In total, seven clubs have won the Premier League since its inception in 1992. Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and most recently Liverpool have made up the 28 winners, with Manchester United the overall most dominant. Outside of those few, there have been a few great teams that missed out on the title
Here at NetBet, we’ve been thinking about who the best teams in Premier League history are, as well as some of the more iconic teams lower down the table. Many of them are still in the Premiership, so you can make a bet on their upcoming matches over on our sports betting pages.
Manchester United – 1992-2013 Dynasty
We don’t think it’s fair to just fill the list with various Alex Ferguson-led teams, so we’ve decided to include arguably the greatest dynasty in British sport. Anybody who watched football from the late 90s to the mid 2010s knows that Old Trafford was the last place any team in the world wanted to go. Throughout the years, they won 13 league titles, two Champions Leagues, a FIFA Club World Cup and countless other domestic trophies. The likes of David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane and dozens more international superstars played a part in one of the most impressive runs in sport history. Since Ferguson quit management in 2013, Manchester United have yet to reach the promised land of Premiership glory again, although they have had an admirable showing in this 2020/21 season.
Arsenal – 2003/04 Invincibles
It had only been done once before, back in the inaugural Football League season of 1888-89, when Arsenal went a whole season undefeated in 2003/04. Preston North End were the last to achieve the feat, and as such, Arsenal’s invincibles really shocked the system when they earned the only ever Golden Premier League trophy. Arsene Wenger predicted the feat in September of 2003, saying that other managers also felt it possible but that they were ‘scared to look ridiculous’. But it was the doubters who looked ridiculous when after 26 wins and 12 draws, Wenger’s side took home the title with a 90-point tally that, surprisingly, doesn’t touch the record points tally that Manchester City set in the 2017/18 season. Many legends of the game played for Arsenal back then, including Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, while the likes of Jeremy Lynch were coming up in the academy system.
Manchester City – 2017/18 Centurions
Manchester City’s 100 point tally in 2017/18 broke the record for the most amount of points ever recorded in a Premier League season. This statistic includes seasons before the league was reduced to 20 teams when teams played 42 games as opposed to 38, which makes it all the more impressive. It wasn’t the only record that Pep Guardiola’s men set, they also picked up the most away points (50), most wins (32), most consecutive wins (18), most goals scored (106) and best goal difference (79), before going on to set the longest win streak in Premier League history the following season. The likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and more beat their nearest competitors Manchester United by 19 points.
Derby County – 2007/08
We’re not just including the great teams in here, and this team might be the furthest from that ever to grace the league. In a season where Manchester United completed a double at the top, most people couldn’t keep their eyes away from the bottom side Derby County. Many football historians consider the 2007/08 Derby County team to be the worst in Premier League history, recording just 11 points, one win, and being relegated in March. After a 6–0 defeat to Liverpool on the fifth matchday, Irish bookmakers Paddy Power made headlines when they opted to pay out on the club to be relegated on September 1st. It wasn’t even that they had the World’s worst players – Robbie Savage joined in January while the likes of Kenny Miller, Alan Stubbs and Roy Carroll were on the books – it just didn’t click. They beat Newcastle United, but the most memorable moment of their season came in a 6-0 loss to Aston Villa when Stilyan Petrov scored from the halfway line on his weak foot. A moment that symbolized a remarkably bad season.
Chelsea – 2004/05
The debut of Didier Drogba, Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Stamford Bridge and a record points total for the time. Those are the overriding memories of a phenomenal year for the London club.
Several factors made Chelsea’s side that year a marvel to behold. With captain John Terry leading from the back, Chelsea came inches away from besting the Arsenal invincibles, losing just one time all season to Manchester City. They ultimately obliterated Wenger’s famous side’s tally for points, a record which wouldn’t be broken for over a decade. Goalkeeper Petr Cech, years away from donning his famous scrum cap, won the Golden Glove after keeping a record 21 clean sheets in a season where his defence conceded just 15 times goals. They arguably deserved Liverpool’s spot in the Champions League final as well, considering the dubious nature of Luis Garcia’s infamous ‘ghost goal’ in the second leg of their semi-final clash, but they were ultimately the best team in the country at the time, and the man behind it all; Jose Mourinho, would go on to become possibly the top manager in world football.