division Playoffs |
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Semi Finals 1st Leg |
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| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| Sun May 21 | Blackburn Rovers | 0-0 | Watford |
| Sun May 21 | Swindon Town | 1-0 | Crystal Palace |
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Semi Finals 2nd Leg |
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| Wed May 24 | Watford | 1-1 | Blackburn Rovers |
| Blackburn Rovers won on the Away Goals Rule after drawing 1-1 on aggregate | |||
| Wed May 24 | Crystal Palace | 2-0 | Swindon Town |
| Crystal Palace won 2-1 on aggregate | |||
| Final 1st Leg | |||
| Mon May 31 | Blackburn Rovers | 3-1 | Crystal Palace |
| Final 2nd Leg | |||
| Sat June 3 | Crystal Palace | 3-0 | Blackburn Rovers |
| Crystal Palace won 4-3 on aggregate | |||
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End of Season Notes |
| ▼Middlesbrough were Relegated from the First Division |
| ▼West Ham United were Relegated from the First Division |
| ▼Newcastle United were Relegated from the First Division |
| ▲Chelsea were Promoted to the First Division |
| ▲Manchester City were Promoted to the First Division |
| ♦ Crystal Palace Qualified for the Playoffs |
| ♦ Watford Qualified for the Playoffs |
| ♦ Blackburn Rovers Qualified for the Playoffs |
| ♦ Swindon Town Qualified for the Playoffs |
| ▲Crystal Palace were Promoted to the First Division via the Playoffs |
| ▼Shrewsbury Town were Relegated to the Third Division |
| ▼Birmingham City were Relegated to the Third Division |
| ▼Walsall were Relegated to the Third Division |
| ▲Wolverhampton Wanderers were Promoted from the Third Division |
| ▲Sheffield United were Promoted from the Third Division |
| ▲Port Vale were Promoted from the Third Division via the Playoffs |