The Premier League's 33 title-clinching moments – ranked from worst to best

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsArsenal vs. Burnley ReactionsPL's Biggest Talking PointsChelsea's Power ShiftWhat Football Thinks of EmeryPL Title Race Sergio Aguero scores his famous title-winning goal for Manchester City against Queens Park Rangers in May 2012 Tom Jenkins/Getty Images Share articleAt some point this week, either Arsenal or Manchester City will win the 2025-26 Premier League title. Previous champions have secured their crown in some very different ways. Sometimes it’s been with a victory over their closest rivals; sometimes it’s with a forgettable draw against a bottom-half side. And sometimes they’ve not even been in action at all, and have watched their rivals slipping up to gift-wrap the trophy. Here’s a ranking of the 33 title-clinching moments across the Premier League era so far. Points are awarded for dramatic final-day wins, for thumping victories, for sheer drama (even if the eventual champions aren’t directly involved) and for individual moments which seem to sum up the whole campaign. Anything from this miserable, behind-closed-doors Covid-19 pandemic-affected season must be ranked last. City were near-certain of the title anyway, and with United rotating heavily amid a fixture pile-up ahead of playing in the Europa League final at the end of a condensed campaign, a tired-looking side were defeated at Old Trafford thanks to a goal from centre-back Caglar Soyuncu, an entirely forgettable way for City to win the league. Another empty stadium, and another game when the champions weren’t involved in the decisive match. No major drama here either: Liverpool were so far clear throughout the season that there was no serious title fight to speak of, and the championship was sealed thanks to a penalty from Willian — coincidentally, the man whose stoppage-time tap-in to make it 2-0 Chelsea at Anfield just about extinguished Liverpool’s title hopes in 2013-14. Pep Guardiola’s first title-winning season in England should have been near the top of the list. And it should have been sealed in perfect fashion with a home victory over Manchester United in early April. But somehow, with City 2-0 up that day, they fell apart in the second half and lost 3-2 to a team driven on by an inspired Paul Pogba. Second-placed United had crashed the party, which felt even stranger the next week when they listlessly lost 1-0 at home to West Brom, who were on their way to finishing bottom of the league. City eventually racked up 100 points that season, a record that might never be surpassed, but how did they miss out on sealing the deal against their biggest rivals?! United got the point they required for the title thanks to Wayne Rooney’s equaliser from the penalty spot midway through the second half of their penultimate league game, and spent the final few minutes passing the ball around in their own half, killing time, with Blackburn making no attempt to close them down. But this was only half the story. Three hours later, City marked the start of their era as serious contenders by winning the FA Cup, the club’s first major trophy for 35 years. It wasn’t clear which Manchester team had spoiled the other’s party — both would surely have preferred the events to have happened on different days. A complex situation. Had United defeated relegation-bound Middlesbrough on the Monday at Old Trafford, they would have moved into a position where other clubs could only equal, but not surpass, their points total. Instead, a 3-3 draw meant they seemed likely to seal the title on the Thursday at home to Newcastle, their biggest foes at this point. In the end though, a Tuesday night combination of Newcastle’s 0-0 at West Ham and Liverpool losing 2-1 away to Wimbledon meant United won the league on a day they weren’t in action. All a little underwhelming, frankly. United won this title by a distance. It was wrapped up in a non-televised Saturday 3pm game when Arsenal suffered a shock 3-0 home loss to Middlesbrough, a result made all the more bizarre because the first two of the three were own-goals by Brazilians: Edu and Silvinho. With a third successive title long since assured, United barely celebrated — they were focusing on their upcoming Champions League quarter-final second leg trip to play Bayern Munich four days later, where they were eliminated. A rare occasion when Sir Alex Ferguson was supporting Arsenal. Chelsea needed to win on their first visit to the Emirates Stadium, a task made trickier when Khalid Boulahrouz was sent off before half-time, just after conceding a penalty that was scored by Gilberto Silva. Michael Essien