Avoiding defeat in soccer is likely one of the many fundamentals of the sport, however doing it over an extended time frame requires a considerable amount of luck, consistency, grit and willpower. 5 of the longest unbeaten runs in English top-flight soccer have come within the Premier League period, however what groups function on the all-time record?
There have been ten events the place groups have hit the 30-game milestone for matches unbeaten, which has been one thing of a stumbling block through the years. For this record, we have ranked the longest unbeaten runs since information started. Solely league video games depend, and given there has solely ever been one modern-day unbeaten season, it’s maybe no shock that few have managed to even come shut.
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English soccer’s longest unbeaten runs |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Group |
Matches unbeaten |
Years |
|
1 |
Arsenal |
49 |
2003-2004 |
|
2 |
Liverpool |
44 |
2019-2020 |
|
3 |
Nottingham Forest |
42 |
1977-1978 |
|
4 |
Chelsea |
40 |
2004-2005 |
|
5 |
Leeds |
34 |
1968-1969 |
|
6 |
Liverpool |
31 |
1987-1988 |
|
7 |
Manchester Metropolis |
30 |
2017-2018 |
|
8 |
Arsenal |
30 |
2001-2002 |
|
9 |
Leeds |
30 |
1973-1974 |
|
10 |
Burnley |
30 |
1920-1921 |
10
Burnley 1920-1921
30 video games
The Clarets cemented themselves within the historical past books of English soccer after they have been topped champions of England for the primary time in March 1921, following a 30-game unbeaten run.
Beneath boss John Haworth, who spent 14 years answerable for the membership, Burnley misplaced their first three video games of the 1920/21 season, earlier than going 30 video games with out dropping and establishing a document that lasted 83 years – it was the primary time a top-flight English soccer membership had gone that many video games unbeaten.
A particular plaque commemorating the long-lasting Clarets document was restored in 2021 and displayed in a brand new lounge at Turf Moor, Burnley’s stadium.
|
Matches unbeaten |
30 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
3-0 v Huddersfield (sixth September 1920) |
|
Final sport |
1-0 v Man Utd (twenty fifth March 1921) |
|
Crushed by |
Manchester Metropolis (L 0-1, twenty sixth March 1921) |
9
Leeds 1973-1974
30 video games
Following a third-place end the earlier season – which culminated with a 6-1 win over Arsenal at Elland Highway – Leeds United stormed into the 1973/74 marketing campaign thirsty for achievement.
Don Revie’s facet have been reeling from bitter cup last defeats. The primary: a surprising FA Cup last defeat to Second Division Sunderland. The second: one other 1-0 defeat to Milan within the European Cup Winners’ Cup, refereed by Christos Michas, who was later banned for match-fixing.
Nonetheless, each defeats didn’t rattle Revie’s males, as they began the following marketing campaign by going 29 video games unbeaten, profitable 19 and drawing 10, along with their late-season win over Arsenal the earlier time period.
Their 30-game unbeaten run got here to an finish after a 3-2 defeat to Stoke Metropolis, however Leeds would go on to carry their second English League title ending on 62 factors.
It was Revie’s final season answerable for Leeds, as he accepted the England job the place he remained largely unsuccessful for 3 years, earlier than managing the United Arab Emirates.
|
Matches unbeaten |
30 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
6-1 v Arsenal (ninth Could 1973) |
|
Final sport |
2-0 v Man Utd (ninth February 1974) |
|
Crushed by |
Stoke Metropolis (L 2-3, twenty third February 1974) |
8
Arsenal 2001-2002
30 video games
Arsenal have been a power to be reckoned with within the early 2000s, with star names like Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp all on the prime of their sport.
Ending as runners-up to Manchester United the earlier season and dropping out to Liverpool within the 2001 FA Cup last spurred Arsene Wenger’s males on to have a wonderful subsequent few years. This era started with their 30-game unbeaten streak in the course of the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
It was a massively aggressive league on the time, with Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester United all on the hunt for Premier League success, however Arsenal skilled simply three defeats in the course of the marketing campaign.
Of their final 21 fixtures, the Gunners went unbeaten – profitable every of their final 13 – and Sylvain Wiltord’s purpose at Outdated Trafford added the League title to their trophy cupboard, following their FA Cup success at Wembley over Chelsea 4 days prior.
|
Matches unbeaten |
30 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
2-1 v Liverpool (twenty third December 2001) |
|
Final sport |
3-1 v Sunderland (sixth October 2002) |
|
Crushed by |
Everton (L 1-2, nineteenth October 2002) |
7
Man Metropolis 2017-2018
30 video games
Surprisingly, Pep Guardiola’s facet function simply as soon as on the record of the longest unbeaten runs in top-flight English soccer, however Manchester Metropolis followers will keep in mind the 2017/18 season for completely completely different causes.
