2) Liverpool, 3) Man Utd – Arsenal, Spurs judged in ranking of every season’s best unbeaten start
Spurs and Arsenal are both unbeaten through eight games so far, matching Ipswich and Coventry but trailing the best undefeated start of 24 other seasons.
Here they are, in all their ascending glory.
31) Everton (2020/21)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Five
Where did they finish? 10th
A suitably risible unbeaten run to match what will forever remain the dirt-worst season. After three games only four sides were yet to suffer defeat. Aston Villa were among them but also disposed of two of those records themselves, embarrassing Liverpool 7-2 and beating Leicester 1-0 by mid-October. Yet Dean Smith’s side were toppled by a Patrick Bamford hat-trick in their very next fixture, leaving Everton alone as the top flight’s most dependable and durable club. Those last two sentences prove why this season should be locked away and never revisited.
30=) Everton (2013/14)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Six
Where did they finish? 5th
Arsenal (first) lost their opening game. Liverpool (second) were beaten in their fourth. Spurs (third) suffered defeat in their third, Chelsea (fifth) lost their fifth and Southampton (sixth) fell in their third. Which left fourth-placed Everton as the Premier League’s only unbeaten team after six games in 2013/14. Dependable, durable Everton. Manchester United had already lost thrice by the time Manchester City finally ended Roberto Martinez’s reign in October.
30=) Chelsea (2009/10)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Six
Where did they finish? 1st
Carlo Ancelotti’s six straight victories to begin a Premier League managerial career remains a record to this day, since equalled by Pep Guardiola and Maurizio Sarri but never beaten. The Italian’s run stalled when Titus Bramble led Wigan to a 3-1 victory as early as September. The Blues would soon get themselves back on track, just about resisting Manchester United’s own charge to win the crown.
Lionel Messi now has as many goals against Chelsea as Titus Bramble.
— Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) March 14, 2018
30=) Leicester (2015/16)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Six
Where did they finish? 1st
Wins over Sunderland, West Ham and Aston Villa, combined with draws against Spurs, Bournemouth and Stoke, were hardly enough to convince the world of Leicester’s dormant Premier League title credentials. A 5-2 defeat to Arsenal in September felt like their uppance had finally come, yet the Foxes lost just twice more in the subsequent 30 games to seal the most miraculous of title wins.
27=) Ipswich (1992/93)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Eight
Where did they finish? 16th
The first Premier League season was one of two halves for Ipswich. They lost just twice in 22 games from August to December, and won just three times in 20 matches from January to May. John Lyall’s side drew six of their opening eight fixtures, including stalemates against Aston Villa and Liverpool at Portman Road, and Manchester United at Old Trafford. The good start would come in handy: they would eventually finish just three points clear of relegation.
27=) Leicester (2000/01)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Eight
Where did they finish? 13th
Leicester there, rocking the Premier League applecart by not only keeping the pace with the established elite, but setting it ahead of them. What a quaint thought. How cute. Make the most of it because it won’t happen again. Peter Taylor was Claudio Ranieri before it was cool, Ade Akinbiyi offered the worst impression of Jamie Vardy ever, and the Foxes were top of the table after eight games by winning four and drawing four. It’s a good job: they lost nine of their last 10.
27=) Coventry (1993/94)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Eight
Where did they finish? 11th
Coventry drew five of their opening eight games, with surprise wins coming against Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool. They rose as high as 7th before falling back into mid-table mediocrity, finishing the season sandwiched between Aston Villa and Norwich like a West Midlands Emi Buendia.
24=) Aston Villa (2006/07)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Nine
Where did they finish? 11th
In the first season under the ownership of massive Sex Education fan Randy Lerner, Aston Villa were initially hard to beat. Martin O’Neill’s side drew six of their opening nine Premier League games, and it was not until a trip to Liverpool that they would first taste defeat. They eventually finished firmly ensconced in mid-table, but were never higher than 5th at any point despite their solid start.
24=) Arsenal (2004/05)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Nine
Where did they finish? 2nd
An Invincible air lingered long enough to give Arsenal the best unbeaten start to the following season. Wayne Rooney’s birthday tumble – not a particularly pleasant phrase, granted – finally exposed a chink in the armour that Jose Mourinho fully exploited come May.
24=) Manchester United (1996/97)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Nine
Where did they finish? 1st
It took until the Premier League’s fifth season for the longest unbeaten start to provide a title-winning platform. Manchester United were only 4th by the time they suffered their first defeat in 1996/97, drawing four of their opening nine games. But when they lost, they bloody well lost. Newcastle ended their run with a 5-0 win at St James’ Park, which was followed by the 6-3 defeat to Southampton and a 2-1 loss to Chelsea. Their final total of 75 points remains a low mark for Premier League champions. Figures.
