Since its inception in 1992, the Premier League has been regarded as the most exciting league on the planet, producing legendary collectives that have left a lasting mark through their style of play and legacy.
As of the 2025/26 season, the Premier League has crowned seven different champions. But which team truly owns the greatest single season in history? Is it the destructive power of Manchester City, the unbeaten campaign of Arsenal, or the enduring legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United?
And what of the present day? Social media currently buzzes with debates comparing the Arsenal 2025/26 squad to the legendary Manchester United 2008 team. Is that comparison premature?
Critics argue that while Arteta’s side are “Set-Piece Kings”, they lack the killer instinct of Rooney and Ronaldo. Following the recent defeat to Manchester United, a tough question arises. Playing like this, is the Arsenal 2025/26 squad actually good enough to be mentioned here? At the very least, they must lift the trophy before that conversation can even begin.
Here is the definitive ranking.
10. Leicester City 2015/16
Leicester City’s greatness lies not in numbers, but in the journey itself. Remember, their starting point was rock bottom. Just a year prior, they scrapped at the foot of the table simply to survive.
Entering the 2015/16 season, bookmakers set the odds of Leicester winning the title at 5000/1 (odds that suggested finding the Loch Ness Monster was more likely). They were a team assembled from rejects and unknowns, led by Claudio Ranieri – a manager fresh from being sacked by Greece after a humiliating loss to the Faroe Islands. That is why their triumph over financial juggernauts like Man City, Chelsea, and Man United was a slap in the face to every financial rule of modern football.
Leicester’s strength didn’t come from expensive signings but from individuals who exploded miraculously. Jamie Vardy – a factory worker playing non-league football just years prior – scored 24 goals, setting a record with an 11-game scoring streak. Riyad Mahrez, with 17 goals and 11 assists, became the first African player to win the PFA Player of the Year. N’Golo Kanté, with his boundless energy, became the perpetual engine in midfield. Not to mention a resilient defense led by captain Wes Morgan and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel – both of whom played every single minute (3,420 minutes) of the season.
Leicester won with 81 points, 10 clear of second-placed Arsenal. They are truly great because they saved the romance of football in an era dominated by money.
9. Manchester United 1993/94
With 13 Premier League titles, Manchester United must feature on this list – and not just once.
The 1993/94 Manchester United side is considered the perfect “prototype” for Sir Alex Ferguson’s dominance. Of the 42 game-weeks, the Red Devils led for 40, finishing with 92 points, 8 clear of Blackburn Rovers. That gap doesn’t even tell the full story, as they had wrapped up the title with four games to spare.
Sir Alex himself admitted that the 1993/94 squad had the strongest personality of any team he managed. It was a fusion of steel from warriors like Roy Keane, Steve Bruce, and Gary Pallister, combined with the artistry of Eric Cantona.
What made this season great was the establishment of the “winning DNA” for decades to come. They played with an arrogance, always ready to crush opponents. The defensive duo of Bruce – Pallister and goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel (15 clean sheets) provided a psychological stronghold. This was the collective that defined “Fergie Time” and the never-say-die spirit, transforming United from a traditional club into an absolute powerhouse.
8. Chelsea 2009/10
Terrifying firepower defined Chelsea 09/10. They scored 103 goals, becoming the first Premier League team to break the 100-goal barrier. Stamford Bridge witnessed unreal scorelines: 7-2 vs Sunderland, 7-1 vs Aston Villa, and an 8-0 demolition of Wigan. They finished with 86 points, just one ahead of United.
This marked the physical and mental peak of the Mourinho-era core, combined with Carlo Ancelotti’s attacking philosophy. Didier Drogba won the Golden Boot with 29 goals. Frank Lampard set a midfield record with 22 goals and 14 assists. Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka provided consistency in attack. Meanwhile, John Terry and Petr Čech maintained a steel defense.
Another factor defined their greatness. They won all six matches against the “Big Four” rivals, completely breaking their will.
