Every Premier League Club’s Longest Unbeaten Run – In All Competitions

Only one Premier League team has gone through an entire season without losing a game. Famously, that was Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal team, who were later dubbed the Invincibles.

That said, the Gunners did not complete that campaign undefeated in all competitions. Indeed, they may not have lost in the league, but they suffered defeats in other competitions. They lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals, Middlesbrough in the same stage of the League Cup, and two Champions League group stage games, before being knocked out by Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

As such, Arsenal may be the only Premier League team to complete a season without losing a game, but they don’t have the longest undefeated streak across all competitions. In fact, of the current sides in the English top-flight, they only rank sixth.

When Brentford won the 2021 Championship final to be promoted to the Premier League, it confirmed their return to the English top-flight for the first time since the 1946/47 season. Interestingly enough, though, their 17-game unbeaten run saw them earn another promotion, this time it was out of the fourth tier into the third at the end of the 1998/99 season. Ron Noades was manager at the time, and his run came undone just two games into the following campaign, as they were beaten in the first round of the League Cup by Ipswich at home at Griffin Park. Just 4,825 people were in the stands to watch the loss.

Brighton actually shared that same unbeaten number of 17, but rank higher on the list simply because they’ve managed to do it on three different occasions. The most recent stretch came not so long ago, in 2017, when they were still playing in the Championship. Fascinatingly, they managed the exact same length of time without a defeat in the season prior to that, once more playing in the English second tier. Prior to that, they also went 17 games undefeated in late 1987. Back then, however, they were playing in the third tier, albeit they would later earn promotion in that very same campaign.

Just about beating the two aforementioned runs, Bournemouth squeezes past, having managed to go 18 games undefeated in one impressive chunk as a League One side. This record came under Eddie Howe, who famously took the Cherries from League Two all the way to the Premier League during his two spells with the club from 2009 to 2011, and 2012 to 2020.

Crystal Palace are the one team on this list who are currently on their unbeaten run. Under Oliver Glasner, the Eagles have gone from strength to strength and haven’t lost a game since a 5-0 thrashing away at Newcastle United in April. They’ve made the most of their run, too. Before it began, the club had never won a trophy in their entire history, but can now count itself as an FA Cup winner. They also beat Liverpool to claim the Community Shield. They’ve actually reached the 18-game undefeated mark before, doing so under Bert Head in 1969, as they were promoted to the top flight of English football for the first time, but have now surpassed that in 2025.

Wolves, Newcastle, and Fulham have all reached the 19-game mark across their collective histories. Of the lot, Wolves have done it twice, with the most recent coming to an end in August 2005. The Magpies’ run came in a strong season for the club, as they went 19 games undefeated in 1992/93, winning the old First Division under Kevin Keegan to earn promotion to the Premier League. Fulham were also in the second tier for their run, which came in 2017/18 and similarly ended in promotion.

Aston Villa have to go way back to 1897 for their run, which lasted 22 games, making them the only club to strengthen back into the 19th century. That said, West Ham’s best unbeaten spell came over 100 years ago too, as their 23-game stretch finished in April 1923. Sadly for the East London outfit, they followed up this defeat by then losing in the FA Cup final to Bolton Wanderers 12 days later in what was the first match ever played at Wembley.

Chelsea’s best run most recently came in 2009, and it actually saw them match their previous best record, which came not long before, when Jose Mourinho lasted 23 games without defeat in the second half of the 2006/07 season.

10. Liverpool – 25 Games

Run Ended: 2021

Liverpool’s 25-game unbeaten run came not so long ago, under Jurgen Klopp, ending in November 2021. Sadly for the Reds, that wasn’t enough to see them win the Premier League, with Manchester City claiming the title by just a single point.

This wasn’t the only time the Angield outfit had reached 25 games without losing in all competitions, with the club first achieving this in 1982. That time around, however, they did manage to get their hands on the league title.

9. Sunderland – 26 Games

Run Ended: 1998

Now back in the Premier League, Sunderland are impressing many but they have some way to go before they can match their best unbeaten spell, which came to an end on 13 November 1998. That said, their run came as a second-tier side under Peter Reid.