equalised — the less famous of his two goals against Arsenal that season — but the draw handed United the title. United got what they needed, a single point, in a display that summed up their season. At one stage, midway through it, they recorded an incredible 14 clean sheets on the bounce. They lacked the attacking flair of the previous campaign, but their defensive record was exemplary. Getting over the line with a win would have been nice, though. United streaked clear early on, before Blackburn put in a spirited showing in the second half of the campaign to generate a vague sense of a title race. Their chances, however, vanished on the Holiday Monday at the start of May — often a crucial day for the title race in the 1990s — with a 2-1 away defeat at a sparsely-attended Highfield Road. Both goals came from the unlikely figure of Julian Darby, who only managed to score three others in his 55-game Premier League career. United got over a midweek Champions League quarter-finals exit at the hands of Real Madrid in this late-April visit to The Dell, a ground where they had previously encountered problems — a 1-0 loss, a 6-3 spanking and that famous grey shirts game — but this was very simple. They were three up by half-time, and eventually won 3-1. But there also wasn’t much drama in the manner of securing the title, and they eventually finished a massive 18 points clear of runners-up Arsenal. United’s closest challengers going into the final two weekends of the inaugural Premier League season were Villa, who seemed unlikely to blow their chances in a simple home game against Oldham, who seemed destined for relegation. But a single Nick Henry goal secured the points for the away side, who subsequently won their last two games of the season to survive on goal difference. United manager Ferguson wasn’t even watching this one — he was on the golf course. City were hoping Forest could do them a favour on the penultimate weekend of the season. And they needed no extra incentive to go for a victory against Arsenal — three points would ensure their Premier League survival. Taiwo Awoniyi’s early goal put them ahead, and while Arsenal had plenty of chances, Forest held on for a 1-0 win. The jubilant scenes at the City Ground reflected City’s mood, too. Antonio Conte’s Chelsea were an excellent side this season, with their early switch to a 3-4-3 formation transforming them from predicted also-rans to potential champions. But a scrappy goal at the end of a low-key 1-0 at West Brom from Michy Batshuayi — who hardly contributed anything else during that campaign — was a strange way to seal the deal. A curiously similar situation to 2022-23: Arsenal losing by a single goal against a team whose victory ensured their own Premier League survival. But this was a thrilling game, and made more exciting because Leeds were doing their bitter rivals United a favour. Leeds went ahead three times with a brilliant Harry Kewell half-volley, a deflected Ian Harte free kick, and then finally a calmly-taken late winner from Mark Viduka, which prompted huge celebrations in one corner of Highbury, and one half of Manchester. Chelsea’s title felt inevitable from the first few months of this season. Eden Hazard was unquestionably the Premier League’s best player and a fitting title-winning goalscorer, although this wasn’t one of his more memorable finishes — a headed rebound after his own penalty was saved. This was one of the best title battles in the Premier League era, with challengers Chelsea and Liverpool both playing their part. City’s 3-2 loss to Liverpool was a stunning game. Liverpool’s 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea was thrilling. Liverpool throwing away a 3-0 lead at Crystal Palace went down in history. But this win, sealed with goals from Vincent Kompany and Samir Nasri, is somewhat forgotten. A fairly routine 2-0 victory from the short trip to Wigan, with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs, which would have been tougher had Paul Scholes not got away with a blatant tactical foul when already on a yellow card. A rain-soaked Ferguson looked more elated than usual, almost dancing down the touchline at full time. In the famous words of Kevin Keegan, United had to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and I’ll tell you what… they did. David May, Andy Cole and Giggs scored in a fairly easy 3-0 win over hosts whose manager Bryan Robson probably didn’t want to make things too difficult for his old club. Amid the drama of this run-in — United’s 1-0 win over Newcastle thanks to Peter Schmeichel’s heroics, Newcastle’s 4-3 defeat at Liverpool — this wasn’t the defining match. The most arguable