The all-time English top flight league table: Arsenal 2nd, Man Utd 4th…

Mitchell Wilks • 03 May 2023

The English top-flight has a storied history that stretches back long before the Premier League’s 1992 inception – but which teams are a part of that history and who are the most successful of all-time to date?

Everton continue to flirt with relegation from England’s top flight for the first time since 1951, with anyone new to the beautiful game forgiven for thinking they are nothing more than a side making up the numbers.

In fact, their rich history doesn’t align with their current struggles, and the all-time top-flight table serves as a stern reminder.

While we immediately all think of the great Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal sides over the years, there were periods of dominance from teams many wouldn’t have expected and merely appearances in the English top-flight for teams who many perhaps haven’t even heard of.

Bradford Park Avenue found themselves playing First Division football 100 years ago, but were relegated in 1914 and have never returned since. After reforming in 1987, the club has since spent most of their time in the lower end of England’s non-league system.

Staying in Yorkshire, many associate Huddersfield Town’s top-flight experience with their two-year stay that began with David Wagner in 2017-18, before falling apart. In fact, The Terriers won a three-peat of First Division titles in the 1920s as well as an FA Cup. That’s more First Division titles than Tottenham – no, seriously.

Sitting just behind Newcastle in the rankings is Sunderland, who have been out of the Premier League since their 2016-17 relegation season. That was the start of a miserable era that saw them drop down to League One in the process, but the Black Cats are now fighting to escape England’s second division once again.

Littered with teams across the country, from the very top of the pyramid to the bottom – with even the currently inactive Bury FC making the cut – here is what the all-time English top-flight table currently looks like.

1. Liverpool – 7155 points
2. Arsenal – 6979 points
3. Everton – 6822 points
4. Manchester United – 6619 points
5. Aston Villa – 6086 points
6. Manchester City – 5565 points
7. Tottenham – 5296 points
8. Chelsea – 5280 points
9. Newcastle – 5054 points
10. Sunderland – 4560 points
11. West Brom – 4091 points
12. Blackburn – 3702 points
13. Bolton Wanderers – 3692 points
14. Wolves – 3624 points
15. Sheffield Wednesday – 3552 points
16. West Ham – 3327 points
17. Derby County – 3303 points
18. Sheffield United – 3250 points
19. Leeds United – 3188 points
20. Burnley – 3124 points
21. Middlesbrough – 3065 points
22. Nottingham Forest – 2979 points
23. Stoke City – 2917 points
24. Leicester City – 2784 points
25. Birmingham City – 2755 points
26. Preston North End – 2403 points
27. Southampton – 2283 points
28. Huddersfield Town – 1810 points
29. Portsmouth – 1765 points
30. Coventry – 1686 points
31. Blackpool – 1527 points
32. Ipswich – 1471 points
33. Charlton Athletic – 1318 points
34. Notts County – 1276 points
35. Norwich City – 1256 points
36. Fulham – 1251 points
37. QPR – 1146 points
38. Bury FC – 1017 points
39. Crystal Palace – 1011 points
40. Cardiff City – 890 points
41. Luton Town – 807 points
42. Wimbledon – 729 points
43. Watford – 622 points
44. Oldham Athletic – 606 points
45. Grimsby Town – 598 points
46. Bradford City – 582 points
47. Brighton – 450 points
48. Bristol City – 436 points
49. Swansea City – 422 points
50. Brentford – 370 points
51. Wigan Athletic – 331 points
52. AFC Bournemouth – 250 points
53. Hull City – 171 points
54. Bradford Park Avenue – 147 points
55. Accrington FC – 138 points
56. Reading – 119 points
57. Oxford United – 119 points
58. Millwall – 79 points
59. Northampton Town – 43 points
60. Carlisle United – 41 points
61. Darwen – 41 points
62. Barnsley FC – 35 points
63. Swindon Town – 30 points
64. Leyton Orient – 27 points
65. Glossop North End – 22 points

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name all 12 clubs Sam Allardyce has managed in his career?

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