Top 5 Season Performances by EPL Clubs

Ever since it was introduced in the early 1990s, the English Premier League has almost always been the top professional football league in the world. The best players typically want to make their way to England and thus have created a level of competition that’s essentially unmatched. Because of this, it can be difficult for one club to truly stand out among the rest, but it has been done.

We’ve seen a few seasons in which one club was able to dominate, setting records for points and goals. Who has put together the most dominant seasons, though? Here are the top five single-season performances by English Premier League teams, with just three different clubs taking those five spots.

Chelsea (2016-17)

The first two seasons on the list both come from Chelsea, with the first being in the 2016-17 season. Tottenham Hotspur had one of their best campaigns that season but still finished seven points out of the EPL title. That’s because Chelsea was on a tear that year, winning 30 of its 38 matches. Just five of those were losses, as well, finishing the season with 93 points and a +52 goal differential (Tottenham was actually first with +60).

After six matches, Chelsea had won just three while losing to Liverpool and Arsenal. The rest of the way, though, Chelsea barely stuttered. Diego Costa was the top goal-scorer with 20 during the EPL season while Eden Hazard added another 16.

Chelsea (2004-05)

The other Chelsea season which made the list came more than a decade prior to their dominating 93-point performance. Chelsea finished with two more points in this season, but it was actually far more impressive. Not only did they have a goal differential that was five better than the 2016-17 season, but they lost just one match. There were eight draws and 29 wins for Chelsea, finishing with 95 points, which was 12 ahead of second-place Arsenal.

The one loss for Chelsea came in the ninth match day with a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City. The goals were spread fairly evenly amongst the Chelsea players, with 13 for Frank Lampard, 12 for Eiour Guojohnsen, and 10 for Didier Drogba.

Manchester City (2018-19)

Many people who watch the English Premier League felt bad for Liverpool in the 2018-19 season. That’s because they posted one of the best campaigns in league history with 97 points, but it was only good enough for second place. That’s because Manchester City was just one point better, finishing with a whopping 32 wins compared to just two draws and four losses. The goal differential was also absurd for Man City, finishing at +72. No other club besides those two finished with more than 72 points.

What made things interesting was that Manchester City’s struggles came toward the middle of the season. At one point, the club had lost three out of four matches, dropping decisions to Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Leicester City. However, after the 19th match day, Man City lost just one match while winning the rest. Sergio Aguero had the most goals, scoring 21 in the season.

Liverpool (2019-20)

The following season, things were made right for Liverpool as this time they finished ahead of Manchester City in the top two of the standings. Liverpool didn’t just win the league by one point, however, as they thoroughly dominated with 99 points, which was 18 points ahead of Man City and 33 points ahead of third-place Manchester United. Liverpool finished with 32 wins, three losses, and three draws during the season.

Liverpool had just one draw in its first 27 matches while the rest of them were victories. By then, Liverpool had already set itself ahead of the rest of the group and was able to coast to a title. Most of the losses and draws came at the end of the season, with the leading scorers being Mohamed Salah (19) and Sadio Mane (18).

Manchester City (2017-18)

Only one club has ever been able to achieve 100 points in an English Premier League season, and it came at the height of Manchester City’s run at the top of the table. In the 2017-18 season, Man City got 100 points on the dot thanks to a record of 32 wins, four draws, and just two losses. The club’s +79 goal differential was also a record, and they finished 19 points ahead of runner-up Manchester United.

The two losses came by one goal each, with the first one coming in the 23rd match against Liverpool (4-3) and the other coming in the 32nd week against Manchester United (3-2). Sergio Aguero led all scorers with 21, while Raheem Sterling added 18 and Gabriel Jesus scored 13.