TALK SPORT
Every year clubs battle to end the year sitting top of the Premier League table come Christmas day.
Being at the summit of England’s top flight over the festive period is normally a great omen for going on to win the title as well as a brilliant bragging right.
Of course, not every team that’s top of tree at Christmas goes on to lift the Premier League trophy, as has been the case several times over the last 10 years.
Five different clubs have sat in first place when Santa has come to town over the last decade.
Arsenal are the Christmas Kings this season following their 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday as Aston Villa failed to beat Sheffield United, drawing 1-1.
But who else has been first on December 25 in the 10 years prior? talkSPORT.com has all the details for you…
2022/23 season (Arsenal)
Arsenal were top of the Premier League this time last year, making this their second consecutive year in first place on Christmas day.
Gunners fans won’t take kindly to being reminded of the fact they failed to go on to win the title despite dominating the league for most of last term, with Man Cityrising to beat them to it.
The last time they were top at Christmas previous to this was in 2007, with the title eventually going to Manchester United and Arsenal finishing third.
Mikel Arteta and co will be hoping the story will have a happier ending this time round.
2021/22 season (Manchester City)
The last team to win the Premier League that were top on Christmas day of that season was Manchester City.
Their 4–0 win away to Newcastle on December 18 ensured they would stay top of the table at Christmas.
Pep Guardiola‘s side only narrowly won the title though, with Liverpoolfinishing just one point behind them in second and the title race going down to the final day of the season.
Final position: 1st
2020/21 season (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s 7-0 win over Crystal Palace on December 19 sent them four points clear of Leicester City for Christmas day
The majority of games that season were played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Reds ended up finishing third in the end, with Manchester City winning the league by a whopping 12 points.
Rivals Manchester United also finished above them, beating Liverpool by five points. A run of six consecutive defeats at Anfield helped to holt Jurgen Klopp‘s side’s chances.
Final position: 3rd
2019/20 season (Liverpool)
Being top of the Premier League Christmas tree boded much better for the Reds in the season before
Liverpool secured their first top flight title in 30 years, albeit without their fans cheering them on from March onwards and the league being suspended until June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After going unbeaten in the league until their 3-0 loss to Watford in February, it’s unsurprising Liverpool were top on Christmas day and won the league by 18 points.
Final position: 1st
2018/19 season (Liverpool)
The Reds were top of the league at Christmas once again the season before, but as we’ve seen, that isn’t a perfect formula for winning the title
A 2-0 win over Wolves in their final game before Christmas day saw them secure their place at the summit, with Man City’s shock loss to Crystal Palace seeing them go four points clear.
Liverpool did however finish the season as runners-up to Man City, to whom they suffered their only league defeat.
Their 97 points – one off Man City’s 98 – saw them secure the then third-highest total in the history of the English top flight. It was also the most points won by a team without winning the title…