Gabriel Jesus’ 94th-minute winner at Southampton in Could 2018 secured the Premier League champions 100 factors, a feat no workforce had ever achieved earlier than.
The centurions have been formidable throughout your entire marketing campaign, profitable 32 video games and dropping simply two – they clocked precisely 50 factors at house and 50 factors away, scoring 106 objectives, which averages out at 2.79 per sport.
Heavy funding in the summertime with the additions of Bernardo Silva, Ederson and Kyle Walker, and a membership document £57m on Aymeric Laporte in January, meant Pep Guardiola had a plethora of expertise at his disposal.
Their 30-game unbeaten run began with a 3-1 win at house to Hull Metropolis in April 2017 and led to a Premier League basic: a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in January 2018.
Metropolis then went on to carry their third Premier League title on the finish of the season.
|
Matches unbeaten |
30 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
3-1 v Hull (eighth April 2017) |
|
Final sport |
3-1 v Watford (2nd January 2018) |
|
Crushed by |
Liverpool (L 3-4, 14th January 2018) |
6
Liverpool 1987-1988
31 video games
Liverpool achieved unprecedented success all through the Nineteen Seventies and 80s. They have been dominant in all areas of the pitch, creating soccer icons reminiscent of Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and John Barnes alongside the best way.
With Dalglish on the helm, the Reds wanted to refocus forward of the 1987/88 season after profitable the membership’s first-ever league and FA Cup double.
Prime goalscorer Ian Rush had additionally been bought to Juventus for a then-British-record charge of £3.2m, which subsequently led to a rebuild, with Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Nigel Spackman and John Aldridge all signed.
Liverpool received the season off to a flying begin, profitable 9 of their first 10 video games and remained unbeaten within the league till March 1988.
It was Everton who handed Liverpool their first defeat, however the Reds finally had the final snigger, as they proceeded to carry their seventeenth English title in a season after they scored 87 objectives.
Liverpool had additionally equalled Leeds United’s document of 29 video games unbeaten in a single league marketing campaign.
|
Matches unbeaten |
31 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
1-0 v Watford (4th Could 1987) |
|
Final sport |
1-1 v Derby (sixteenth March 1988) |
|
Crushed by |
Everton (L 0-1, twentieth March 1988) |
5
Leeds 1968-1969
34 video games
Don Revie spearheaded the start of an English document in the course of the 1968/69 season, as Leeds would go on to carry the First Division trophy.
His facet received off to an excellent begin, profitable seven of their opening 9 video games, earlier than dropping to Manchester Metropolis 3-1 away from house.
After experiencing a humiliating 5-1 defeat at Burnley – which might become their final of the season – Leeds then went 28 video games unbeaten within the prime flight of English soccer.
Within the penultimate sport of the season, Leeds secured the title in a 0-0 draw at Anfield towards Liverpool. Revie’s males smashed quite a few English information alongside the best way, together with probably the most factors (67), most wins (27) and fewest defeats (2) in a single marketing campaign.
Their unbeaten run would come to an finish by the hands of a well-known workforce on this record, as they misplaced 3-2 to Everton the next season in August 1969.
|
Matches unbeaten |
34 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
0-0 v West Brom (twenty sixth October 1968) |
|
Final sport |
1-1 v Burnley (twenty sixth August 1969) |
|
Crushed by |
Everton (L 2-3, thirtieth August 1969) |
4
Chelsea 2004-2005
40 video games
The 2004-05 season was a significant turning level within the Roman Abramovich period, as Chelsea welcomed Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge.
That very same summer time, Abramovich signed Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Petr Cech and Arjen Robben – so large change was underway.
Solely 41 on the time, Mourinho was introduced into Chelsea to win trophies, and that’s precisely what he did in his first season.
Not solely did Mourinho win the Premier League – a feat that hadn’t been achieved in 50 years on the membership – in his first season, however he additionally smashed quite a few information alongside the best way, particularly within the defensive division.
The Blues’ first defeat of the season got here away at Manchester Metropolis in October 2004, and that may be the ultimate time they’d drop three factors in a sport for the remainder of the marketing campaign.
