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The Premier League continues to be the most entertaining league in Europe ever since it began in 1992. Prior to its inception, the top-flight of English Football was called as the Football League and it was started by Aston Villa director William McGregor in 1888. In 1892, teams from a rival league, Football Alliance, joined and the League was split into two divisions.
The First Division continued to be the top tier in English football for the next 100 years. Then, in 1992, the 22 members of the First Division voted to resign from the Football League and formed the Premier League as we know today. Meanwhile, the Football League was re-organized and the First Division became the second-tier in the English football league system.
Thus, over the course of 130 years, several clubs have won the league title, garnering points all along. Now, let's take a look at the top 10 teams who have collected the most number of points in the English top-flight by the completion of 27 matches in the 2017-18 season.
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Note - All wins have been awarded 3 points for consistency. However, in reality, a win fetched teams only 2 points until the 1980-81 league season.
#10 Sunderland - 4560 points
The Black Cats beat West Brom to 10th spot on the list and have a good league record despite their recent history. Sunderland won six league titles in the top-flight, a total bettered only by five other clubs in English history.
Founded in 1879, the Tyne and Wear club spent 68 successive seasons in the First Division before getting relegated for the first time in 1958. The club are currently plying their trade in the EFL Championship, the second-tier of English football, and are languishing at the bottom of the table.
Thus, a return to the Premier League could be a distant dream at the moment. However, one would not put it past them to make a quick return in the next few years to continue piling up points and try to usurp their perennial rivals, who occupy the ninth spot.
#9 Newcastle United - 4790 points
Newcastle's rivalry with Sunderland dates back to the first Tyne-Wear derby in 1898 and is one of the fiercest clashes in England. The Magpies joined the Football League in 1893 and have never fallen below the second tier in their entire history.
The Toons, as they are fondly called, have won four league titles and six FA Cups. They have played in St. James Park, their home stadium since the club was founded back in 1892. The club are now in their 86th season in the top-flight and are managed by Rafa Benitez.
Newcastle are not in their best phase at the moment as they languish in the bottom half of the PL table with the club struggling to fight it out against England's best. Nevertheless, the Magpies are one of the famous clubs in England and their presence on this list validates their consistency in the top-flight.
#8 Chelsea - 4945 points
The current defending champions of the Premier League find themselves at eighth spot on this list. The Blues were founded in 1905 and have played at Stamford Bridge ever since. The London club did take their time to win their first league title, which they accomplished in 1955.
Chelsea's best period of success came in the last two decades as they won 21 trophies and continue to be a force in England as well as in Europe. The Pensioners, as they are called due to their previous emblem, have won 6 league titles, 7 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, and a UEFA Champions League to go along with the other trophies.
The Antonio Conte-led side continue to be a force in the Premier League and have a genuine chance to usurp the team above them in the coming seasons.
#7 Tottenham - 4954 points
Another London club, Tottenham, have a genuine threat for their spot in the all-time top-flight table with Chelsea only 9 points behind at the current stage. The Lilywhites were founded way back in 1882 and have several firsts attached to their name.
Spurs were the first team in the 20th century to complete the League Cup and FA Cup double, a feat they achieved in 1961. In 1963, they became the first British club to win a UEFA club competition (European Cup Winners' Cup) and then became the first club from Britain to win 2 different major European trophies in 1972 by winning the inaugural UEFA Cup.
On top of that, Tottenham have won the league twice and have been a consistent force in the Premier League. Further, in the past few years, the London club went up a level under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino and are one of the best teams in England at the moment.
#6 Manchester City - 5103 points
Pep Guardiola's team could be sitting undisputed at the top of this season's Premier League table however, the Citizens only find themselves at sixth place in the all-time table. The 'other' team in Manchester, City were founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton) before adopting their current name in 1894.
Prior to the resurgence in the past decade, the Sky Blues' best spell came between 1968 and 1970 when they won the league, FA Cup, League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Their worst spell came in 1998 when they were relegated to the third tier of English football for the only time in their long history.
The Shark Team, a moniker the club picked up this season, have won 4 league titles in total. City can be expected to make further inroads to move up this list in the coming years, given their stability and stature on and off the pitch.
#5 Aston Villa - 5897 points
One of the two clubs on the list who are currently in the second tier of English football along with Sunderland, Aston Villa's history suggests anything but otherwise. The Villans were one of the founding members of the Football League as well as the Premier League and have played at Villa Park since 1897.
Apart from winning 7 league titles, 7 FA Cups and 5 League Cups, Villa are one of the 5 English clubs to win Europe's top competition, an honour which they achieved in 1982. One of the most-decorated clubs in English football, the Lions are close to securing promotion to the Premier League as they stand second after 31 games in the EFL Championship.
#4 Manchester United - 6267 points
The Red Devils are the most successful club in the whole of England, despite finding themselves at fourth spot on the all-time list. 20 league titles, 12 FA Cups, 5 League Cups and 21 FA Community Shields are a testament to the domestic dominance of the club, which was founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club. The current name came about in 1902 and they started playing in the famous Old Trafford from 1910.
Manchester United are also the most successful club in the Premier League era with 13 titles and are currently in second place this season. Further, the club were named as the world's most valuable football club by Forbes in 2017, a sign of their supreme financial strength ahead of the likes of European heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Thus, the bandwagon is unlikely to stop anytime soon and United can be expected to rake in more points as they try to reduce the gap with another team from North-West England.
#3 Everton - 6577 points
If one considers the recent history, it will be surprising to see Everton ahead of the likes of Manchester United. However, the Merseyside club are one of the most successful clubs in England. The Toffees were formed in 1878 and have competed in the top-flight for 114 seasons, more than any other club.
Further, Everton have won nine league titles with the last one coming in 1987. However, they do not look close to winning another one in the near future as they struggle to build world-class teams and win trophies.
In fact, they fell from the second spot in the past decade and while they hold a sizeable lead over Manchester United in the all-time table, they need to find the winning formula once again to shoot back into relevance.
#2 Arsenal - 6627 points
The London club have the longest streak of staying in the top-flight, having played in England's top-tier since 1919. The Gunners were founded in 1886 and went through several name changes to become the one known today to fans worldwide.
Arsenal were the first club from the South of England to join the Football League in 1893 and have been relegated only once in 1913. They moved to the Arsenal stadium in Highbury during the same year close to Tottenham and kick-started the now-famous North London rivalry.
The Gunners won 13 league titles and a record 13 FA Cups amongst others, establishing themselves in the upper echelons of English football. Further, Arsenal are the only English team to remain unbeaten in a 38-match season, a stunning feat they achieved in the 2003-2004 Premier League season.
Thus, consistency is key behind Arsenal's high position in this all-time table but it is not good enough to usurp the leaders.
#1 Liverpool - 6721 points
Sitting at the top of the table with the most points amongst English teams are Merseyside club, Liverpool. Despite the failure to add another league title to the current tally of 18 since 1990, the Reds are one of the biggest clubs in world football and hold a considerable lead over second-placed Arsenal.
Founded in 1892 and playing at Anfield ever since the club had its share of ups and downs. The best period for the club came under the tutelage of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley during the 1970s and 1980s as they dominated England as well as Europe with 11 league titles and 7 European trophies. In fact, the Reds remain the most successful English club in Europe.
Thus, Liverpool might have seen Manchester United cross their trophies count in the past three decades. However, they remain the kings of England when one considers the history of English football and are very likely to stay there with the way current manager Jurgen Klopp is building a world-class side to compete on all fronts.
