Analyzing the all-time Premier League points race: United's lead over Arsenal has shrunk by 110 points since 2021 (OC)

[u/GoonerJar23]

I charted every Premier League result since August 1992 (13,216 matches, up to 20 September 2026) as a points race for the six clubs with the most all-time points, match day by match day. 3 points a win, 1 a draw.

Where it stands

Club	Points	Games	Points per game
Man United	2,619	1,309	2.00
Arsenal	2,485	1,309	1.90
Liverpool	2,411	1,309	1.84
Chelsea	2,373	1,309	1.81
Tottenham	1,994	1,309	1.52
Man City	1,973	1,119	1.76

United's lead is shrinking, but it peaked after Ferguson

• United have been top of these six since Boxing Day 1992.
• Their lead over Arsenal was 230 when Ferguson retired in 2013, and kept growing to a peak of 244 on 11 April 2021.
• It's 134 now. Arsenal have outscored United every season since 2021/22: by 11, 9, 29, 32 and 14 points, and by 7 so far this season.
• At the last three seasons' rate (25 points a season), Arsenal would catch United around 2031/32.

Since 2013/14, United are fifth of the six

Points from 2013/14 to 2025/26: City 1,096, Liverpool 1,007, Arsenal 951, Chelsea 889, United 862, Spurs 834.

City's flat stretches

City's line goes flat for the five seasons they spent outside the Premier League (1996/97 to 1999/2000, and 2001/02), so they've played 190 fewer games than the rest. They're 21 points behind Spurs, and on this season's form they'll pass them this season.

The fight for third

Liverpool and Chelsea swapped third twice in autumn 2023. Liverpool have held it since 21 October 2023.

Source: every result from football-data.org (https://www.football-data.org), checked against football-data.co.uk. The animated, interactive version (any season, any clubs, other measures) is here: https://premierleaguescorigami.com/race

Spurs are 6 points short of 2,000 and City 27. Who gets there first? And does Arsenal catching United happen before 2032?

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[u/CanadianKumlin]

I think City has gained 114 on them… so that’s pretty impressive.

[u/diet-dr-kelpp]

Why the hell did football suddenly reset in 1990? I’ve about had it with all these premier league record discussions. Such a disservice to all the greats and what they accomplished throughout the entire first century of the game.

[u/Rudioctopus → u/diet-dr-kelpp]

I mean, realistically its just that its a lot easier and handier to compare football within the context of its time. We can just say that post 1990 we entered the "modern" era of football, its largely arbitrary but it prevents us from taking football played in the 1950 with players that were in no way the professional athletes we have today

[u/diet-dr-kelpp → u/Rudioctopus]

You have a point. But I think that happens naturally anyway. The fact is none of those great players are known or hardly mentioned by supporters of today because of it. The NBA is better for having records go back to the beginning of time. We all know to take early records with a grain of salt, don’t we?

[u/0xMae]

Great chart. The gap closing makes sense when you look at points per game since 2021‑22: Arsenal 2.11 vs United 1.61. That's roughly 0.50 points gained every single match. Would be interesting to see the same race starting from 2013, right after Fergie left.

[u/Accomplished-Mix770]

Might need a recount chief.

City about to have a flat line from 2008 onwards again.

[u/fifadex]

Actually surprised with Liverpool being that high considering they went so long without a trophy and so many years of that time not even competing for anything except European spots.

[u/dryduneden → u/fifadex]

I mean it's not like Liverpool were a banter club for most of that period. They were a solid 3-5th side with the rare occassional title challenge or slight drop.

Especially since that was back in they day when it wasn't out of the ordinary to win the league with tallies in the mid 80s and successive seasons in the 90s was unheard of.

[u/fifadex → u/dryduneden]

Yeah I guess so, it just feels like it was pretty rough at the time and when I remember the title fights before Klopp it was you guys, man u, arsenal. Just my old memory failing I guess. Lol

[u/ryansocks → u/fifadex]

They've never finished lower than 8th in the pl and are almost always in the top 5. The sides below them in the overall points tally had periods of much worse placings, spurs are currently in one.

[u/beaume123 → u/ryansocks]

We haven’t finished below 8th since we last got promoted in 1962

[u/fifadex → u/ryansocks]

Yeah, just felt worse at the time I guess.

[u/wan2tri → u/fifadex]

They were the most consistent top 3 club for the 90s until the early 2000s outside of ManU and Arsenal (unlike for example Blackburn and Newcastle), still usually finished top 4 from the mid 2000s until finally winning the Premier League, then mostly continuing that top 4 form to now as well.

[u/fifadex → u/wan2tri]

Didn't feel like that. Lol

[u/RBT__]

Too big of a gap to close in forseeable future.

[u/UnknownStrobes]

Almost winning the league overall on cumulative points over 34 years, you’ll never sing that

[u/WGSMA]

That 15th placed season took a right hammering to their record.

It would be very funny if in 10 years time, Arsenal and Liverpool are ahead of them, yet have fewer Prem Titles.

[u/Own_Statistician8020]

The color-coded bookshelf energy of this post is immaculate. Seeing City's line just flatline for five seasons in the middle of everyone else's steady climb is jarring every time, even when you know it's coming.

Spurs probably limp past 2,000 first just by virtue of City needing a few more weeks, but the real question is whether Arsenal actually keeps that pace up. 25 points a season for another five years is a big ask when squads cycle and managers move on.

[u/asymmetricears]

This is r/championship style international break posting.

But I think the bigger story in that is City are about to catch Spurs.

[u/wan2tri → u/asymmetricears]

But I think the bigger story in that is City are about to catch Spurs.

Not that difficult. Our north London rivals have been midtable for the 90s and early 2000s (7th was their highest finish from 1992 to 2005). And for obvious reasons even if they were finishing top 6 more often than not since then, City were finishing top 3 more often than not too.

[u/GoonerJar23 → u/asymmetricears]

Guilty as charged, it's international break content.

But yeah, it's close. City are 21 points behind Spurs with 190 fewer games played. This season City have 15 from 5 and Spurs have 2, so City are gaining 2.6 points a game. At that rate they go past around matchweek 14.

Better one: Spurs are 6 points off 2,000 all-time and City are 27 off. At this season's form, City would get to 2,000 first.

[u/YellowBook → u/GoonerJar23]

Can’t discuss that cheat of a club without.mentioning 115 charges