In the world of English football, being top of the Premier League table at Christmas is often seen as a strong indicator of a team’s potential to win the title. While not a guarantee, history has shown a notable correlation between being “Christmas champions” and lifting the trophy in May. Let’s delve into the records and analyse the fortunes of the last 5 teams that led the Premier League standings at Christmas and their eventual league finishes.
Arsenal – 23/24
Arsenal led the EPL by a single point from Liverpool on Christmas Day 2023 after earning a point away at Anfield but almost immediately after suffered a loss of form losing consecutive games to West Ham at home and Fulham away. Arteta’s men dug deep to regain some form and went on an 11 game unbeaten run notching up 10 wins in that time along with a credible draw at Manchester City but a 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa put a major dent in the Gunners’ title hopes. They did take the title race to the final day but came up short as City made it 4 titles in a row.
Final Position: 2nd
Arsenal – 22/23
Arsenal shocked everyone to lead the EPL table at Christmas 2022, although the last EPL game before the festive period was played on November 12th due to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. At one stage Arteta’s men led Guardiola’s City by 8 points but a late collapse ensured the men from North London would have to settle for second position. Winning just 3 of their last 9 games was not enough but in the context of previous seasons, it was a good return but Arsenal did spend a record 248 days top of the EPL table so disappointment was rife amongst the fanbase.
Final Position: 2nd
Man City – 21/22
A typically brilliant Guardiola vs Klopp Premier League title race in which both teams raced away from the rest of the chasing pack with the Anfield outfit chasing an unprecedented quadruple that came all the way down to the final moments of the season. With Liverpool being held at home by Wolves, the Citizens found themselves 2-0 at home to a Steven Gerrard-led Aston Villa and just as Mo Salah found the breakthrough, the Blues roared back with a late Ilkay Gundogan goal winning the title right at the death!
Final Position: Champions
Liverpool – 20/21
With the season starting later than usual due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was earlier in the season than normal when we reached the holiday period. Reigning champions Liverpool had suffered massive injury losses in their defence with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez & Joel Matip all out long term but the Reds had still only lost 1 game (a bizarre 7-2 hammering away at Aston Villa) before Christmas. Klopp’s men would go on an unprecedented run of just 3 wins in 14 games including 6 straight losses at home having not previously lost a home EPL game since 2017! They would rally late on to secure a UCL spot for the next season but the damage was done.
Final Position: 3rd
Liverpool – 19/20
Liverpool had been knocking on the door of the EPL title having led the table at the same time a year previous before being pipped at the end by a single point in the greatest title race of them all time. This time around they had just become world champions in Doha and led Leicester City by a massive 10 points with a game in hand on Christmas Day 2019 after a covid delayed season finally resumed, the Redmen managed to secure a first league title in 30 years by a whopping 18 points from Manchester City!
Final Position: Champions
