Since the Football League’s foundation in the late 1880s, dozens of teams have contributed to well over 1,000 games having been played in England’s top flight. Some sides have spent just a season or two in such a bracket of teams, be it when it was the First Division or as the Premier League. Other teams have enjoyed long spells within the top division of the game, while a select few have gone on to establish themselves as some of the best in the world.
Arsenal are, at the time of writing, just one victory away from having secured 2,000 wins in the English top flight. Upon doing so, they would become just the second team, behind Liverpool, to have reached that milestone. So, with that being considered, which teams have won the most games in history in the top tier of English football?
Ranking Factors
As this list covers nine teams that have accumulated the most wins ever in the English top flight, they will be ranked solely on the number of wins that they have achieved, as opposed to any other potential factors.
9 Teams With the Most Wins in the English Top-Flight History | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name of Team | Wins in Top Flight | Record Goalscorer (Goals/Games) | Record Assist Maker (Goals/Games) | Record Appearance Holder (Games) | Top Flight Titles Won |
1. | Liverpool | 2,066 | Ian Rush (339/653) | Sir Kenny Dalglish (186/510) | Ian Callaghan (841) | 19 |
2. | Arsenal | 1,999 | Thierry Henry (228/377) | Dennis Bergkamp (112/422) | David O’Leary (640) | 13 |
3. | Manchester United | 1,909 | Wayne Rooney (253/559) | Ryan Giggs (253/952) | Ryan Giggs (952) | 20 |
4. | Everton | 1,901 | Graeme Sharp (140/412) | Leighton Baines (63/420) | Neville Southall (674) | 9 |
5. | Aston Villa | 1,724 | Johnny Dixon (104/299) | Ashley Young (60/247) | Gordan Cowans (474) | 7 |
6. | Manchester City | 1,596 | Sergio Aguero (260/390) | Kevin de Bruyne (171+/388+) | Joe Corrigan (531) | 10 |
7. | Tottenham Hotspur | 1,508 | Harry Kane (280/435) | Christian Eriksen (88/305) | Steve Perryman (747) | 2 |
8. | Chelsea | 1,479 | Frank Lampard (211/648) | Frank Lampard (148/648) | John Terry (717) | 6 |
9. | Newcastle United | 1,413 | Alan Shearer (206/405) | Nobby Solano (78/315) | Shay Given (463) | 4 |
9 Newcastle United
Top flight wins: 1,413
In modern history, Newcastle United came closest to a Premier League triumph under Kevin Keegan in the 1990s, competing with Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in a battle that they would ultimately lose as runners-up on two occasions. The Magpies have won four top flight titles in a 143-year history that has never seen them descend lower than the second tier of English football.
Despite not having won a major English honour since the 1950s, Newcastle have made themselves a staple of the top flight. The Premier League’s record goalscorer, Alan Shearer, spent a decade with United, his boyhood club, notching 206 goals to make himself the team’s highest scorer.
Nobby Solano, a cult hero, garnered 78 assists throughout his time in Tyneside, a record that is yet to be broken, just as Shay Given’s 463 appearances remains the most made by one player for the club.
Newcastle’s biggest win in the Premier League is a recent one, an 8-0 hammering of Sheffield United in the 2023/24 season, with each goal being scored by a different player. The Magpies have, however, found themselves on the wrong side of similar score lines before, an 8-1 loss to West Ham in the 1980s remaining their heaviest defeat.
8 Chelsea
Top flight wins: 1,479
Chelsea have certainly had a storied history as a top flight outfit, with many of their successes coming after Roman Abramovich’s takeover of the club. Prior to the Russian’s tenure, the London side had faced their struggles, particularly throughout the 80s and 90s, at stages coming close to playing Third Division football.
In the 21st century, however, the club have won two Champions League honours and five Premier League titles on their way to cementing themselves as one of the English game’s top sides. Legendary midfielder Frank Lampard is both Chelsea’s highest scorer and top playmaker of all time, while fellow icon John Terry is their most-capped player, having appeared in over 700 games between 1998 and 2017.
In 2010 and 2012, against Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa respectively, Chelsea enjoyed 8-0 victories, their biggest margin in a Premier League win. Prior to this, while still in the First Division, Chelsea were unfortunate enough to concede seven goals on several occasions to a multitude of different teams, such as Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Wolves and Villa.
7 Tottenham Hotspur
Top flight wins: 1,508
Much has been said of Tottenham Hotspur and their ability, or recent lack thereof, to attain a trophy within the English game. Having last been relegated in 1977 and earning promotion the following year, Spurs have been a constant in the English top flight and, especially in modern history, have been fairly consistent with finishing within the top six, despite having just two top flight titles in their time as a club, their most-recent being in 1961.
Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, two club heroes that were part of the Mauricio Pochettino team that came so close to glory, are Tottenham’s top scorer and playmaker respectively, though no player is yet to touch Steve Perryman’s 747 appearances for the team between 1969 and 1986.
November 2009 saw Spurs enjoy their greatest-ever scoreline in a Premier League match, completing a 9-1 demolition of Wigan Athletic. The most goals they have ever conceded in one game was against Derby in the 1970s, during an 8-2 loss in the First Division. Though not by its scoreline, Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Chelsea in 2016, the infamous “Battle of the Bridge,” saw them miss out on a Premier League title they were so close to attaining.
6 Manchester City
Top flight wins: 1,596
Manchester City’s struggles before their 2008 takeover have been well documented, the club having played Third Division football as recently as 1998 prior to that. City certainly endured a rocky path of results and experiences, earning occasional, but certainly not consistent, honours within the game.
