MX23RW : Wednesday, December 11 10:58:15| >> :60:397:397:

A history of top-flight supremacy as Liverpool chase Man Utd in all-time table

A history of top-flight supremacy as Liverpool chase Man Utd in all-time table
© Reuters
The pair have topped the English league for longer than any other club, with some surprising names among the chasing pack.

Liverpool still trail Manchester United in the all-time table of days spent top of the English top-flight – and you can watch the battle unfold here.

From Preston's "Invincibles" dominating the early days to United and Liverpool's recent battle for overall supremacy, the PA news agency has tracked every club's days at the summit since the first Football League season in 1888-89.

With Liverpool top for 206 days since August 17 and with this season's title all but assured when play was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has prevented them eating further into United's lead – which stands at 577 days.

North End were top for every single day of the inaugural season and our animated graph shows them racing out to a huge lead, which is then overhauled by Aston Villa before the turn of the century.

Everton, Sheffield United and Sunderland are also prominent in the early days, with Liverpool clocking up 31 days in the 1890s and Manchester United first appearing in 1907 – the latter race into the top six as the decade ends.

The Toffees are first to overhaul Villa at the top and remain the team to catch, bursting clear in the late 1960s and leading until their neighbours from across Stanley Park take over in 1977.

Liverpool's lead peaks at 1,138 days as they dominate much of the 1980s but United's stranglehold on the 1990s is such that by 2001, they have claimed top spot.

Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp has Liverpool fighting back (Mike Egerton/PA)

Their lead swells almost to four figures before Liverpool's resurgence under Jurgen Klopp sees the momentum swing once more, with the latter ending on 3,870 days to United's 4,447.

Third-placed Arsenal are over 1,000 further back on 2,789 and Everton, Chelsea and Villa follow, with Manchester City seventh on 1,164 and Sunderland, Leeds and Wolves rounding out the all-time top 10.

ID:394796: cacheID:394796:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4649:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba pictured on December 26, 2019
Read Next:
Man Utd 'confident of keeping Paul Pogba'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!