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What are the earliest Premier League title wins?

By Matt Furniss (Opta Analyst) 18 Apr 2025
Henderson Kompany lift Premier League trophy

Opta Analyst's Matt Furniss recalls the title races that were wrapped up with five or more matches to go

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Liverpool could win the title on Sunday with five games remaining if they beat Leicester City while Arsenal lose at Ipswich Town. 

Here, Matt Furniss of Opta Analyst looks at the earliest Premier League title wins.

Seven games to go - Liverpool 2019/20

Liverpool won the 2019/20 Premier League title at a canter, sealing first place with a record seven matches remaining.

No other team have ever won an English top-flight league title with that many matches left to play in a season.

See: Review of 2019/20 season

It was a strange campaign overall, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the season to an abrupt halt in March before returning in June without fans in stadiums. This didn’t stop the Reds from lifting the trophy, though.

It was Liverpool’s first top-flight title since 1989/90, while their manager Jurgen Klopp sealed a personal hat-trick of championships, after previously winning the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund in 2010/11 and 2011/12.

One disappointment that Liverpool may have had was finishing one short of the Premier League points record - set at 100 by rivals Manchester City in 2017/18.

Earliest Premier League title wins
Club Season Matches remaining
Liverpool 2019/20 7
Man City 2017/18 5
Man Utd 2000/01 5
Man Utd 1999/00 4
Arsenal 2003/04 4
Man Utd 2012/13 4
Five games to go - Man City 2017/18

That 100-point Man City side won the 2017/18 Premier League title with five games left to play after West Bromwich Albion’s shock win over nearest rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

They ended up securing the title by a huge 19 points over United; the biggest gap between first and second in a single Premier League season. More on this later!

See: Review of 2017/18 season

Man City’s 32 wins set a new English top-flight record for a single season, but they replicated this feat only a year later when winning the title again in 2018/19, albeit with two points fewer (98).

The 2017/18 season also saw Man City score 106 goals in the Premier League, the most by a side in a single campaign since the competition began in 1992. The previous top-flight team to net more in an English league season were Spurs in 1962/63 (111).

Five games to go - Man Utd 2000/01

Man Utd won the Premier League title with five games left to play in 2000/01 when eventual runners-up Arsenal lost against Middlesbrough at home.

The Red Devils won the league with only 80 points that season. Only three winners have collected fewer, but they were helped by Arsenal only managing 70 points to finish in second place. Only Newcastle United in 1996/97, with 68, have won fewer points as a second-placed team in a Premier League campaign.

See: Review of 2000/01 season

This was also the earliest Premier League title win in terms of date, with Man Utd wrapping up a first-place finish on 14 April.

Can Liverpool set record for biggest points gap?

Currently 13 points clear, Liverpool have work to do if they want to finish first by a record margin in the Premier League.

Man City were an emphatic 19 points ahead of second place at the end of the 2017/18 season, beating the record of 18 points set by Man Utd in 1999/00.

Liverpool had a final lead of 18 points in 2019/20, when they ended their 30-year wait for a league title and equalled Man City's record number of 32 wins in a 38-match Premier League season.

Biggest final points gaps between top two PL clubs
Champions Runners-up Season Final points gap
Man City Man Utd 2017/18 19
Man Utd Arsenal 1999/00 18
Liverpool Man City 2019/20 18
Chelsea Arsenal 2004/05 12
Man City Man Utd 2020/21 12
Liverpool's next five fixtures
Arsenal's next five fixtures

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