7. Chelsea 2004/05
The greatness of Chelsea 09/10 lies in terrifying firepower. They finished the season with 103 goals, becoming the first team in the Premier League era to break the 100-goal barrier (a record that stood until 2018). Stamford Bridge became a fortress witnessing unreal scorelines: 7-2 vs Sunderland, 7-1 vs Aston Villa, 7-0 vs Stoke City, and an 8-0 demolition of Wigan on the final day. They finished with 86 points, just one ahead of United – proof of a breathless title race.
This was the moment the core of the Mourinho era reached its physical and mental peak, combined with Carlo Ancelotti’s expansive attacking philosophy. Didier Drogba scored 29 goals to win the Golden Boot, while Frank Lampard set an unprecedented record for a midfielder with 22 goals and 14 assists. The consistency of Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka in attack, Michael Ballack and John Obi Mikel in midfield, alongside a steel defense of John Terry, Ashley Cole, and Petr Čech, created a perfectly balanced machine.
Another factor defining their greatness was their record against the “Big Four” – winning all six matches against Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal, completely breaking their rivals’ will.
6. Manchester United 2000/01
The second appearance for Manchester United on this list…
The 2000/01 season was the clearest evidence of “absolute dominance.” This was the season Sir Alex Ferguson’s army completed the first hat-trick of Premier League titles (1999, 2000, 2001), turning England’s top flight into their private playground.
The greatness of United 00/01 lay in the terrifying speed at which they finished the job. They officially won the title on April 14, 2001, with five games still to play – a record only broken by Man City (2017/18) and Liverpool (2019/20). The Red Devils finished with 80 points, 10 clear of Arsenal. In reality, the gap could have been larger had United not taken their foot off the gas and lost their final three games after the trophy was secured. Their dominance was so total that pundits asked: “Who can stop United?”
Individually, it was a brilliant season for Teddy Sheringham, who scored 15 league goals to win Player of the Year at age 35. The blend of Sheringham’s experience, Solskjær’s sharpness, and the legendary midfield quartet of Beckham – Keane – Scholes – Giggs created a perfectly oiled machine that scored 73 goals.
The iconic moment was the 6-1 demolition of direct rivals Arsenal in February 2001, where Dwight Yorke completed a hat-trick in the first 22 minutes. It wasn’t just 3 points; it was a brutal statement of class difference.
5. Liverpool 2019/20
Liverpool shattered countless records in winning their first Premier League title.
The greatness of Liverpool 19/20 lies in the most horrifying start in the history of Europe’s top five leagues: they won 26 of their first 27 games (drawing just one). Liverpool reached 99 points, the highest in club history and just one shy of City’s record. They also set the record for the earliest title win in history, clinching it with 7 games to spare. For much of the season, the question wasn’t if they would win, but how many records they would break, maintaining a 44-game unbeaten run stretching from the previous season.
That squad was the crystallization of Gegenpressing with the world’s best players in their positions. The trio of Salah – Mané – Firmino contributed 46 goals, but their high pressing suffocated defenses. Full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold (13 assists) and Andy Robertson (12 assists) redefined the role, becoming the team’s primary creative outlets. Defensively, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker (Golden Glove with 13 clean sheets despite injury absence) ensured they had the league’s tightest defense, conceding just 33 goals.
What made them truly great was the nickname “Mentality Monsters.” They won even when not playing their best, scoring numerous decisive goals after the 80th minute. After finishing second with 97 points the year before, bouncing back to display such absolute dominance was proof of the steel mentality instilled by Jürgen Klopp.
Remember, the season was interrupted by COVID-19, which somewhat affected their destructive momentum. One can only imagine the points tally had the season not been paused…
4. Manchester United 2007/08
This was the season United not only dominated England but conquered Europe with the Champions League triumph in Moscow.
