Alex Ferguson always used to say that the league table means nothing until Christmas, and although you can’t win the title before the clocks go back you can certainly put a little daylight between you and the chasing pack going into the business end of the season.
So here are some of the most impressive starts to a top-flight campaign which, in most cases, were enough to have the biggest prize in English football all but in the bag come the arrival of spring.
MANCHESTER CITY 2017/18
To say the 2017/18 campaign was a successful one for Pep Guardiola’s men would be something of an understatement as they set Premier League records for the most points in a season; the most away points, most points clear of second, most wins and best goal difference. All of this was set-up by an astonishing start to the campaign which, after a draw with Everton in their first home match, saw them win 18 games on the spin, another Premier League best, and they didn’t lose a game until finally being turned over at Anfield in January on their way to the club’s second title in five years.
ARSENAL 2003/04
Bouncing back from losing the title in agonising circumstances the previous season Arsenal responded in the best way possible by winning 10 of their first 13 matches, including four successive victories in their first four games to put them in pole position to reclaim the Premier League crown. But it wasn’t just the start that put them in the driving seat, the fact they went the entire season without losing in the league to emulate the achievements of Preston North End back in 1889.
MANCHESTER UNITED 1993/94
Having finally won the biggest prize in English football for the first time in 26 years the previous campaign United got the taste for success and the following season came flying out of the traps by winning 13 of their first 15 fixtures. Unlike the previous title win, which was a close-run thing, United were determined to put plenty of daylight between themselves and Blackburn Rovers and despite a rough March not only retained the title but also completed the club’s first ever league and FA Cup double.
LIVERPOOL 1978/79
Having lost out to Nottingham Forest the previous campaign Liverpool looked to regain the league title in style as they won 10 of their first 11 games in the 1978/79 season, including an emphatic 7-0 demolition of Spurs at Anfield. They were pretty tight at the back too and only shipped 16 goals in 42 games of which they lost only four as they went on to win the title with ease.
MANCHESTER UNITED 1985/86
Optimism was high at Old Trafford going into the 1985/86 season as United looked to improve on their FA Cup success three months earlier. So when the Red Devils won their first ten games it looked like their title drought could finally be over especially seeing as they didn’t lose a game until November. But despite sitting top of the league come the turn of the year, a number of key injuries and a lack of form eventually saw Ron Atkinson’s men finish fourth having won just nine of their last 27 matches.
LIVERPOOL 1990/91
It wasn’t unusual for Liverpool to blow their opponents out of the water throughout much of the 1980s and having won their 18th title the previous May they once again looked favourites to be crowned champions thanks to eight successive wins at the start of the 1990/91 campaign. However, a pivotal December defeat to fellow pace-setters Arsenal, who would only lose one game all season, somewhat derailed the Reds’ challenge who eventually fell away as George Graham’s men went on to win the league for the second time in three seasons.
LIVERPOOL 1987/88
To make things more difficult for Liverpool they had to play their first three games of the season on the road due to essential repairs to a Victorian sewer under the Kop; but that didn’t seem to bother Kenny Dalglish’s men. The Reds only dropped points in one of their first 11 games, taking 31 points from a possible 33, and even scored four times in three consecutive home games in an unbeaten run which lasted (like Leeds before them) 29 games before Everton finally halted their progress, though by then the club’s 17th title was well in the bag.
PRESTON NORTH END 1888/89
In the Football League’s inaugural season Preston North End set a blistering pace by winning their first six matches of the campaign before eventually drawing a blank thanks to a 0-0 draw in their seventh game against Accrington to bring to an end their winning streak. However, they managed to avoid defeat for the rest of the season on their way to becoming the first ever champions of England.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1960/61
Bill Nicholson’s men won the first eleven games at the beginning of the 1960/61 season; the best start the English top flight had ever seen at the time. Their run of victories was finally ended in the 12th game after a 1-1 draw against Manchester City, before eventually tasting defeat for the first time against Sheffield Wednesday in November. Even so, Spurs would eventually go on to become the first English club to win the League and FA Cup double in the 20th century.
LEEDS UNITED 1973/74
Having fallen short on a number of occasions Leeds United eventually claimed the league title in Don Revie’s last season at the club thanks to the fact that they didn’t lose a game until February. Having won their first seven league games of the season, they were eventually held by Manchester United, but it would be 30 games before they finally tasted defeat; though by then they had done enough to secure the club’s first title since 1969.