24=) Manchester United (1999/2000)
How many games did they go unbeaten? Nine
Where did they finish? 1st
They drew their opening game against Everton, embarked on a six-match winning run that included victories over Arsenal, Leeds and Newcastle and a Jamie Carragher own-goal brace, then were held by both Wimbledon and Southampton. When October rolled around, Manchester United were unbeaten in nine games, above second-placed Chelsea by one point. But again, the impressive start only led to a remarkable collapse: Chelsea hammered them 5-0 at Stamford Bridge to go top on October 3. Two league defeats for the rest of the season was a fine response from the European champions, mind.
20=) Liverpool (2008/09)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 10
Where did they finish? 2nd
Everyone is familiar with the story of Harry Redknapp’s rescue mission at Tottenham. Spurs had -427 points from 52 games when he was parachuted in to replace Juande Ramos in October 2008, and he dragged them from non-league to 8th in the Premier League in a single season, finally giving Gareth Bale his big break and refusing to believe the critics who thought Luka Modric couldn’t play in central midfield.
His actual achievement of taking them from bottom to mid-table come May was impressive enough without the usual embellishment, and part of it was to inflict upon Liverpool their first defeat of the season in November. The Reds would lose just once more all campaign, yet a series of disappointing draws saw them finish four points behind Manchester United. These are facts.
20=) Liverpool (2021/22)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 10
Where did they finish? 2nd
Liverpool were unbeaten in 25 games before their November trip to West Ham, who had already set about establishing their Champions League credentials. Alisson flapped a corner into his own net. Trent Alexander-Arnold equalised with a free-kick that probably proved each of his doubters wrong. Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma then scored to render Divock Origi’s late goal moot. Beautiful, but moot. Liverpool’s only other Premier League defeat that season came to Leicester just after Boxing Day but Manchester City still pipped them and The Quadruple became an FA and Carabao Cup double.
20=) Manchester City (2022/23)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 10
Where did they finish? 1st
Arsenal did not get properly warmed up until after Manchester United beat them in their sixth game. The Gunners did not even push Manchester City the furthest along the unbeaten line; that honour went to Antonio Conte’s Spurs, who lasted eight matches before falling to their bitter north London rivals. Guardiola chugged along largely uninterrupted until Mo Salah popped up to haunt them yet again at Anfield, but City put together one of those late-season runs to claim another title.
17=) Newcastle and Nottingham Forest (1994/95)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 11 each
Where did they finish? 6th and 3rd respectively
The lesser-remembered Newcastle collapse. Kevin Keegan led them to nine wins in their opening 11 Premier League games, with only Liverpool and Blackburn able to temporarily stop the juggernaut in its tracks. It took Manchester United’s best efforts to inflict upon them a first defeat, yet they were still top with a two-point gap. That Nottingham Forest’s own unbeaten run ended that same day at the hands of Blackburn meant they could not capitalise on what was then the rarest of slips. By May, both United and Rovers would usurp the young pretenders at St James’ Park and the City Ground, neither of whom could keep the pace for nearly long enough.
17=) Chelsea (2005/06)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 11
Where did they finish? 1st
Chelsea did not even concede until their seventh game, never mind come close to losing. By the time they did slip – against Manchester United in November – Wigan were second, Bolton were fourth and Charlton were fifth. Eighteen years is a long time ago.
15=) Nottingham Forest (1995/96)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 12
Where did they finish? 9th
Under Frank Clark’s guidance, Nottingham Forest drew half of their opening 12 games, rising no higher than 3rd at any point due to the sheer unrelenting brilliance of Newcastle and Manchester United. Forest’s first defeat came in November, and it was Blackburn once more who stopped them in their tracks. And boy, did they stop them: a 7-0 victory at Ewood Park was quite the spectacular end.
15=) Aston Villa (1998/99)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 12
Where did they finish? 6th
The goals of Dion Dublin (5), Julian Joachim (3), Paul Merson (3) and Ian Taylor (3) guided John Gregory’s solid Aston Villa side to the top of the Premier League table by November. But theirs was a gentle start, with Leeds the only team they faced in their opening 12 games who would go on to finish in the top six. By the time they hosted Liverpool, their luck had run out: Robbie Fowler scored a hat-trick and Stan Collymore was sent off in a 4-2 defeat.
15=) Leeds (2001/02)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 12
Where did they finish? 5th
A matter of months after reaching the Champions League semi-final, Leeds rode the crest of that wave all the way to the top of the Premier League table. David O’Leary’s band of merry young men were designed not to Bakke down and showed plenty of Harte, all too Keane to make an impression against the Kewell kids. Olivier Dacourt. But a Kevin Phillips-inspired Sunderland ended their run at 12 games, and they would eventually fall away. Even now, they are one of the best Premier League teams to never win a trophy.
15=) Liverpool (2002/03)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 12
Where did they finish? 5th
Incredibly on-brand for early 21st century Liverpool, this. They won nine of their first 12 games before failing to win any of their next 11, crashing from top with a four-point gap to seventh and 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, while being eliminated from the Champions League by Basel.
15=) Spurs (2016/17)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 12
Where did they finish? 2nd
One of the great Spurs seasons, when Mauricio Pochettino’s side scored the most and conceded the fewest goals, lost the fewest games, made the longest unbeaten start and won 12 of their last 13 matches, yet still finished seven points behind Chelsea. It was the Blues who gave them that first taste of defeat in late November, with Victor Moses scoring the winner. A different time.