Mourinho’s defensive stability was key to the 29-game unbeaten run that Chelsea launched into for the remainder of the season, breaking the document for probably the most factors in a Premier League season with 95.
Chelsea additionally broke the document for the fewest objectives conceded in a season (15), whereas goalkeeper Cech clocked probably the most clear sheets the Premier League had ever seen in a season (24).
Mourinho’s facet would carry their unbeaten run into the next season, proper up till November 2005 after they misplaced to Manchester United, ending on an admirable 40 with out defeat.
|
Matches unbeaten |
40 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
4-0 v Blackburn (twenty third October 2004) |
|
Final sport |
4-2 v Blackburn (twenty ninth October 2005) |
|
Crushed by |
Man Utd (L 0-1, sixth November 2005) |
3
Nottingham Forest 1977-1978
42 video games
Nottingham Forest conquered English and European soccer within the Nineteen Seventies beneath iconic supervisor Brian Clough.
The membership’s second-tier standing didn’t final lengthy when Clough took over as supervisor in 1975, as they have been promoted two years later. Beneath Clough’s management, alongside assistant supervisor Peter Taylor, Forest rapidly established themselves as a formidable power within the English prime flight.
Following a third-place end within the Second Division the earlier season, Clough led Forest to the head of English soccer, as they went on to win the league, edging Liverpool by seven factors to the title.
Their unbeaten streak started in November 1977 after an away loss to Leeds United, they usually proceeded to go 26 video games unbeaten to carry the trophy.
Forest didn’t expertise their first loss till the next season in December 1978, after they misplaced out to the eventual champions Liverpool, regardless of setting a brand new English document for unbeaten matches.
If all of that wasn’t sufficient, Forest additionally went on to win the European Cup back-to-back in 1979 and 1980, cementing their legacy within the soccer historical past books endlessly.
|
Matches unbeaten |
42 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
0-0 v West Brom (twenty sixth November 1977) |
|
Final sport |
1-0 v Bolton (twenty fifth November 1978) |
|
Crushed by |
Liverpool (L 0-2, ninth December 1978) |
2
Liverpool 2019-2020
44 video games
Jurgen Klopp was a god-like determine for Liverpool followers throughout his trophy-laden tenure on the membership, as he introduced so many iconic moments on and off the pitch.
In the course of the 2019/20 season, the Reds have been fierce at Anfield and it was seen as arguably the hardest fixture of the season for any Premier League facet.
The season earlier than, Liverpool had gone unbeaten 20 video games and 17 video games respectively – both facet of a Manchester Metropolis defeat in January 2019 – however their 97 factors complete wasn’t sufficient to edge Metropolis’s 98.
And after bringing a sixth Champions League trophy again to the Anfield trophy cupboard in June 2019, Reds followers and gamers have been determined for home league success.
Liverpool’s momentous Premier League run with out defeat lasted for 422 days, till the Reds travelled to Watford in February 2020 to be dealt their first lack of the season.
Klopp’s facet have been one victory away from the longest profitable run within the English prime flight, having received their previous 18 league video games. Nonetheless, Liverpool would go on to assert their first Premier League title after 30 years in June 2020.
|
Matches unbeaten |
44 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
1-0 v Brighton (twelfth January 2019) |
|
Final sport |
3-2 v West Ham (twenty fourth February 2020) |
|
Crushed by |
Watford (L 0-3, twenty ninth February 2020) |
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1
Arsenal 2003-2004
49 video games
Arsenal’s invincible season is arguably the best achievement in English soccer historical past, as they topped Nottingham Forest’s document that lasted over 25 years.
Arsene Wenger’s facet lifted the membership’s third Premier league title by profitable 26 of their 38 League video games and drawing the opposite 12, which means that they had went your entire marketing campaign with out a single loss – the primary time this had been achieved because the late 1800s.
The Gunners scored 73 objectives, largely because of Thierry Henry, who bagged 30 objectives to win the Golden Boot and conceded simply 26 – with the likes of Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and Jens Lehmann in prime type over the season.
Henry additionally received the PFA Gamers’ Participant of the 12 months and the Soccer Writers’ Footballer of the 12 months, whereas Wenger was named Supervisor of the Season.
|
Matches unbeaten |
49 |
|---|---|
|
First sport |
6-1 v Southampton (seventh Could 2003) |
|
Final sport |
3-1 v Aston Villa (sixteenth October 2004) |
|
Crushed by |
Man Utd (L 0-2, twenty fourth October 2004) |
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