For years now, debate has raged about the greatest ever Premier League team, with opinion having changed and evolved markedly through the years.
For some, Manchester United’s treble winning team remains the greatest ever to grace the competition, even after Manchester City repeated this achievement in 2022/23. Then there’s Arsenal’s ‘Invincble’s of 2004, and the Red Devil’s 2008 side that won a continental double and fielded Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez in attack.
But what Premier League team is the best in history? Here’s our analysis of the key contenders and take on which one should be considered the most accomplished?
#3. Manchester United, 2007/08
Let’s start with Sir Alex Ferguson’s United team of 2007/08, which as we’ve touched on, completed a prestigious continental double of English Premier League and Champions League.
They won the league with 87 points from 38 matches, scoring 80 goals and conceding just 22. The team only conceded 22 goals too, losing a paltry five games and edging out bitter rivals Chelsea by two points.
At the heart of their success was the fearsome strike threesome of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez. They struck 79 goals between them in all competitions, with ‘CR7’ contributing a mammoth 42 (including 31 in the top flight).
United also edged Chelsea on penalties in a dramatic Champions League final beneath a Russian downpour, earning their third European Cup and second under the stewardship of Sir Alex. A truly great team, this side edges out Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ by virtue of combining both EPL and UCL titles in the same campaign.
#2. Manchester United, 1998/99
Prior to May 2023, Manchester United’s treble winning side would have topped our list, but their bitter City rivals have since matched this achievement under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.
This shouldn’t detract from the Red Devils’ achievement in 1999, however, as United became the first English team to win the Premier League or top flight title, FA Cup and Champions League.
They also did it the hard way too. The team went unbeaten in 33 matches in all competitions from December 19th, for example, while holding off a spirited Arsenal team that contained legendary players like Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Viera, Emmanuel Petit and Tony Adams.
They also defeated Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle when winning the FA Cup, while Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus were eliminated during their UCL campaign.
The only perceived negative here is that United were able to win the league with just 79 points, which would only be enough to achieve a Champions League place in recent campaigns.
#1. Manchester City, 2022/23
We close with Man City, whose treble winning team of 2022/23 gets the nod as the best in EPL history. Of course, they’re continuing to add to this legacy under Guardiola too, as you can play here with Melbet and back them as favourites to win a fifth successive title in 2024/25.
City won the league with an exceptional 89 points this season, losing just five games, scoring 94 goals and edging Arsenal by five clear points. They also had to defeat Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United en route to the FA Cup, with the Blues and Gunners dispatched in the opening two rounds.
As for the UCL, City eliminated Borussia Dortmund during the group stages, before beating Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter Milan to win their maiden European Cup. Their 4-0 win over Los Blancos in the second leg of their semi-final was truly iconic, and one of the best team performances ever seen in the competition.
Overall, this campaign has everything, and City’s 2022/23 side gets our nod as the best ever EPL team. We should give an honourable mention to striker Erling Haaland too, who contributed 52 goals in 53 matches in his debut season.
