Since the First Division was rebranded as the Premier League in 1992, we have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of the English top flight.
Some teams have achieved extraordinary points feats, while others are famous for all the wrong reasons. This is your ultimate guide to Premier League points records.
- Most Points Overall
- Least Points For Title
- Lowest Points Overall
- Biggest Points Difference For Title
- Lowest Points Difference For Title
- Biggest Points Difference Top To Bottom
- Most Points Without Title
- Most Points Relegated
- Lowest Points Not Relegated
- Average Points To Survive
Most points in a Premier League season: Manchester City 100 points 2017/18
The Citizens became the first club in the history of the English top flight to make it to a century of points in season 2017/18.
However, it wasn’t easy or cut and dry, as City needed Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus to score a stoppage-time winner against Southampton on the final day of the season to hit the century mark.
The season saw City win 32 of their 38 league games, a joint record with Liverpool. The win tally came in their only Premier League-winning season in 2019/20.
The Reds also recorded the second-highest points tally in the Premier League era in that title-winning campaign when they picked up 99 points.
Manchester City picked up the third-highest points tally in the current era in season 2018/19 when they collected 98 points.
Lowest points to win the title: Manchester United 75 points 1996/97
The fewest points needed to win the Premier League was the 75 that Manchester United collected in the 1996/97 season. It was a low-scoring campaign all around, as the three teams behind them, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United, all picked up just 68 points.
Not only was it the lowest title-winning points total in the current era, but it was also the lowest since Aston Villa claimed the First Division title in season 1981/82.
The second-lowest Premier League-winning title tally is Arsenal, who collected 78 points in season 1997/98. The Gunners finished just a point ahead of second-place Manchester United.
Lowest Premier League points: Derby County 11 points 2007/08
Derby County’s 2007/08 top-flight campaign is now the stuff of mockery. Whenever a team has a poor start to a campaign, people will question whether the struggling team will gain a lower points tally than the Rams during their infamously horrible campaign.
Derby had only been promoted to the top flight the previous season, having gone up through the play-offs. The step-up was just too big for the Rams. County claimed just one victory in the season, a 1-0 win over Newcastle United courtesy of a Kenny Miller strike.
They ended the season without a win in 32 Premier League matches, having also produced a record-low of just 20 goals in their 38 league outings.
Unfortunately for the Midlands club, it was their last season in the Premier League, as they have never been able to secure promotion since the woeful campaign.
The second-lowest tally of points in the history of the Premier League was Sunderland, picking up 15 points in season 2002/03. The season included a run of 15 straight defeats and a 20-game winless run in the top-flight.
As recently as the 2023/24 season, Sheffield United picked up just 16th points to suffer an immediate return to the Championship. The highest position that the Blades went to in the season was 16th place.
Biggest points difference in a title race: Manchester City 19 points ahead of Manchester United 2017/18
The most considerable margin by which a team has won a title in the Premier League era was when Manchester City finished 19 points ahead of city and bitter-rivals Manchester United in season 2017/18.
Of course, the campaign was the one in which the Citizens broke multiple records, some of which we will cover on our list.
Before that season, Manchester United held the record of the biggest margin of points, having finished 18 points clear at the top of the table in season 1999/00. The highlight results of the season were a 5-0 thumping of Chelsea and also a 7-1 victory over West Ham.
Chelsea finished 12 points clear of second-place Arsenal in season 2004/05 in Jose Mourinho’s debut season as the Blues boss. The campaign saw the south west London club win their first top-flight title since 1955.
Lowest points difference: +8 goal difference Manchester City ahead of Manchester United 2011/12
Once again, it was the two Manchester giants involved in a significant title race, this time in season 2011/12. City claimed the title with a dramatic stoppage-time Sergio Aguero goal in a 3-2 home win over QPR on the last day of the season.
The goal meant that City had won the title courtesy of a +8 goal difference, as both the Citizens and United had finished the season with 89 points. The goal is one of the most memorable of the Premier League era for both its importance and its timing.
The title was City’s first in the Premier League era. It was a springboard for further title glory in the proceeding years.
Manchester City were also involved in some of the next narrowest margins, as the Citizens won the title by just one point in seasons 2018/19 and 2021/22, with Liverpool runners-up on both occasions.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United also won the title by one point in seasons 2009/10, 1998/99 and 1997/98, respectively.