case, this. In retrospect, it is celebrated by Arsenal fans as a fantastic way to win the title — at the home of their greatest rivals. But after blowing Tottenham Hotspur away at the start of the game and going 2-0 up in style, Arsenal went into their shell. Jamie Redknapp got one back, and then a late spell of Spurs pressure led to Jens Lehmann conceding a daft penalty, Robbie Keane scoring from the spot, and Arsenal dropping two points. The draw was enough, but initially, some Arsenal players were so annoyed that they took a couple of minutes to get over it and start to celebrate. With the focus on Arsenal staying unbeaten across the entire league campaign, their final game of the season — a 2-1 home win against Leicester, when they had trailed at half-time — took on more significance than the title-clinching game. While Dominic Solanke had put Spurs ahead early on at Anfield, there was never any real great drama as Liverpool cruised to victory: it was 3-1 at half-time, and the only real uncertainty was whether Mohamed Salah would get in on the act. He scored the fourth, and grabbed a fan’s phone to take a selfie of his celebration. It was a classic title-winning day, and Liverpool eventually hit five. Now this is a final-day victory. After going ahead early through Nicolas Anelka, Chelsea looked nervous and allowed visitors Wigan to dominate for a period, before one incident basically settled the title: Gary Caldwell was sent off for a last-man foul, and Frank Lampard crashed home the penalty for 2-0. Chelsea eventually ran up a huge victory against a side who already looked to be on their summer holidays. Perhaps an 8-0 win to make yourselves champions on the last day of the season deserves to be higher on the list, but other titles have been won with more drama, or with one standout moment. Narrowly edging out Coldplay’s video for Fix You as the most notable event to happen at the Reebok Stadium in 2005, Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Bolton Wanderers sealed the title before the end of April. Both goals coming from their best player that season, Lampard, was a fitting way for them to win their first Premier League title, with both scored in front of the away end. A title clinched on the final day, after a great battle with Arsenal. Rarely have there been two such appropriate match-winners. City started at a ferocious tempo and Phil Foden, whose form during the run-in saw him voted PFA Player of the Year, scored an outrageous long-range goal after two minutes. He added a second with a swept finish, while Rodri scored his classic low-drive goal from the edge of the area for City’s third. Before that, Mohammed Kudus got one back with a magnificent overhead kick to provide a brief moment of tension. It was between United and Arsenal on the final day, and Ferguson’s men secured the first part of their historic treble in typical fashion. They went behind to a clever Les Ferdinand goal — with Tottenham barely celebrating, knowing they could be handing the title to their arch-rivals. But shortly before half-time, David Beckham scored a lovely equaliser, before Cole got the winner by bringing down a high ball and lobbing home. This was United’s fifth Premier League title, but the first one they’d secured at Old Trafford. Few other title victories have been symbolised by an individual better than this. Three goals from Robin van Persie did it, and his second of the night — a typical Van Persie volley from Wayne Rooney’s lofted pass over the top — was truly phenomenal. To celebrate Robin van Persie's birthday, let's take a look at two 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 volleys 🇳🇱 💫 Up first, this worldie v Aston Villa 👌 pic.twitter.com/za7wJhG77D — Premier League (@premierleague) August 6, 2021 Having won the FA Cup the preceding weekend, this Wednesday night penultimate league fixture clinched the double — and Arsenal also won the title at the home of their closest challengers that season. With Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp not fit to start, Arsene Wenger used Nwankwo Kanu and Sylvain Wiltord up top instead. Wilford turned home a rebound from Freddie Ljungberg’s shot, and then was famously leap-frogged by Kanu in celebration. The goal also meant Arsenal maintained their record of scoring in every game that season, which remains unique. In terms of results, this was the highest quality title fight on record. Liverpool won their final nine matches, but that wasn’t good enough to pip City, who won their last 14. There was some drama when Glenn Murray opened the scoring for Brighton after half an hour, but before City fans had time to get anxious, Sergio Aguero equalised