The greatness of United 07/08 is tied to the attacking trinity of Cristiano Ronaldo – Wayne Rooney – Carlos Tevez. This was an attack with no fixed striker, where the three interchanged constantly, playing counter-attacking football at breakneck speed. Specifically, it was the explosive season of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 31 Premier League goals (42 in all competitions), winning his first Ballon d’Or. United finished with 87 points, scoring 80 goals in a thrilling title race with Chelsea that went to the final day.
At the back, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić reached their peak, becoming the best defensive partnership in league history. Alongside Edwin van der Sar, United conceded just 22 goals in 38 games.
United’s greatness lay not just in numbers, but in the feeling of invincibility when they stepped onto the pitch, from crushing wins at Old Trafford to dramatic, classic United comebacks.
And this is still not the last time United appears on this list…
3. Manchester United 1998/99
We cannot ignore Man United 1998/99 when discussing “champions”.
This collective remains the most iconic team in English football history. They completed The Treble: Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.
That year, United and Arsenal fought one of the tightest title races ever. Sir Alex’s side won with 79 points, just one ahead of Arsenal. They lost only 3 games all season and went unbeaten in 20 consecutive matches from December until lifting the trophy. The 2-1 comeback against Tottenham on the final day at Old Trafford was the season in microcosm: breathless drama and the steel nerves of kings.
This was the season Ferguson’s personnel reached perfect maturity in a traditional 4-4-2: the legendary midfield of Beckham – Keane – Scholes – Giggs, the strike partnership of Dwight Yorke – Andy Cole (35 league goals combined), and the super-subs Teddy Sheringham – Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
United 99 left a legacy that endures today – the ability to come back. They turned impossible situations into victories – most famously the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. In the Premier League, they frequently scored in “Fergie Time” to snatch points. This fighting spirit became the club’s identity, making the 1999 squad an immortal monument to belief and desire.
2. Arsenal 2003/04
If Man City 2017/18 represents absolute points, Arsenal 2003/04 defines immortality.
They remain the only team in Premier League history to lift the Golden Trophy – a distinctive honor reserved for a champion that navigates an entire 38-game campaign without a single defeat. The magnitude of the “Invincibles” record is such that even the relentless winning machines later constructed by Pep Guardiola or Jürgen Klopp could not replicate it.
Arsenal’s greatness relies not just on the zero in the “Lost” column. Under Arsène Wenger, the Gunners played attacking football at light speed. They combined physical power with technical flair. Patrick Vieira, Robert Pirès, Dennis Bergkamp, and “King Henry” (30 goals) turned matches into art.
They clinched the title at White Hart Lane, the home of bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur. This ranks as their most historic moment. Placing them second honors a collective that turned the impossible into reality. Wenger predicted: “I think the team can go the whole season unbeaten”, and they delivered.
1. Manchester City – 2017/18
No team reached 100 points until Man City did it in 2017/18.
Their greatness lies not just in points, but in the records smashed: Most wins (32 – including 18 in a row), most goals (106), best goal difference (+79), and biggest winning margin (19 points ahead of Mourinho’s United). City played football from another planet, imposing their will and winning at 19 of the 20 stadiums in the league.
Under Pep Guardiola, City displayed attacking football based on extreme possession that was brutally effective. Kevin De Bruyne became the master architect with 16 assists. The wings of Raheem Sterling – Leroy Sané brought speed and chaos, contributing 28 goals. Ederson redefined goalkeeping with midfielder-like passing, helping City escape pressing from their own box.
The cohesion of the 2017/18 squad was perfect, where every player was a cog in a machine that circulated the ball relentlessly, exhausting opponents physically and mentally.
Before Pep arrived, many believed short passing and possession dominance couldn’t survive the physicality of the Premier League. City 2017/18 proved the opposite: you can dominate England with artistry and tactical intellect. They created a “new standard” for champions: to win, teams now must aim for 90-100 points. Their legacy is the start of an era where sophistication triumphed over brute strength.