Biggest points difference between top and bottom teams: 82 points difference Manchester City and Huddersfield Town 2018/19
The biggest points difference between the top and bottom teams in the Premier League was in season 2018/19 when champions Manchester City finished a massive 82 points ahead of bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield Town.
City picked up a record points total of 100 points, while Huddersfield picked up the third-lowest tally of the Premier League era of just 16 points.
The 2007/08 season saw Manchester United crowned as top-flight champions, having picked up 87 points. In contrast, they picked up 76 more points than Derby County, who collected just 11 points.
In truth, the teams were in different leagues from each other. The following season, the pair were literally in different leagues after the Rams’ relegation.
Most points without winning the Premier League title: Liverpool 97 points 2018/19
The unwanted owner of this record is Liverpool, who, despite picking up 97 points, finished a point behind champions Manchester City in the 2018/19 season.
Unfortunately for the Reds, they also picked up the second-highest points total without winning the title once again in season 2021/22. Once again, they missed out on the title to Manchester City by one point.
In the majority of other Premier League seasons, the Reds’ points tallies would have been enough to see them crowned as English champions.
Team relegated with most points (in a 38-game season): West Ham 42 points
The dubious honour of holding this title goes to West Ham, who suffered relegation from the Premier League in season 2002/03 despite collecting 42 points.
Since the Hammers’ relegation, the benchmark for survival has generally been 40 points, as no team has suffered relegation with more than 39 points.
Other clubs have picked up more points in the Premier League and suffered relegation, but that was during a 42-game season.
During the 42-game seasons, Crystal Palace picked up 49 points in the augural Premier League campaign in season 1992/93. The Eagles also picked up 45 points in season 1994/95, while Middlesbrough picked up 44 points in a 42-game campaign in season 1994/95.
Lowest points for a team to survive relegation: Nottingham Forest 32 points 2023/24
This particular record was set as recently as season 2023/24, as Nottingham Forest finished 17th place in the table by collecting 32 points. However, it would be unfair on Forest not to mention that they had four points deducted due to FFP issues.
In a rare occurrence, all three promoted teams, Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town, suffered an immediate return to the Championship.
The average number of points needed to win the title: 85 to 90 points
The Premier League has become far more competitive in recent years, with the quality increasing at the top of the table. Due to the recent increase in quality, the average score is 85 to 90 points. However, in the past, the average points tally needed could be between 75 and 80 points.
| Points Range | Seasons Typically in Range | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 100+ points | 2017-18 (Manchester City) | Record-breaking season (100 points by Manchester City). |
| 90-99 points | 2018-19 (Man City), 2019-20 (Liverpool), etc | Dominant title-winning seasons. |
| 85-89 points | 2016-17 (Chelsea), 2021-22 (Man City) | Most competitive seasons fall within this range. |
| 80-84 points | 2010-11 (Man Utd), 2009-10 (Chelsea) | Occasionally, the title is won with just over 80 points. |
| 75-79 points | 1996-97 (Man Utd), 1998-99 (Man Utd) | Lower total points needed in earlier Premier League seasons. |
Average points needed to beat the drop in the Premier League: 36 to 40 points
The average number of points required to avoid relegation from the Premier League is typically 36-40. Forty points is often considered the magic number to ensure staying in the Premier League, but in many seasons, teams have survived with fewer points.
While aiming for 40 points is considered a good benchmark, the actual number needed to survive can vary slightly, with around 37-38 points being enough in most seasons.
The biggest points gap at the top but didn’t win the Premier League: Newcastle United 12 points ahead of Manchester United in season 1995/96
In the 1995/96 season, Newcastle experienced one of the best seasons in modern football under charismatic boss Kevin Keegan.
The Magpies looked set to win the English top-flight since 1927, as they were 12 points clear of second-place Manchester United in January 1996. They had been top of the table for 212 days.
However, they failed to keep their cool at the top of the table and somehow finished the season four points adrift of Sir Alex Ferguson’s team.
The season was famous for Kevin Keegan’s rant about loving it if they beat Manchester United to the title. Unfortunately, the rant is now often mocked for the circumstances.
The Red Devils suffered the same fate in 1997/98. United was 11 points clear of second-place Arsenal. Sir Alex Ferguson’s team was unbeaten from October to mid-April, and they were top of the table for 175 consecutive days.
However, the crucial factor in United’s collapse was an injury to key midfielder Roy Keane. Towards the end of the season, Arsenal recorded what turned out to be vital a 1-0 win at Old Trafford against United.
The Gunners also won the last eight Premier League games of the campaign to take the title.