10 Best Premier League Title Races Ever - Ranked
The Premier League has seen some truly extraordinary title races, and this last season was no exception. We look back at some of the best races for the trophy in the Premier League era.
How I Picked the Top 10 Best Premier League Title Races (Criteria)
Not all title races are thrilling for the same reasons. Some are exciting because three or more teams are in the running until the last minute. Some go right down to the last minute of the final game. And some are just so unexpected that they deserve to be remembered.
The ultimate criteria is the excitement that the race generated and how it lives on in the memory.
Top Title Races Rated
10. 2009-10 (Chelsea)
Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea prevented Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd from winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title in a close race. A 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in April was enough to give Chelsea the momentum they needed, and they wrapped the title up with a resounding 8-0 victory over Wigan. Not a tight last day, but a memorable one.
9. 2023-24 (Man City)
Arsenal ran Manchester City very close to the line in their hunt for a first Premier League title since 2004. Arguably a much finer season for the Gunners form-wise than 2025-26, both teams carried massive winning streaks into the final day, but Pep Guardiola’s men didn’t blink.
8. 2025-26 (Arsenal)
How will this season be remembered? A bitter grudgematch of a season, with sheer resilience taking precedence over flowing football and clubs on top form. Nonetheless, when everyone said they wouldn’t do it, Arsenal ground out the results and finally broke their hoodoo to claim the Premier League trophy.
7. 1998-99 (Man Utd)
Man United’s treble-winning season was one of the closest title races we’ve seen between the top teams, with Arsenal and Chelsea hounding them until the last minute. A final-day fightback against Spurs ensured that United pipped Arsenal to the title in one of their finest seasons.
6. 1994-95 (Blackburn Rovers)
Blackburn Rovers were a major power in mid-90s English football. Kenny Dalglish's men, including Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, turned heads when they challenged Man Utd for the title, only to lose on the last day. However, uncharacteristically, Ferguson’s men couldn’t capitalise and drew against West Ham, handing Blackburn the title.
5. 2007-08 (Man Utd)
A tight three-way race for the title saw Arsenal drop off dramatically at the end of the season, with Avram Grant’s Chelsea also challenging for the title with a surge of form. Ultimately, though, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd claimed the title on the final day with a 2-0 victory against Wigan. Was it ever in doubt?
4. 2018-19 (Man City)
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool claimed 97 points this season and somehow didn’t win the title. This was an absurd title race between two juggernauts and one of the defining moments of the Klopp-Guardiola era. Man City claimed the title with 98 points after coming back from 1-0 down at Brighton to win 4-1 on the last day.
3. 2013-14 (Man City)
Another Liverpool-City race, albeit with Brendan Rodgers in charge on Merseyside. It featured the infamous Gerrard "slip," which cost Liverpool points and let Man City overhaul them to deny Liverpool a first title in the Premier League era.
2. 2015-16 (Leicester City)
While this race wasn’t as close as most on this list, it deserves its place through sheer audacity. Leicester City were 5000-1 to win the Premier League under Claudio Ranieri. And they did.
Arsenal were close challengers for a long time but fell away towards the end (sound familiar?). Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kanté, Kasper Schmeichel—these are names that will never be forgotten in Leicester. The impossible was achieved, and this season stands as possibly the greatest sporting upset of all time.
1. 2011-12 (Man City)
The 2011-12 season went down to the last day. Nothing new there. It’s how it happened that cements this season as an all-time great. Dismissed by Ferguson as "noisy neighbours," Man City hadn’t won a top-flight title since 1968, but this was a new era.
Still, Man Utd had won their game. City were 2-1 down against QPR. It was over.
Edin Džeko equalised in stoppage time. It wasn’t enough. Then, at the last possible moment, it happened and commentator Martin Tyler made his most memorable ever pronouncement: AGUERROOOOOOOOOO!
Conclusion
With the Guardiola era over and Arsenal having broken their losing streak, it’s anyone’s guess what the Premier League title race will look like this year. Can a resurgent Man Utd win under Michael Carrick? Will Liverpool sort themselves out after Slot’s departure? We’ll have to see.