Winning the 2011 FA Cup and 2011-12 Premier League, City’s first victories in both competitions since the 1960s, sparked a period of success and dominance for the Sky Blues, who have won 10 English top flight titles in their history. From the 2010s onwards, City have enjoyed consistent Premier League victories, a Champions League triumph and numerous domestic cup honours.
Joe Corrigan is still the most-capped player in City’s history, having spent 16 years at the club between 1967 and 1983. Other records, however, have been taken by modern players, a result of their takeover leading to a higher quality overall. Sergio Aguero, a club legend, is their all-time top scorer, while Belgian maestro Kevin de Bruyne has the most assists for any one player in City’s history, a tally that is still increasing.
City’s biggest-ever top flight win came just five years ago when they thrashed Watford 8-0 in the Premier League. Their time in the first tier, however, has seen defeats that were equally as heavy, such as their infamous 8-1 loss to Middlesbrough in 2008.
5 Aston Villa
Top flight wins: 1,724
Currently enjoying an Unai Emery-led revolution, Aston Villa have certainly had a tumultuous history, the club having endured periods of struggle while also enjoying stretches of success. Villa’s latest top flight title of the seven they have won came in the 1980-81 season. It was a golden time for the Midlands side, as they would win the European Cup a year later, which is their only continental triumph as of yet.
Villa, who were playing in the second tier as recently as 2019, have gone from strength to strength since earning promotion back to the top flight. Despite this, many records, such as Johnny Dixon and Gordan Cowans as top scorer and most-capped player respectively, are yet to be broken.
Their biggest top flight win came almost 100 years ago, a 10-0 demolition job of Burnley in 1925. Only their 7-1 Premier League victory over Wimbledon in 1995 comes remotely close to that scoreline when looking at matches in the Villans’ recent history.
4 Everton
Top flight wins: 1,901
A founding member of both the Football League in 1888 and the Premier League in 1992, Everton have been a constant in the English top flight since their foundation. The Toffees played more top-flight football than any other side in the 20th century and have been in the highest division consistently since 1954.
Nine-time champions since their formation in 1878, Everton’s most-recent golden age came in the mid-80s, where they won two league titles between 1984 and 1987. Their 8-0 hammering of Southampton in 1971 remains Everton’s heaviest win in the modern era, a team they beat 7-1 25 years later in what is their joint-best Premier League win.
No player is yet to overtake Graeme Sharp’s impressive scoring exploits for the Goodison Park side, just as no player has gotten remotely near to Neville Southall’s eye-watering appearance tally for the club. Leighton Baines, a cult icon in the blue part of Merseyside, is the team’s best-ever playmaker, the left-back having notched 63 assists over his tenure with the club.
3 Manchester United
Top flight wins: 1,909
In terms of titles, Manchester United are the most successful club in England, with 20 top flight honours to their name throughout their history. Be it Sir Matt Busby or Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils have been fortunate to have multiple golden eras as a team, with the latter’s 27-year stint seeing the side enjoy innumerable triumphs.
Ryan Giggs made a staggering 952 appearances for the club across a 22-year career, his 253 assists making him their best-ever assist maker as well as their most-capped player. Wayne Rooney, currently manager of Plymouth Argyle, notched 253 goals in his time at Old Trafford, overtaking Sir Bobby Charlton as their record goalscorer.
Man United have won not one, but two, Premier League games by a 9-0 scoreline in their history, with Ipswich Town and Southampton the unfortunate recipients of such a beating. On the flip side, the Red Devils have never conceded more than seven goals in a game, but their 7-0 loss to Liverpool in 2023 was their heaviest defeat in almost a century.
2 Arsenal
Top flight wins: 1,999
Arsenal have, across 138 years, been relegated from the top flight only once, in 1913. Having been voted back into the First Division after the First World War, the Gunners have never again dropped out of that league, becoming synonymous with the highest level of English football.
The North London side have won 13 titles, their most recent three coming under legendary manager Arsene Wenger in the late 90s and early 2000s. Arsenal also, of course, achieved the legendary feat of going a full season unbeaten in the 2003/04 term, the first English side to do so since Preston North End in the 19th century.
Arsenal’s biggest-ever win came over 100 years ago, when they battered Loughborough Town 12-0 in 1900. In recent years, they have enjoyed thrashings of a smaller margin, such as their 7-0 victory over Everton in 2005.
Two bonafide icons of the Wenger era hold two important records for the club. Thierry Henry is the club’s top scorer while Dennis Bergkamp’s assist tally remains the highest in Arsenal’s history. In terms of appearances, no player is yet to play in more games than ex-Leeds United manager David O’Leary, who spent 18 years as a player in North London.
1 Liverpool
Top flight wins: 2,066
Across Liverpool’s 132-year history, they have spent 109 seasons within the top flight of English football, such has their consistency been over such a long period of time. Their 19-title wins is dwarfed only by Manchester United, who have won one more top flight honour than the Reds.
Winning 11 titles between 1972 and 1990 signified something of a golden age for the Anfield side, as they would be forced to wait 30 years from their 1990 First Division title before winning the English top flight once again when Jurgen Klopp guided the team to the 2019-20 Premier League title.
With such time in the highest division of English football, Liverpool have had more than their share of memorable matches, the 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth in 2022 being a particular highlight in Liverpool’s recent history.
Ian Callaghan, who spent almost 20 years with Liverpool, made 841 appearances for the Reds during his stint which, despite his departure in 1978, is a record that still stands to this day. Sir Kenny Dalglish, “King Kenny” to those of a Liverpool affliction, remains their top playmaker with nearly 200 assists during his time at Anfield.
Of all the exceptional strikers that Liverpool have had over the years, none have yet overtaken the goalscoring exploits of Ian Rush, the Welshman having netted 339 goals in 653 games throughout his Liverpool career.
(All stats are from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 25/10/2024)