within a minute. Further goals from Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan — not the last time he would net City’s crucial final goal of a season — meant they were comfortable in the game’s closing stages. Blackburn travelled to Anfield, seemingly needing a win to clinch the title. Everyone in the ground seemingly wanted an away victory, to deny Manchester United the title, and to see Blackburn’s Liverpool legend manager Kenny Dalglish triumph on his old stomping ground. But, almost without even trying, Liverpool defeated a nervous Blackburn side 2-1, courtesy of a late Redknapp free kick. That meant United would win the title with victory at West Ham, but one of the all-time great Premier League goalkeeping performances from Ludek Miklosko denied them the three points. The whole of Anfield duly celebrated with Dalglish and Blackburn. The Battle of the Bridge is the highest entry on this list where the champions weren’t actually in action themselves. Tottenham went 2-0 ahead away to a Chelsea side who, despite being defending champions, were dreadful for so much of this season and finished in 10th. But Chelsea’s players had been explicit about the fact they’d rather Leicester succeed them than Spurs, and at half-time suddenly woke up. Hazard, who had been playing at half-speed for much of the season, scored a brilliant curled equaliser (which meant he had scored the title-deciding goal two seasons running). Spurs didn’t take it well: they ended up with nine bookings, a Premier League record. Mourinho’s first Chelsea side didn’t earn much affection from neutrals, and he was sometimes accused of draining the flair from his attacking players. But at times this season, they played excellent football, and the manner of this late April home win against their closest title rivals was hugely impressive. The most memorable moment came when Joe Cole got through United’s defence with a wonderful Cruyff turn before smashing home the second goal to get the party started. Arsenal had three games remaining and needed only one win. But with an FA Cup final on the horizon, they wanted to sew it up quickly. And they very much did. Slaven Bilic’s own goal at Highbury gave them a good start. Marc Overmars roared away for two brilliant solo goals, but the crowning moment came in the closing stages. In a goal that encapsulated the way Wenger had revolutionised Arsenal’s style of play perfectly, Steve Bould chipped the ball over the top of the opposition defence for fellow centre-half and club captain Tony Adams to stride onto and lash home with his left foot. As Martin Tyler said on his Sky Sports commentary: that summed it all up. City secured this title on the season’s final day by a single point — and by a single goal. They’d started poorly against Aston Villa, going behind to goals from Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho, who seemed keen to help his former side Liverpool win the league. In the final game of the three-substitutes era, City manager Pep Guardiola had to get his changes right. At 1-0 down, Oleksander Zinchenko had replaced Fernandinho and Raheem Sterling was on for Mahrez. Then, at 2-0 down, Guardiola could have gone for Jack Grealish, or a young Cole Palmer, but went for Gundogan in place of Bernardo Silva, and the German scored two of City’s three goals in an incredible five-minute spell, either side of one from Rodri, as they won the league by a whisker. It’s extraordinary that City needed a last-minute winner, considering this was a home match against the side with the worst away record in that season’s Premier League. That said, Queens Park Rangers were battling against the drop. Pablo Zabaleta scored a fortunate opener for City, but Djibril Cisse equalised shortly after half-time. Roberto Mancini’s side had a stroke of luck shortly before the hour when City old boy Joey Barton self-destructed and got sent off — only for Jamie Mackie to then put the 10 men ahead on 66 minutes. City piled on the pressure and ended up recording 44 goal attempts, which is still the most by one team in a Premier League game. With the penultimate one, substitute Edin Dzeko headed home for 2-2. And then, with QPR having heard that Bolton had only drawn with Stoke City, meaning the Londoners’ survival was confirmed regardless of their own result (and Manchester United fans thinking they were champions with the full-time whistle having blown on a 1-0 win at Sunderland moments earlier), Mario Balotelli teed up Aguero for the single most important kick of a football in the Premier League era. City had won their first Premier League title on goal difference. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms