Our nervy win against Leeds United this afternoon means that the club have made their best start to a Premier League season ever after the opening 10 games.
Arsenal’s sublime start to the season sees the club boast a record of 9 wins, 0 draws and just 1 loss, making for 27 points taken from a possible 30, as the club sit top of the league above Champions Manchester City.
Only four times in Premier League history (in a 38-game season) have a side amassed more points than this current Arsenal side have after the opening 10 games of the campaign. The first? The City ‘Centurions’ in 2018/19, who shocked the league to become the first team in Premier League history to hit a three-digit points total. The second? Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side of the 2019/20 season, who accumulated an outstanding 99 points to see the club take home their first Premier League title ever. The third? Jose Mourinho’s iconic Chelsea side of 2005/06, who conceded only 22 goals in 38 games and ended on a prodigious points total of 91. And finally, last but not least, we go back to Manchester City, who won the league in unforgettable fashion through a 94th minute Sergio Aguero goal on the final day of the 2011/12 season to take the title away from rivals Manchester United and end the season on 89 points. In case you didn’t realise, that means that the only four sides to have bettered our current start to the season went on to lift the Premier League title.
Only time will tell whether our boys can go all the way and bring the Premier League trophy back to N5 for the first time in almost two decades. But for now, let’s look back at the other 9 sides with the most points after 10 games of a Premier League season and see where they ended up finishing.
1) Manchester City 2017/18
Points After 10 games: 28/30
Record After 10 games: W9/D1/L0
Points After 38 games: 100
Finish: Winners
As aforementioned, the Manchester City side of 2017/18 did the unthinkable, and achieved an unprecedented 100 points to write every single one of their squad members’ names in the history books forever. City were the only side in the league that season to have four players end the campaign on a double-figure goals tally, as Aguero (21), Sterling (18), Jesus (13) and Sane (10) all fired Pep Guardiola to his first Premier League title, helping the club to end the season on a ridiculous goal difference of +79. Furthermore, the Sky Blues also dominated the top assisters chart, with De Bruyne (16), Sane (15), Silva (11) and Sterling (11) each being the only players in the league to assist a teammate over 10 times, emphasising the clear lock that the club had on the league at the time. Funnily enough, it was Gabriel Jesus of all people’s stoppage time lob which allowed City to get the win against Southampton on the final day of the season to take them to the iconic 100 points total. If you could do something similar for us this season, that would be much appreciated, Gabi.
All-in-all, that side had everything, from Sergio Aguero’s lethal finishing up front, to David Silva’s majestic brilliance in midfield, to Vincent Kompany’s authoritative dominance at the back. This Manchester City side will always be amongst the names mentioned in the ‘greatest Premier League team of all-time’ conversation, and for great reason, too.
2) Liverpool 2019/20
Points After 10 games: 28/30
Record After 10 games: W9/D1/L0
Points After 38 games: 99
Finish: Winners
With how excellent Liverpool have been for the past half-decade, and with how prominent they’ve been at the top of the table since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, it still feels strange to me to highlight that the 2019/20 season is the only one that has ended with the Reds being crowned Champions.
The Liverpool side of 19/20 are the second-best team in Premier League history when it comes to points amassed, finishing on a total of 99, putting them behind only the legendary 2017/18 Manchester City side. Their drought-ending title win also prevented Manchester City from winning the league, when we look back now, for what would’ve been a record 5 times in a row. When you think about how much of a powerhouse Manchester City have been under Guardiola, that alone is a pretty phenomenal achievement.
What a team this Liverpool side was. Bobby Firmino led the line elegantly, chipping in with several important goals and making some highlight-reel assists for his teammates. Namely, Mane and Salah, who were iconic and lethal from the wings, ending the season on impressive goal tallies of 18 and 19 respectively. Jordan Henderson was captain of the season, and led by example with the armband from the middle of the park. Van Dijk was imperious and cemented himself as the best defender in the world at the end of a faultless season. And who can forget Trent and Robbo’s contribution to the club’s only Premier League title win ever? The pair were relentless and their assist-making talents from full-back were unrivalled, as the Scotsman and Englishman became the only full-back pairing in PL history to end a campaign on double figures for assists each, with 12 and 13 respectively.
This is a Liverpool side that will never be forgotten, and their efforts in going toe-to-toe Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side over the last few seasons have prevented the best league in the world from being a one-horse race.
3) Chelsea 2005/06
Points After 10 games: 28/30
Record After 10 games: W9/D1/L0
Points After 38 games: 95
Finish: Winners
In 2005/06, Chelsea became only the second side in Premier League history to retain the title after Manchester United, and did so in emphatic fashion. The club won 29 of their 38 games and conceded just 22 goals all season, a total that was only bettered by Chelsea themselves the year before when they conceded a record-breaking low 15 goals.