15=) Arsenal (1997/98)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 12
Where did they finish? 1st
Arsene Wenger’s first full campaign saw them go without defeat from August to October, with their first loss coming on November 1. Patrick Vieira missed an early penalty against Derby, who capitalised with goals through Paulo Wanchope and Daniel’s uncle Dean Sturridge in a 3-0 win at Pride Park. Arsenal’s response? They beat leaders Manchester United 3-2 in their next game.
9=) Manchester City (2011/12)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 14
Where did they finish? 1st
After a gradual rise from 10th to 5th and then 3rd in the previous three seasons, Manchester City were ready to come of age in 2011/12. Sergio Aguero would deliver a dramatic first top-flight title in 44 years, but it might never have happened without 12 wins in their first 14 games. That gave City breathing space, something which five defeats from December to April almost wasted. But they ended the season as they started it, winning their final six games with the squeakiest of posteriors.
9=) Chelsea (2014/15)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 14
Where did they finish? 1st
Chelsea went top of the table with a 3-1 win over Burnley in their opening game of the 2014/15 Premier League season, and they would not relinquish that spot for the rest of the campaign. But the Blues could not quite avoid defeat throughout the entire second half of the year. Newcastle inflicted just one of three losses all season, with a Papiss Cisse double ending their 23-game unbeaten run.
7=) Arsenal and Liverpool (2007/08)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 15 each
Where did they finish? 3rd and 4th respectively
With a memorable Champions League quarter-final between them in the offing, Arsenal and Liverpool matched one another stride for stride in the Premier League first. Both were unbeaten after 15 games, with the Gunners winning 11 and drawing four, while the Reds had won nine and drawn six. And both met their demise at the hands of unlikely sources: Middlesbrough ended Arsenal’s run, while Reading ably tripped Liverpool up. Manchester United and Chelsea overtook them both by May, both domestically and in Europe.
7=) Manchester City (2012/13)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 15
Where did they finish? 2nd
City went one better but eventually finished one position worse than the following season. Determined to keep their crown, Roberto Mancini’s men won nine and drew six of their opening 15 games, yet were still second behind Manchester United by the time they hosted their bitter rivals in December. Robin van Persie’s stoppage-time winner sent United six points clear and they never looked back.
5) Liverpool (2018/19)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 20
Where did they finish? 2nd
Liverpool made it to the New Year before finally tasting defeat on January 3. And Manchester City’s 2-1 win at the Etihad was a pivotal moment in the title race, not least because they claimed the trophy by a single point. It was the only occasion the Reds were beaten all season, with Jurgen Klopp’s side perfect down a nine-game straight, but still it wasn’t enough to claw back City. Klopp had to console himself with the Champions League instead.
Will never forget John Stones' goal line clearance vs Liverpool back in 18/19. What a moment that was. 💙 pic.twitter.com/0Z3SDhetFK
— City Chief (@City_Chief) December 22, 2021
4) Manchester City (2017/18)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 22
Where did they finish? 1st
The pretenders to the Invincibles’ crown looked the most likely team to match Arsenal’s 2003/04 achievements in some time. Manchester won 20 of their first 22 games, sweeping aside any and every team that dared stand in their way. But they did not account for the whirlwind that was Liverpool, whose three goals in nine second-half minutes of a 4-3 win stunned City just long enough to prevent an overwhelming response. That defeat cut City’s lead at the top to a tiny 12 points with 15 games remaining. They somehow held on to win the title.
3) Manchester United (2010/11)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 24
Where did they finish? 1st
As Premier League leaders from late-November onwards, Manchester United never looked in particular danger of being pipped to the post in 2010/11. By the time they reached February, their only defeat in any competition came in the League Cup against West Ham. But little old Wolves sprung quite the surprise with a 2-1 win at Molineux that did not even lift the hosts off the bottom of the table. George bloody Elokobi scored.
2) Liverpool (2019/20)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 27
Where did they finish? 1st
By the time Liverpool got to the last day in February unbeaten, there were genuine hopes – and fears – that the Reds could emulate Arsenal’s Invincibles. Then they went to second-from-bottom Watford and got battered by Nigel Pearson’s Hornets. It mattered not. The Reds were already 22 points clear at that point, with the only threat to their first title in 30 years coming from a global pandemic that paused the league after the next game for well over three months.
1) Arsenal (2003/04)
How many games did they go unbeaten? 38
Where did they finish? 1st
Herein begins the petition to start describing Arsenal’s 2003/04 season as a 38-game unbeaten start. A 3-2 defeat to relegation-battling Leeds triggered something in the collective Gooner mind in May 2003. They would not taste Premier League defeat again until October 2004: a run of 49 games and 17 months that has set the benchmark against which everything before and since has struggled to measure up.
READ MORE: Ranking the 21 Arsenal invincibles by their level of importance to the team