In brief
Under Pep Guardiola, several Manchester City teams are deserving of being ranked among the best in Premier League history.
Arsenal’s “Invincibles” squad from 2003–04, which went undefeated at the end of the season, is highly regarded.
Despite being underappreciated, Chelsea’s 2004–05 season under Jose Mourinho is noteworthy for their defensive brilliance, as they won the league with just 15 goals allowed.
Since its founding in 1992, the Premier League has witnessed several exceptional teams, some of which will go down in history as legendary.
With 13 titles in 20 years, Manchester United has outperformed its rivals and is still the most successful team in Premier League history. While other teams, such as Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool, have also seen domestic success, local rivals Manchester City have recently won eight titles.
Nevertheless, some have been merely captivating, winning every single week to create some of the greatest Premier League seasons ever. In fact, Liverpool has turned into a powerful winning machine under Arne Slot in the 2024–2025 Premier League season, and it appears that the Dutchman will win the championship in his first season as manager of Anfield.
GIVEMESPORT now examines the top 15 Premier League teams in history. In addition to the statistical information on these teams, we will also consider the legacy that their exceptional performance has left behind.
Ranking Elements
The idea of lists is arbitrary. Depending on the writer’s viewpoint, it is quite possible for two lists on the same subject to contain different entries. Having said that, the following standards have been used to rank this list:
League standings: Where did each participant stand in the league? The top teams frequently take home one or more awards.
Dominance: How strong was each squad? What was the extent to which they dominated the league during the selected season?
Legacy: To what extent are these newcomers remembered?
The 15 Best Premier League Teams Ever
Rank
Name of the Team
Time of year
Supervisor
The league’s top scorer
Points
1.
City of Manchester
2017–18
Guardiola, Pep
21-year-old Sergio Aguero
One hundred
2.
Chelsea
2004–05
Mourinho, Jose
Frank Lampard, age 13
95
3.
The Arsenal
2003–04
Wenger, Arsene
Thierry Henry, age 30
90
4.
United Manchester
2007–2008
Alex Ferguson, sir
31-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo
87
5.
City of Manchester
2022–2023
Guardiola, Pep
36-year-old Erling Haaland
89
6.
United Manchester
1998–1999
Alex Ferguson, sir
Dwight Yorke – 18
78
7.
Liverpool
2019–20
Klopp, Jurgen
Mo Salah – 19
99
8.
City of Manchester
2018–19
Guardiola, Pep
21-year-old Sergio Aguero
98
9.
Liverpool
2018–19
Klopp, Jurgen
Sadio Mane – 22
97
10.
Chelsea
2016–17
Conte, Antonio
Diego Costa – 20
93
11.
City of Manchester
2021–2022
Guardiola, Pep
Kevin de Bruyne – 15
93
12.
Liverpool
2021–2022
Jurgen Klopp
Mohamed Salah – 23
92
13.
Arsenal
1997/98
Arsene Wenger
Dennis Bergkamp – 16
78
14.
Manchester United
1992/93
Sir Alex Ferguson
Mark Hughes – 15
84
15.
Leicester City
2015/16
Claudio Ranieri
Jamie Vardy – 24
81
15Leicester City
2015/16
Perhaps the biggest shock in football history, if not in all of sport history. Prior to the 2015–16 season, Leicester City had fired Nigel Pearson, their former manager, after the Englishman barely maintained Leicester in the Premier League the year before.
Claudio Ranieri, who was best known in England at the time for his tenure at Chelsea in the early 2000s, replaced him as manager of Roma. With Kasper Schmeichel in goal, Wes Morgan and Robert Huth at the centre of defence, Danny Drinkwater and N’Golo Kante in midfield, and Jamie Vardy up top, flanked by Riyad Mahrez, the Foxes got off to a solid start.
Although it was anticipated that City’s performance would eventually deteriorate, it never did. Leicester kept up their title challenge, and following “the Battle of the Bridge,” a 2-2 draw between Chelsea and title-chasers Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester was crowned Premier League champions—an incredible feat.
Leicester City Premier League Stats for 2015–16
Games
38
Gains
23
Scored Goals
68
Points
81
14Manchester United
1992/93
This list had to include the first Premier League champions to be officially recognised. Although they have dominated this era, Manchester United ended a 26-year league title drought in 1992 with their victory.
Eric Cantona was the main source of inspiration for this. The missing element in the puzzle was the troublesome Frenchman, who joined from Leeds United during the season. With two stoppage-time headers from Steve Bruce, he helped lead his club on a charge that featured a famous 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. Fun fact: during the season, every outfield player on this club scored a goal. This intriguing fact was guaranteed by Gary Pallister’s free-kick on the final day of the season.
