# 2009–10 Ukrainian Premier League

The 2009–10 Ukrainian Premier League season was the nineteenth since its establishment and second since its reorganization. Dynamo Kyiv were the defending champions, having won their 13th league title. A total of 16 teams participated in the league, 14 of which participated in the 2008–09 season, and two of which were promoted from the Ukrainian First League.
The season began on 17 July 2009. The winter break in the season was from 13 December 2009 until 28 February 2010. The last round of the season was played on 9 May 2010.
On 5 May 2010, Shakhtar Donetsk regained the title after a 1–0 win against rivals Dynamo Kyiv.

## Teams
### Promoted

* FC Zakarpattia Uzhhorod, champion of the 2008–09 Ukrainian First League – (returning after absence of a season)
* FC Obolon Kyiv, runner-up of the 2008–09 Ukrainian First League – (returning after absence of 4 seasons)

### Location map
## Managers and captains

| Club | Coach | Captain | Replaced coach(es) |
| Arsenal Kyiv | Yuriy Bakalov (caretaker) | Vitaliy Reva | Vyacheslav Hrozny Oleksandr Zavarov Vasyl Yevseyev |
| Chornomorets Odesa | Andriy Bal | Vitaliy Rudenko | Ihor Nakonechny Viktor Hryshko |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | Volodymyr Bezsonov | Andriy Rusol | |
| Dynamo Kyiv | Valery Gazzayev | Artem Milevskyi | |
| Illichivets Mariupol | Ilya Bliznyuk | Vadym Melnyk | |
| Karpaty Lviv | Oleg Kononov | Andriy Tlumak | |
| Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | Yuriy Maksymov | Serhiy Danylovskyi | Oleh Taran |
| Metalist Kharkiv | Myron Markevych | Oleksandr Horyainov | |
| Metalurh Donetsk | Nikolay Kostov | Vyacheslav Checher | |
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | Roman Hryhorchuk | Dmytro Nevmyvaka | Vladimir Khodus Roman Hryhorchuk Oleh Lutkov |
| Obolon Kyiv | Serhiy Kovalets | Andriy Konyushenko | Yuriy Maksymov |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | Mircea Lucescu | Darijo Srna | |
| Tavriya Simferopol | Serhiy Puchkov | Oleksandr Kovpak | |
| Vorskla Poltava | Mykola Pavlov | Hennadiy Medvedyev | |
| Zakarpattia Uzhhorod | Igor Gamula | Oleksandr Chizhevskiy | |
| Zorya Luhansk | Anatoly Chantsev | Volodymyr Yezerskiy | Yuriy Koval Yuriy Dudnyk |
Note:
* At the start of the season, Artem Milevskyi was selected to captain the side by manager Gazzayev, but on signing Andriy Shevchenko before Round 6, club president Ihor Surkis appointed Shevchenko captaincy in the club. However, Gazzayev informed the media that Milevskyi would remain the captain and Shevchenko would be the club leader.

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment | Table |
| Dynamo Kyiv | Yuri Syomin | own initiative | 1 June 2009 | Pre-season | Valery Gazzayev | 1 June 2009 | Pre-season |
| Chornomorets | Viktor Hryshko | own initiative | 10 August | 16th | Ihor Nakonechny | 12 August | 16th |
| Chornomorets | Ihor Nakonechny | temporary position | 1 September | 14th | Andriy Bal | 1 September | 14th |
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | Oleh Lutkov | | 3 September | 12th | Vladimir Khodus | 3 September | 12th |
| Zorya | Yuriy Dudnyk | temporary position | 23 September | 12th | Yuriy Koval | 23 September | 12th |
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | Vladimir Khodus | temporary position | 22 October | 14th | Roman Hryhorchuk | 22 October | 14th |
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | Roman Hryhorchuk | | 7 November | 9th | Vladimir Khodus | 8 November | 9th |
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | Vladimir Khodus | temporary position | 8 December | 12th | Roman Hryhorchuk | 8 December | 12th |
| Obolon | Yuriy Maksymov | own initiative | 25 December | 8th | Serhiy Kovalets | 14 January | 8th |
| Zorya | Yuriy Koval | sacked | 29 December | 12th | Anatoly Chantsev | 29 December | 12th |
| Kryvbas | Oleh Taran | Director in club | 12 January | 16th | Yuriy Maksymov | 12 January | 16th |
| Arsenal | Oleksandr Zavarov | Sacked | 28 January | 9th | Vyacheslav Hrozny | 28 January | 9th |
| Arsenal | Vyacheslav Hrozny | Resigned | 16 April | 8th | Yuriy Bakalov | 16 April | 8th |
| Arsenal | Yuriy Bakalov | caretaker | 22 April | 8th | Vasyl Yevseyev | 22 April | 8th |
| Arsenal | Vasyl Yevseyev | sick | 30 April | 8th | Yuriy Bakalov | 30 April | 8th |

