Only five teams in Premier League history have taken maximum points from their last nine games
Thursday 19 March 2020 10:34, UK
These are uncertain and unprecedented times. The coronavirus pandemic has led to the postponement of the Premier League season with nine games remaining, and so far there are more questions than answers.
The integrity of the competition will be at stake when the Premier League holds its emergency meeting on Thursday. It is by far the biggest challenge facing new chief executive Richard Masters, but the likelihood of more positive tests among players and coaching staff will surely provide the biggest obstacle to ensuring all clubs return to action at the same time.
There are those who will argue with some justification that Liverpool ought to be crowned champions, 25 points clear of their nearest rivals, but elsewhere there are huge financial ramifications that will lie at the heart of any concrete decisions.
The virus outbreak is causing major disruption to the footballing calendar across the world and may not reach its peak until 10-14 weeks' time - well after the English domestic football season is due to finish.
While Liverpool might have been celebrating a first league title in 30 years as early as Monday, there are still 92 Premier League games that need to be played. A look back at seasons from the past decade indicates just how much things can change with nearly a quarter of the campaign still to go...
After 29 league games, Manchester United were top by three points, but second-placed Arsenal had a game in hand. The Champions League places were occupied by those two sides as well as Manchester City in third and Chelsea in fourth.
Tottenham sat in fifth place, three points off Chelsea and still with a good chance of overtaking their cross-city rivals. Down the bottom, Wigan sat in 20th place, joined in the relegation zone by Wolves and West Ham.
Come the end of the season, Arsenal had to settle for fourth and a Champions League play-off place as United were crowned champions, followed by Chelsea and Man City.
Spurs remained in the one Europa League place allocated to league finish, joined by FA Cup runners-up Stoke and Fulham at the first qualifying stage by virtue of the now-defunct Fair Play league.
Wigan finished three points above the dreaded dotted line in 16th while Wolves also survived as Birmingham and Blackpool dropped into the bottom three along with rock-bottom West Ham.
The most dramatic Premier League season. Manchester United led rivals City by a point on March 14, 2012 - while Tottenham and Arsenal filled the other two Champions League places. Chelsea lay in fifth place while Newcastle sat sixth.
At the other end, the bottom three was made up of Queens Park Rangers, Wolves and Wigan.
But come the end of the season that May, Wigan and QPR had survived as Bolton and Blackburn headed back to the Championship along with Wolves.
City famously snatched the title with two stoppage-time goals in a 3-2 win over QPR to clinch their maiden Premier League crown on goal difference from United in second.
A year later, Manchester United were again top after 29 gameweeks, and in Sir Alex Ferguson's finally season in charge, his side boasted a 12-point lead over City.
It was an advantage that this time they would not relinquish, but elsewhere in the top four, Tottenham and Chelsea were the favourites in clinch the two other Champions League places.
Spurs held a seven-point lead over Arsenal, albeit having played one game more. By the end of the season, the Gunners pipped their North London rivals to fourth spot.
Wigan, Reading and QPR finished in the bottom three - as they were with nine games remaining.
Chelsea were in the box seat with nine games to play during the 2013/14 season with Liverpool in hot pursuit. Jose Mourinho's side held a seven-point lead albeit having played a game more than Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers.
Arsenal were in third place but crucially Manchester City in fourth had only played 26 games on March 14.
Tottenham still harboured Champions League hopes, four points off fourth, while Manchester United were in sixth - nine points adrift off City. Cardiff, Sunderland and Fulham filled the relegation places.
Come the end of the season, City would make full use of their games in hand to deny Liverpool a first Premier League title by two points, while Chelsea and Arsenal completed the top four.
Sunderland completed the great escape under Gus Poyet, as Norwich joined Cardiff and Fulham in going down. Things got even worse for United, as Everton usurped them into a Europa League spot.
Chelsea led the way with second-placed Manchester City and Arsenal in third still holding realistic hopes of winning the Premier League title with nine games still to play. Manchester United completed the top four, two points ahead of Liverpool in fifth.
Leicester sat bottom on 19 points from 28 games played up to March 14, seven points adrift of safety, while Burnley and QPR completed the bottom three.
That all changed for the Foxes in the final stretch as Nigel Pearson staged a remarkable escape with Hull replacing them in the relegation zone after 38 games.
The top four, on this occasion, remained the same, while even the Europa League places were filled by those who were in fifth, sixth and seventh place - Liverpool,Tottenham and Southampton.
During Leicester's miraculous campaign, Claudio Ranieri had his team five points clear of Tottenham in second by mid-March. Arsenal and Manchester City completed the top four while West Ham lay in fifth, just two points off a Champions League place.
Down the bottom, Aston Villa propped up the league, joined in the relegation zone by Norwich and Newcastle.
This was a rare example where none of the significant standings changed as Leicester were crowned champions, joined in the Champions League places by Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester City.
The bottom three stayed as they were while United, Southampton and West Ham all held on to the Europa League spot that were extended to the league based on the domestic cups being won by those already qualified for Europe.
Chelsea had built up an unassailable lead at the summit, 10 points clear of Tottenham, but the picture was far less conclusive further down the division.
Manchester City and Liverpool occupied third and fourth respectively with Arsenal five points adrift of the Champions League places in fifth. At the bottom end, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull were battling to stay up with Crystal Palace only a point clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea would win the league by seven points while the top four would remain the same, but Manchester United clinched a Champions League place after winning the Europa League.
Things wouldn't get any better for the trio of North-East Premier League clubs as the same three teams that occupied the bottom three with nine games remaining went down.
Manchester City were 16 points clear of Manchester United on March 14, when there were eight games remaining of the 2017/18 season. Tottenham and Liverpool completed the top four, with Chelsea four points off in fifth.
Arsenal and Burnley were still in contention for the Europa League spots while Crystal Palace, Stoke and West Brom filled the relegation places.
City would go on to lift the Premier League trophy and the top four remained as it was. Chelsea, Arsenal and Burnley all booked Europa League spots but Palace ended the season very strongly.
Under Roy Hodgson, the Eagles collected 17 points from their remaining eight games to finish in a comfortable 11th place as Swansea's stay in the Premier League came to an end.
The Welsh club were four points clear of the bottom three, but would end up joining Stoke and West Brom in being relegated.
Manchester City led Liverpool by a solitary point at the same stage last season, and it was all to play for at both ends of the league table.
Huddersfield and Fulham were already cut adrift at the bottom, but Cardiff were only two points below 17th-placed Burnley.
In the end, the same bottom three were relegated, but sixth-placed Chelsea took full advantage of a game in hand to eventually finish in third as Arsenal missed out on a Champions League spot.
In a remarkable end to the title race, Liverpool finished second to City despite amassing 97 points.