Manchester United Premier League Statistics for 1992–1993
Games
42
Gains
24
Scored Goals
67
Points
84
13Arsenal
1997/98
Even though Arsenal only finished with 78 points during their 1997–1998 championship campaign, the squad Arsene Wenger assembled for his first full season at Highbury was impressive. With one of the best back-fives in English football history thanks to George Graham’s time at the club, the French manager of the Gunners started implementing a dynamic, forward-thinking style of play that combined strength and accuracy.
Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars arrived, while French sensation Nicolas Anelka enthralled the Premier League with his combination of lightning-fast speed and exceptional ball-striking ability. Overmars’ victory at Old Trafford was especially noteworthy since it came at a time when the Premier League trophy was within reach. The Gunners earned the title the hard way, defeating bitter rivals Manchester United both at home and away.
Arsenal Premier League Statistics for 1997–1998
Games
38
Gains
23
Scored Goals
68
Points
78
12Liverpool
2021/22
Liverpool fought Manchester City all the way in one of the most incredible title chases in recent memory, but they ultimately finished second with 92 points, the second-highest total for a runner-up in Premier League history, only surpassed by their own 97 points from the 2018–19 season. The Reds concluded the season with the greatest goal differential in Premier League history, plus 68, having only lost two games.
The Merseyside team had already won the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, thus they were on track for a historic quadruple. To make matters worse, they lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid after missing out on the Premier League title by a point to City.
Liverpool Premier League Stats for 2021–2022
Games
38
Gains
28
Scored Goals
94
Points
92
11Manchester City
2021/22
Because Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp were so good, Manchester City had to work harder than ever to defeat their arch rivals and win the Premier League again. This team was dominant in every area of the game, even though their final points total of 93 wasn’t quite as high as in prior years.
With 15 goals, Kevin de Bruyne was City’s leading scorer in the league, but the team as a whole shared the goal-scoring load. The Citizens won the title thanks to players like Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus, and Julian Alvarez, who only joined that summer. The team would only lose three games during the season, including two against Tottenham Hotspur. Even though it wasn’t City’s best team, this version of the Sky Blues made the list because of their high calibre and reliability.
Manchester City Premier League Statistics for 2021–2022
Games
38
Gains
29
Scored Goals
99
Points
93
10Chelsea
2016/17
It was announced a few months prior to the 2016–17 season that Antonio Conte would take Guus Hiddink’s position as Chelsea’s interim manager for the next campaign. Prior to the season, the Italian made five permanent additions, none more significant than David Luiz, who is returning to the team for a second tenure, and N’Golo Kante.
Using Conte’s preferred three-at-the-back formation, the manager’s style of play transformed a Chelsea squad that had placed tenth in the previous campaign. The Blues won the league with 93 points, seven points ahead of second-place Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to goals from Diego Costa and Eden Hazard up front.
The Stamford Bridge club was the first Premier League team to win 30 league games in a season, but several teams have since duplicated or outperformed Chelsea’s performance during that campaign. In addition, the division’s record of 93 points is among the highest in its history.
Chelsea Premier League Statistics for 2016–17
Games
38
Gains
30
Scored Goals
85
Points
93
9Liverpool
2018/19
Liverpool’s 2018–19 season total of 97 points is the most ever by a team that did not win the championship. For this reason, the only team on this list that has failed to win the league is Jurgen Klopp’s club.
The Reds won an incredible 30 of their 38 games that season, giving up just 22 goals. They only lost once in the league, and that was in the historic match against Manchester City, which resulted in a 2-1 loss. They would receive trophies for their efforts in the majority of seasons. However, we are all aware of the one squad that was still too formidable for them.
Liverpool Premier League Statistics for 2018–19
Games
38
Gains
30
Scored Goals
89
Points
97
8Manchester City
2018/19
Naturally, in what was possibly the most intense title chase ever, the side that Liverpool fell to went on to win the championship with 98 points.
Man City started the same way, winning 13 of their first 15 games, a year after they reached 100 points. The defending champions recovered from a stretch of four losses in nine games that threatened to undermine their trophy push.
To Liverpool’s dismay, they won every game but one in the second half of the season, and a 4-1 victory over Brighton on the south coast on the last day brought the title back to Manchester’s blue half.
Manchester City Premier League Statistics for 2018–19
Games
38
Gains
32
Scored Goals
95
Points
98
7Liverpool
2019/20
Liverpool started the season in the finest form anyone had ever seen in the Premier League, let alone any top-flight competition.