It did help them get promoted, though, as they would cement top-flight status at the end of the 1998/99 campaign. The Black Cats would then spend the next four seasons in the Premier League before dropping down for 2003/04.

8. Leeds United – 26 Games

Run Ended: 1968

Leeds United are level with Sunderland on 26 games, but their run came a lot earlier. This was, of course, a strong era for the Yorkshire club and they would go on to win the First Division title for the very first time in 1968/69.

They would also finish as runners-up in 1965, ’66, ’70, and ’72, before lifting the title again in 1973. Don Revie, of course, would be calling the shots as the club’s legendary manager during this period.

7. Burnley – 26 Games

Run Ended: 1921

As the third team that just couldn’t get past the 26-game mark, Burnley set their record the earliest. Indeed, it came to an end way back before the Second World War on 12 February 1921.

It’s certainly hard to imagine the Clarets pulling off a run like that any time soon in the Premier League. But if relegation is to come, it could perhaps be a silver lining as a potential achievement to target in the Championship for the Turf Moor outfit.

6. Arsenal – 28 Games

Run Ended: 2007

Many would assume Arsenal’s best run came during the Invincibles era, but as explained before, they lost a handful of matches outside of the Premier League during this period. Their 28-game run did still come under Wenger, though.

It came a few years after the Invincibles, once the club had swapped Highbury for the Emirates, and was ended by Spanish side Sevilla in the Champions League in November 2007. The Invincibles only managed to go 20 games without defeat across all competitions, between October 2003 to mid-January 2004.

5. Everton – 28 Games

Run Ended: 1985

In May 1985​​​​​​, Everton finally saw their 28-game undefeated run come to an end. Like many of the clubs on this list, this period represented a bit of a golden era for the Tofees.

After all, they were crowned league champions in 1985, and ’87, while they also won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1985. Adding an FA Cup in ’84, it’s fair to say things haven’t been quite as good for Everton in the decades since.

4. Tottenham – 29 Games

Run Ended: 1967

Tottenham fans will be delighted to see that their team just edges in above Arsenal, with their 29-game unbeaten streak. This too dates back to a more succesful era for the club.

Spurs won the league in the early 60s, while also lifting the FA Cup three times in that decade, to go with their UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup of 1963. Thier unbeatne streak ended in. with that run coming to an end August 1967, the same year they won the FA Cup.

3. Manchester United – 34 Games

Run Ended: 1994

Manchester United enjoyed their best spell, unsurprisingly, under Sir Alex Ferguson. The iconic manager guided them to 34 games without defeat in 1994, a decade of great success at Old Trafford.

The Premier League title was one that year. while the club also go their hands on the FA Cup that season. The run began with a 4-2 league victory over Swindon Town on September 25, 1993 and ended with a 1-0 loss at home against Chelsea. The loss was the only time the Red Devils were beaten at Old Trafford in any competition for 57 games, running from November 1992 to December 1994.

2. Manchester City – 35 Games

Run Ended: 2024

Manchester City fans will enjoy the fact that their run extends beyond the 34 games their biggest rivals managed. Indeed, Pep Guardiola’s team went 35 games without losing and looked capable of beating the record.

However, as some conclusions to Man Utd supporters, they killed the run dead in May 2024 and won the FA Cup in one fell swoop. The final figure is up for debate, though, as City did lose on penalties to Real Madrid during their run. That said, the Laws of the Game state that a team can only lose a match by scoring fewer goals than their opponent, and that penalty shootouts are used as tiebreakers following drawn games. As such, the match technically went down as a draw.

1. Nottingham Forest – 40 Games

Run Ended: 1978

And so, Nottingham Forest come in at number one as the current Premier League team with the longest unbeaten streak in all competitions. What’s more, it’s actually the longest run of any English teams (not just those in the top flight right now).

It was led by iconic manager Brian Clough, and went across the final 15 matches of the 1977/78 season and deep into the following campaign. In that period, they lifted the league and the League Cup, winning 21 of those 40 games. Liverpool finally put an end to the streak in December 1978​​​​​​ by winning 2-0 at Anfield.

Stats via The Athletic – as of 03/10/25