## Stadiums

| Rank | Stadium | Capacity | Highest Attendance | Highest Attendance | Club | Popular Opponent(s) |
| 1 | Donbas Arena | 52,518 | 52,518 | Round 29 | Shakhtar Donetsk | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 2 | OSK Metalist | 41,411 | 40,000 | Round 16 | Metalist Kharkiv | Obolon Kyiv |
| 3 | Dnipro Stadium | 31,003 | 31,003 | Round 11 | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 4 | Metalurh Kryvbas | 29,783 | 5,000 | Round 3 | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 5 | Ukraina Stadium | 28,051 | 27,047 | Round 25 | Karpaty Lviv | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 6 | RSK Olimpiyskiy | 25,831 | 13,500 | Round 4 | Shakhtar Donetsk | Metalurh Donetsk |
| 7 | Vorskla Stadium | 25,000 | 16,000 | Round 3 | Vorskla Poltava | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 8 | Stadium Meteor | 24,381 | 1,000 | Round 13 | Arsenal Kyiv | Vorskla Poltava |
| 9 | Avanhard Zorya | 22,320 | 22,189 | Round 21 | Zorya Luhansk | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 9 | Avanhard Zorya | 22,320 | 12,300 | Round 6 | Shakhtar Donetsk | Zorya Luhansk |
| 10 | Lokomotiv Tavria | 19,978 | 14,000 | Round 8 | Tavriya Simferopol | Metalist Kharkiv |
| 11 | Lobanovsky Dynamo | 16,873 | 17,100 | Round 22 | Dynamo Kyiv | Metalist Kharkiv |
| 11 | Lobanovsky Dynamo | 16,873 | 1,500 | Round 21 | Arsenal Kyiv | Zakarpattya Uzhhorod |
| 12 | Illichivets Stadium | 12,680 | 8,500 | Round 2 | Illichivets Mariupol | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 13 | Avanhard Zakarpattya | 12,000 | 9,800 | Round 13 | Zakarpattya Uzhhorod | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 14 | Slavutych-Arena | 11,983 | 12,000 | Round 28 | Metalurh Zaporizhya | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 15 | Kolos Arsenal | 5,654 | 5,600 | Round 7 Round 9 | Arsenal Kyiv | Shakhtar Donetsk Dynamo Kyiv |
| 16 | Metalurh Donetsk | 5,300 | 4,200 | Round 21 | Metalurh Donetsk | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 17 | Obolon Stadium | 5,100 | 5,300 | Round 21 | Obolon Kyiv | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 18 | Spartak Stadium | 5,000 | 4,800 | Round 12 | Chornomorets Odesa | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 19 | Bannikov Stadium | 1,678 | 1,216 | Round 29 | Arsenal Kyiv | Metalurh Donetsk |

## Qualification to European competitions for 2010–11

* Since Ukraine finished in seventh place of the UEFA country ranking after the 2008–09 season, the league will gain one more qualification spot for 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. The Ukrainian Cup winner will now qualify for the play-off round.

### Qualified teams

* After the 24th Round, both Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk qualified for European football for the 2010–11 season.
* After the 26th Round, both Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk qualified for 2010–11 UEFA Champions League.
* After the 27th Round, Metalist Kharkiv qualified for the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.
* After the 28th Round, both Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Karpaty Lviv qualified for the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.
* Shakhtar Donetsk captured the championship after a 1–0 win against rivals Dynamo Kyiv in the 29th Round, thus securing a place in the Champions League group stage. Dynamo Kyiv enters the Champions League third qualification round as runners up.
* Metalist Kharkiv's 4–1 away victory over Zorya Luhansk in the 29th Round secured them a third-place finish in the competition and a place in the Europa League play-off round. Also in the same round, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk completed a 4–1 home victory against Illichivets which secured fourth-place and entry into Europa League third qualification round, since Karpaty Lviv lost 0–2 at home to Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, leaving them in fifth place and qualification into the second qualification round.
Timeline of qualification

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Shakhtar Donetsk (C) | 30 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 62 | 18 | +44 | 77 | Qualification to Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Dynamo Kyiv | 30 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 61 | 16 | +45 | 71 | Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Metalist Kharkiv | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 49 | 23 | +26 | 62 | Qualification to Europa League play-off round |
| 4 | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 48 | 25 | +23 | 54 | Qualification to Europa League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Karpaty Lviv | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 44 | 35 | +9 | 50 | Qualification to Europa League second qualifying round |
| 6 | Tavriya Simferopol | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 38 | 38 | 0 | 45 | Qualification to Europa League play-off round |
| 7 | Arsenal Kyiv | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 44 | 41 | +3 | 42 | |
| 8 | Metalurh Donetsk | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 41 | 33 | +8 | 40 | |
| 9 | Metalurh Zaporizhya | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 31 | 48 | −17 | 35 | |
| 10 | Vorskla Poltava | 30 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 31 | |
| 11 | Obolon Kyiv | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 26 | 50 | −24 | 31 | |
| 12 | Illichivets Mariupol | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 56 | −25 | 29 | |
| 13 | Zorya Luhansk | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 47 | −24 | 28 | |
| 14 | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | 30 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 31 | 47 | −16 | 25 | |
| 15 | Chornomorets Odesa (R) | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 21 | 44 | −23 | 24 | Relegation to Ukrainian First League |
| 16 | Zakarpattia Uzhhorod (R) | 30 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 18 | 44 | −26 | 19 | Relegation to Ukrainian First League |

