Premier League Records: Best starts to a season

While Premier League champions typically have a strong end to the campaign, getting off to a good start certainly doesn't harm your chances of success at the business end of the season.

Below, we look at the best starts to a Premier League season.

Best starts to Premier League season

In total, 14 teams have picked up 26 points or more in their first 10 games of a Premier League season, with six amassing 27 or more. Below we look at those six, and where the finished at the end of the campaign.

Manchester City 2017/18 - 28 points (1st)

Pep Guardiola's first season in Manchester was hugely underwhelming. Not only did City fail to win a trophy, they came a distant third, 15 points behind Chelsea.

But if Guardiola's first season was underwhelming, his second season was record-breaking. On their way to a record 100 points, City won nine of their first 10 games, drawing their second game of the season at home to Everton. In City's first 10 games, they recorded wins against Brighton, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Watford, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Stoke, Burnley and West Brom, racking up a goal difference whopping of +29.

City would go on to win 18 consecutive games - a Premier League record in itself - winning the league at a canter.

Manchester City 2011/12 - 28 points (1st)

While the ending to the 2011/12 season couldn't have been any more dramatic, the start of it could hardly have been routine. Manchester City were in a position to finally challenge Manchester United in the summer of 2011 and flew out of the blocks.

Roberto Mancini's side plundered 36 goals in their first 10 games, beating Swansea, Bolton, Tottenham, Wigan, Fulham, Everton, Blackburn, Aston Villa, Wolves, and most memorably - Manchester United, in a 6-1 thrashing at Old Trafford.

Their only draw was at Craven Cottage, finish 2-2, having led 2-0.

Chelsea 2005/06 - 28 points (1st)

After the arrival of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea had become a relentless machine. Almost impossible to break down, Chelsea weren't always the most free-flowing of sides but were a nightmare to play against.

Winning the title by 12 points and losing just one game in 2004/05, the Blues were slightly more vulnerable towards the end of Mourinho's second season, but their start was so good it didn't matter.

Chelsea became the first side to pick up 28 points from their first 10 games, beating Wigan, Arsenal, West Brom, Tottenham, Sunderland, Charlton, Aston Villa (against whom they conceded their first goal of the season), Liverpool and Bolton, eventually being halted by a draw at Everton.

Liverpool 2019/20 - 28 points (1st)

The progress made under Jurgen Klopp was so good it felt inevitable that a Premier League would eventually fall their way. They reached a Champions League final, won a Champions League final (and finished second in the Premier League), with the title next in line.

By 2019, all the pieces were in place and the Reds started with wins against Norwich, Southampton, Arsenal, Burnley, Newcastle, Chelsea, Sheffield United and Leicester, drawing with Manchester United, then beating Tottenham.

All in all, Liverpool would win 26 of their first 27 games, marching on to the title.

Newcastle 1995/96 - 27 points (2nd)

Now we come onto the unfortunately history-makers. The two sides with the best starts to Premier League seasons without going on to win the title.

The 1995/96 season saw Newcastle's Entertainers fall short at the death, but a side bolstered by summer signings Les Ferdinand, David Ginola, Warren Barton and Shaka Hislop would get off to a red-hot start, beating Coventry, Bolton, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough before losing at Southampton, and responding with wins over Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton, Queens Park Rangers and Wimbledon.

Arsenal 2022/23 - 27 points (2nd)

Facing off against Pep Guardiola in this era is an unenviable task. Since winning his first title with Manchester City, only a Liverpool side boasting 99 points has beaten them to a title. With that in mind, Mikel Arteta might have known that his title-challenging Arsenal side of 2022/23 might not quite be good enough, even with 27 points from their first 10 games.

The Gunners made light work of most of their early opponents, beating Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bournemouth, Fulham, Aston Villa, Brentford, Tottenham, Liverpool and Leeds, with only a defeat at Old Trafford blotting their record.