Led by the arrogant but charming Jose Mourinho (before his beautiful decline), this Chelsea side was a nightmare to play against. Didier Drogba spear-headed the line and married chaos with goals, Frank Lampard was consistently prolific from midfield, John Terry and William Carvalho were immaculate at the back, and Petr Cech was superhuman at times in between the sticks. After 10 games of the 2005/06 season, Chelsea had the league in a chokehold, and they ended up lasting the test of time to end the season on 95 points, 8 points ahead of an extremely strong Manchester United side in second.
Perhaps the only way to stop the Invincibles from retaining the Premier League title was to form a side so pragmatic and results-orientated that conceding a goal, let alone dropping a point, would be seen as a severe disappointment, and credit to Mourinho, he did exactly that. While this Chelsea side may not be able to rival the greatest Arsenal, United or City sides in terms of most entertaining teams in Premier League history, there is no doubt about it that Mourinho’s Chelsea side of 2005 are one of the greatest in the history of the league, and would give any prime side a run for their money.
4) Manchester City 2011/12
Points After 10 games: 28/30
Record After 10 games: W9/D1/L0
Points After 38 games: 89
Finish: Winners
The 2011/12 season was an iconic season, not just for Manchester City, but for the Premier League as a whole, as Sergio Aguero’s stoppage time winner against QPR on the final day of the season won Manchester City their first Premier League title ever in the most dramatic fashion of all time.
If that legendary moment had never happened, Wayne Rooney’s winner in Manchester United’s final day victory at Sunderland would’ve been enough to secure their local rivals their 5th title win in 6 years. But, that just wasn’t meant to be.
Under the careful guidance of Italian maestro Roberto Mancini, the Sky Blues started in almost perfect fashion, comfortably topping the league early in the season with 9 wins and a draw from the opening 10 games of the campaign. The midfield partnership of Yaya Toure and David Silva, which had everything from power and skill to grace and goals was the perfect base for talented forwards Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli and Sergio Aguero to go forward, who all ended the season on double-figure goal tallies. Furthermore, if the opposition were tricky enough to get past the commanding Vincent Kompany, then they would’ve had to go one better to get past Golden Glove winner Joe Hart, who was outstanding in goal, as both players found their way into the 2011/12 PFA team of the season.
After a few shaky results towards the back end of the season, coupled with a surge in form from the Red Devils, City almost let the title slip into the hands of their neighbours, but managed to get over the line in the most memorable fashion to end the season on 89 points and ultimately mark the real start of a period of dominance for them in English football.
5) Arsenal 2022/23
Points After 10 games: 27/30
Record After 10 games: W9/D0/L1
Points After 38 games: N/A
Finish: N/A
The Arsenal side of the 2022/23 season had an average squad age of 23.7 years old, yet still took the Premier League by storm and topped the table all the way from September 2022 to May 2023 to mark an iconic season for The Gunners who were crowned League Champions for the first time since 2004.
^Let’s hope I’m writing that at the end of the season.
6) Newcastle 1995/96
Points After 10 games: 27/30
Record After 10 games: W9/D0/L1
Points After 38 games: 78
Finish: Runners-up
The Newcastle team of 1995/96 was a brilliant one, and was led by the clinical Les Ferdinand, who ended the campaign on an impressive 25 league goals. The side was also populated with an array of attacking talent elsewhere in the likes of Faustino Asprilla, David Ginola and more, after investment from the owner in both the summer and January transfer windows.
The Geordies established a 12-point lead over fellow title challengers Manchester United in January 1996, putting them in pole position to win a first Premier League title and make it a historic campaign for the Northern side. However, it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to describe the Tyneside club’s form in the business end of the season as shambolic, as they went on to lose five of their next eight games, allowing United to leapfrog them in the table and clinch the title within the last few games of the season.
Thus, Newcastle ended the season 4 points behind eventual winners Manchester United, which is still the closest the club has ever come to winning the league. Let’s hope that we can stay the course this year a little better than the Geordies did.
7) Manchester City 2018/19
Points After 10 games: 26/30
Record After 10 games: W8/D2/L0
Points After 38 games: 98
Finish: Winners
The Manchester City side of the 2018/19 season probably doesn’t get spoken about enough. However, that’s largely down to their own club’s doing. The only way to find a side more brilliant than City 2018/19 is to rewind a year back and look at the City Centurions of 2017/18.
Pep Guardiola’s men finished the season on another pristine points total, this time of 98 – a total beaten only by the City Centurions (100) and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side of the following year (99). The Spaniard’s side amassed 32 total wins from the 38 games – a record-equalling tally level with the Centurions and the 2019/20 Liverpool side.