## Results

| Home \ Away | ARK | CHO | DNI | DYN | ILL | KAR | KRY | MET | MDO | MZA | OBO | SHA | TAV | VOR | ZAK | ZOR |
| Arsenal Kyiv | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 1–6 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Chornomorets Odesa | 1–3 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Dnipro | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 0–2 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 3–1 | 5–0 | 2–1 | — | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Illichivets Mariupol | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Karpaty Lviv | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 5–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | — | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 |
| Metalist Kharkiv | 1–0 | 5–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| Metalurh Donetsk | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 0–0 |
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | — | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 |
| Obolon Kyiv | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Tavriya Simferopol | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 |
| Vorskla Poltava | 1–5 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Zakarpattia Uzhhorod | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | — | 2–1 |
| Zorya Luhansk | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | — |
* ↑ Match took place in Dnipropetrovsk at the Meteor Stadium.
* ↑ Original game ended in a 4–1 victory to Obolon. A technical 3–0 victory was awarded to Metalurh Zaporizhya as a result of four players from Obolon Kyiv using a banned substance administered to them during the game. FC Obolon Kyiv protested the decision and entered arbitration via the Appellate Committee of the Ukrainian Football Federation. The decision was overturned 20 November 2009.

## Round by round

The following table is a historic representation of the team's position in the standings after the completion of each round.
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Metalist Kharkiv | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Dnipro | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Karpaty Lviv | 5 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Tavriya Simferopol | 3 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Arsenal Kyiv | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Metalurh Donetsk | 7 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | 13 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Vorskla Poltava | 11 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| Obolon Kyiv | 13 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Illichivets Mariupol | 6 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Zorya Luhansk | 7 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
| Chornomorets Odesa | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
| Zakarpattia Uzhhorod | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 |

### Rescheduled games

* Due to the participation of Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2009 UEFA Super Cup on 28 August 2009, their Round 5 match against Metalist Kharkiv was rescheduled to 23 September 2009 (after Round 7). Upon completion of this game Metalist moved from 6th to 5th in the standings.
* All Round 13 matches were cancelled due to a strike by the referees, delegates and inspectors from the Football Federation of Ukraine. Games were to be played 7 November and 8. The first match was played on 9 December 2009 initiating Round 16. The rest of the matches are scheduled after the winter break to be played 24 March 2010, and 7 April 2010. For historical tabulation purpose the Round-by-Round displays chronologically when the round was played and not the name used by the FPL.

## Top goalscorers

Last updated: 9 May 2010
| # | Scorer | Goals (Pen.) | Team |
| 1 | Artem Milevskyi | 17 (5) | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 2 | Jajá | 16 (3) | Metalist Kharkiv |
| 3 | Yevhen Seleznyov | 13 (2) | Shakhtar/Dnipro |
| 4 | Luiz Adriano | 11 (2) | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 5 | Andrey Varankow | 10 | Obolon Kyiv/Kryvbas |
| 6 | Henrikh Mkhitaryan | 9 | Metalurh Donetsk |
| 6 | Denys Oliynyk | 9 | Metalist Kharkiv |
| 6 | Andriy Vorobey | 9 | Arsenal Kyiv |
| 6 | Ionuț Mazilu | 9 (1) | Arsenal Kyiv |
| 6 | Jádson | 9 (3) | Shakhtar Donetsk |

## Season awards

By the competition's statute, the following awards was presented. The award presentation took place on 15 June 2010 at InterContinental in Kyiv.
The laureates of the 2009–10 UPL season were:
* Best player: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk)
* Best coach: Mircea Lucescu (Shakhtar Donetsk)
* Best goalkeeper: Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk)
* Best arbiter: Viktor Shvetsov (Odesa)
* Best goalscorer: Artem Milevskyi (Dynamo Kyiv)
* Fair play prize: Metalurh Donetsk
Pride of flag is a club award given to the club who provided the most players for the national team and youth teams: U-21, U-19, U-17. In 2009, the award was given to Dynamo Kyiv, while the first runner-up was Shakhtar Donetsk and second – Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. No data is available for the 2010 season.