They would have reached 80 points by February with 26 victories and one draw in 27 games, but they lost their undefeated record to Watford in a shocking 3-0 loss. Soon after, COVID-19 struck, and although though they had virtually secured the championship, they missed the 100-point threshold by five wins in nine games.
They would have topped the list if they had surpassed that goal, but a minor setback puts them in fourth position. Without a doubt, it was the most exciting beginning to a season ever.
Liverpool Premier League Stats for 2019–20
Games
38
Gains
32
Scored Goals
85
Points
99
6Manchester United
1998/99
Although they aren’t the top side on this list, United made history in the Premier League era by becoming the first team to win a treble in the 1998–99 season. However, they weren’t the last.
Despite only losing three games, the Red Devils allowed Chelsea and Arsenal to close the gap with 13 draws. However, just over a week later, they had the opportunity to win the FA Cup and Champions League thanks to a goal from Andy Cole against Tottenham on the last day of the season.
To assert their dominance at home, they duly did. They were hailed as the finest at the time after defeating Newcastle 2-0 at Wembley and Bayern Munich 2-1 at the Nou Camp.
Man United Premier League Statistics for 1998–1999
Games
38
Gains
22
Scored Goals
80
Points
78
5Manchester City
2022/23
The first team to win the triple should possibly finish ahead of the second team. However, we have now ranked them according to it.
Manchester City’s 2023 Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup victories were an amazing display of power. While United was pushed to the limit in 1999, City never seemed to let it slide once they took charge of their own fate. For the most of the season, the city was too hazardous to live with thanks to the goals added by the invincible Erling Haaland. That is supported by the cutlery they ultimately acquired.
Manchester City Premier League Stats for 2022–2023
Games
38
Gains
28
Scored Goals
94
Points
89
4Manchester United
2007/2008
Over the years, the Red Devils have fielded some incredible squads. The 1999 treble winners mentioned before. The Busby Babes. However, this batch of talent is the best.
Sir Alex Ferguson was fortunate to have players like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the lineup this season. Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes patrol the midfield. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were part of an unwavering defensive unit. There might not be a Premier League team in history that could defeat this group on paper. What a group. What a time.
Manchester United Premier League Statistics for 2007–2008
Games
38
Gains
27
Scored Goals
80
Points
87
3Arsenal
2003/04
Into the top three, we have the ‘Invincibles’ from Arsenal. In a minute, we will come to explain why. Only twice in the history of the English Premier League have there been no losses in a season; the other was Preston North End in 1888–1889.
Liverpool was one of only two teams in 2019–20 to reach the milestone with a single defeat. However, it’s impressive to go undefeated against teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and others while avoiding mistakes in “easier” games. It was also enjoyable to watch the football that Arsene Wenger’s team played; it’s a shame they weren’t able to score more points. With 12 draws so far this season, it seemed at times that the Gunners were more concerned with avoiding defeat to keep their winning streak intact than they were with winning games. They have been hindered on this list because of this.
Arsenal in 2003–04 Statistics for the Premier League
Games
38
Gains
26
Scored Goals
73
Points
90
2Chelsea
2004/05
When discussing the greatest Chelsea season ever, supporters grossly undervalued this one, which is frequently up for debate. When Manchester City’s penalty kick defeated them early in the season, they became the only other team to lose once in a league season.
The fact that they only gave up 15 league goals during the season—less than one per two games—is, in their opinion, the most impressive statistic. This includes going ten games without giving up a goal, and as it was Jose Mourinho’s first season as manager, it marked the start of a new era that put an end to Sir Alex and Wenger’s reign.
They set records at the time for the most clean sheets, the fewest goals let up away, and the most away victories in a season.
Chelsea Premier League Statistics for 2004–05
Games
38
Gains
29
Objectives Against
15.
Points
95
1Manchester City
2017/18
They are the best side to have ever played in the Premier League. Despite having only been with the squad for one season, Pep Guardiola was able to hone his skills throughout preseason and build an unbreakable team that is still the best in the history of the Premier League.
With 32 victories out of 38, 100 points, 106 goals, and just 14 points lost, City’s team became the record holders. Their domination was evident right away, even if they had to win at Southampton on the last day of the season to earn the three-figure haul. City won the league by an astounding 19 points after a season filled with big victories, including a 7-2 victory, one 6-0, three 5-0 victories, and two 4-0 victories for good measure.
Manchester City Premier League Statistics for 2017–18
Games
38
Gains
32
Scored Goals
106
Points
One hundred
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