A fact that makes this title win that bit more impressive is that the club’s star man Kevin De Bruyne was injured for half of the season. Maybe they would’ve completely defied logic and recorded back-to-back 100 points season finishes if the Belgian superstar had featured in one of the 6 games that the club failed to win, but I guess we’ll never know. Luckily for City, their usual suspects were at it throughout the campaign, with the likes of Aguero, Sane, Sterling, Silva and more turbo-charging the Citizens to their first title-retaining season ever.
8) Chelsea 2014/15
Points After 10 games: 26/30
Record After 10 games: W8/D2/L0
Points After 38 games: 87
Finish: Winners
The second season of Jose Mourinho’s second stint as Chelsea boss was a special one for the Portuguese manager and his West London side. No pun intended.
Chelsea took the league by storm and established an early lead at the top of the table, remaining undefeated until December, when a 2-1 loss at St. James’ Park in their 15th-game of the season saw them fall to a surprise defeat. However, the Blues bounced back as expected and truth-be-told pretty much cruised to a fourth Premier League title, ending the season on 87 points – 8 more than runners-up Manchester City, with only 3 losses from the 38 games they played.
That Chelsea squad was full of world class talent. The likes of Hazard, Costa, Matic, Cahill, Terry and Ivanovic all had stellar seasons, earning themselves a place in the PFA TOTS 2014/15. Quite harshly, superstars Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Courtois didn’t make the cut, despite their excellent seasons respectively. Perhaps the Premier League thought that they couldn’t have more than 6 of the XI from the same team as it would’ve made a visible mockery of the competitiveness of the league that year. Although, in all honesty, it would’ve accurately reflected the complete dominance of the West London side’s season from start to finish.
9) Liverpool 2008/09
Points After 10 games: 26/30
Record After 10 games: W8/D2/L0
Points After 38 games: 86
Finish: Runners-up
After 10 games of the 2008/09 Premier League season, Liverpool were top of the league with 26 points taken from a possible 30, 3 points above fellow title challengers Chelsea, who were enjoying an excellent start to the season themselves.
Captain Stevie G and a certain 24-year-old Spaniard by the name of Fernando Torres were the Reds’ top two performing players, and were instrumental in helping them record some historic results as the season went on. These results included a 4-1 thrashing of United at Old Trafford, a classic 4-4 draw with Arsenal at Anfield, a dominant 4-0 win over European giants Real Madrid, and another scintillating 4-4 draw, this time with Chelsea in the UCL quarter-finals. Liverpool’s team was anything but shy of goals and their games, especially the big ones, were anything but shy of drama and excitement.
As the season went on however, the experience and guile of Sir Alex’s United side saw them capitalise whenever the Reds did make a rare slip up, and throughout the second half of the season, the Scotsman’s side would overtake Benitez’s Liverpool and create a healthy enough gap between the two sides at the top of the league. The season would eventually end with Liverpool having to settle for PL runners-up, as the club finished on 80 points, just 6 shy of champions’ Manchester United’s total. Notably, Liverpool lost only 2 games all season, which is one less than Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning Liverpool side of 2019/20 lost, highlighting just how brilliant Rafa Benitez’s side were.
10) Arsenal 2007/08
Points After 10 games: 26/30
Record After 10 games: W8/D2/L0
Points After 38 games: 83
Finish: Third
Although we finished 2nd in the 2015/16 season, the Arsenal side of 2007/08 which finished 3rd was, truthfully, the closest side we’ve had to winning the title since 2005.
The club started the season brilliantly, and after 10 games we sat 3 points clear of Manchester United, who were hot on our tails in second. Emmanuel Adebayor’s goals up front, Cesc Fabregas’ class in midfield, and important contributions from the likes of Rosicky and Van Persie (when fit) were seeing us through games and saw us still in first place 10 games later, in gameweek 20.
Heading into February, Arsenal were 5 points clear at the top of the league, and fans were optimistic that we could win the league for the first time in 4 seasons. However, that all changed on the cursed afternoon of Saturday 23rd February 2008, when Martin Taylor’s horror tackle on Eduardo ended the promising Croatian’s season, and arguably his career. Our visibly psychologically affected side subsequently succumbed to a 2-2 draw away to Birmingham, in a run of four draws in a row which saw the side drop enough points for Manchester United to creep above us at the top of the league.
Unfortunately, we never managed to reclaim the top spot from Ferguson’s side, and defeat to Chelsea in the next month saw us drop down to third, which is where we finished the season on a disappointing but respectable 83 points – the highest points total ever reached by a side that finished outside of the top two. Emmanuel Adebayor ended the season on 24 league goals, a total only topped by Cristiano Ronaldo’s record-equalling (at-the-time) 31, and Cesc Fabregas was deservedly named the PFA YPOTS after a superb season for our young star.
With a bit more luck, a few less individual errors and a few less injuries, we would’ve won the league that year. It still saddens me to think about this season and what could’ve been. Only four points off the top. Damn.
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