A lot of significance is placed on a team finishing the year at the top of the Premier League table.
No trophies are handed out in December but the mental advantage it gives clubs scrapping it out at the top is famous in England. However, not every side is able to convert its half-season dominance into league silverware come the end of the campaign. In fact, sometimes it can all go horribly wrong in the new year.
So who are the teams who have refrained from getting too stuck into big Christmas dinners to achieve their title dreams after being top at the end of the year, and who couldn’t shake off their hangovers and ended up slipping down the table?
Here’s every team to finish a Premier League year at the top of the tree.
On 16 occasions, the Premier League leaders on December 25 have gone on to win the title. Manchester United and Chelsea are the most successful converters with five apiece. The Blues in particular have a 100% record of being top on Christmas Day and taking home the championship, last doing so in 2016/17.
In 2022/23, it was Arsenal who sat at the top of the pile. The scheduling of the 2022 World Cup means they have the strange quirk of achieving that feat in mid-November, but Mikel Arteta’s troops couldn’t hold off a resurgent Manchester City who quickly woke up and overpowered their rivals.
It’s a trick Pep Guardiola has repeated frequently during his time in England. In 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21, Liverpool led but only in 2019/20 did they manage to see the job through. In both 2017/18 and 2021/22, no team could displace the Cityzens from their number one ranking.
Man Utd have been top of the Premier League the most with seven, only failing to go on and scoop the silverware under Sir Alex Ferguson on two occasions – 1997/98 and 2003/04.
|
Season |
Top at Christmas |
Where they finished |
Title winners |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1992/93 |
Norwich City |
3rd |
Manchester United |
|
1993/94 |
Manchester United |
1st |
Manchester United |
|
1994/95 |
Blackburn Rovers |
1st |
Blackburn Rovers |
|
1995/96 |
Newcastle United |
2nd |
Manchester United |
|
1996/97 |
Liverpool |
4th |
Manchester United |
|
1997/98 |
Manchester United |
2nd |
Arsenal |
|
1998/99 |
Aston Villa |
6th |
Manchester United |
|
1999/00 |
Leeds United |
3rd |
Manchester United |
|
2000/01 |
Manchester United |
1st |
Manchester United |
|
2001/02 |
Newcastle United |
4th |
Arsenal |
|
2002/03 |
Arsenal |
2nd |
Manchester United |
|
2003/04 |
Manchester United |
3rd |
Arsenal |
|
2004/05 |
Chelsea |
1st |
Chelsea |
|
2005/06 |
Chelsea |
1st |
Chelsea |
|
2006/07 |
Manchester United |
1st |
Manchester United |
|
2007/08 |
Arsenal |
3rd |
Manchester United |
|
2008/09 |
Liverpool |
2nd |
Manchester United |
|
2009/10 |
Chelsea |
1st |
Chelsea |
|
2010/11 |
Manchester United |
1st |
Manchester United |
|
2011/12 |
Manchester City |
1st |
Manchester City |
|
2012/13 |
Manchester United |
1st |
Manchester United |
|
2013/14 |
Liverpool |
2nd |
Manchester City |
|
2014/15 |
Chelsea |
1st |
Chelsea |
|
2015/16 |
Leicester City |
1st |
Leicester City |
|
2016/17 |
Chelsea |
1st |
Chelsea |
|
2017/18 |
Manchester City |
1st |
Manchester City |
|
2018/19 |
Liverpool |
2nd |
Manchester City |
|
2019/20 |
Liverpool |
1st |
Liverpool |
|
2020/21 |
Liverpool |
3rd |
Manchester City |
|
2021/22 |
Manchester City |
1st |
Manchester City |
|
2022/23 |
Arsenal |
2nd |
Manchester City |
Surprise winners Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City both sat in first place in their historic 1994/95 and 2015/16 campaigns respectively. However, things aren’t always rosy when it comes to being top on Christmas Day.
Arsenal have proven to be more effective hunting other teams in Premier League title races as opposed to maintaining a lead. The Gunners have led the English top flight at Christmas in its current guise on three previous occasions but each time were unable to turn their dominance into winners’ medals.
Aston Villa suffered a horrific drop-off after an inspired start to 1998/99. Things went terribly with 1999 proving to be a reality check of a year – the Villans could only win two of their remaining 14 games and ended up finishing sixth, 24 points behind champions Man Utd.
Newcastle looked set to add to their four league titles in 1995/96, boasting a ten-point advantage heading into Christmas. That lead would later increase to 12, but Kevin Keegan couldn’t avoid Sir Alex’s mind games – even with his famous rant – and the Magpies ended up coming second to the Red Devils.
Football, of course, was not invented in 1992, the year the Premier League was founded. League football in England has been going on a little longer.
It’s Liverpool who have led at Christmas most often in English Football League history, being perched at the summit on a whopping 20 occasions. Man Utd are ranked second with 18, last doing so in 2013, with Arsenal and Everton tied for third with nine each.
Man City’s relative lack of success in the olden days compared to the modern behemoth they have become means they have only been top on 25 December six times – they won’t add to that tally in 2023 following a damaging run of one win in six games.
|
Team |
Number |
Last top |
|---|---|---|
|
Liverpool |
20 |
2021 |
|
Manchester United |
18 |
2013 |
|
Arsenal |
9 |
2023 |
|
Everton |
9 |
1970 |
|
Manchester City |
6 |
2022 |
|
Aston Villa |
5 |
1999 |
|
Chelsea |
5 |
2017 |
|
Newcastle United |
5 |
2002 |
|
Sunderland |
5 |
1937 |
|
Wolves |
5 |
1958 |
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