Arsenal Invincibles

What is the Premier League's longest unbeaten record?

When you think of "unbeaten" and "Premier League", your thoughts might immediately be drawn to Arsenal's incredible title-winning campaign in 2003-04.

The Gunners went an entire season without falling to defeat that year as the Premier League title was secured in style.

They are the only side to have won the English top-flight crown without suffering a single setback – hence the 'Invincibles' tag – and though their streak remains the longest on record, others have come close to matching it.

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What is the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League?

Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal currently hold the record for the longest unbeaten Premier League run with 49 games in 2003-04.

Other managers have tried to piece together an Invincibles season of their own, but all have ultimately failed.

Expectations were high for Pep Guardiola's 2017-18 Manchester City side, who appeared to steamroll over just about everyone until they paid a visit to Liverpool in January and lost 4-3, ending their dreams of an unbeaten run (they had a streak of 30 games). City ended up winning the league that season with 100 points, but not without two defeats (to Liverpool and Manchester United) blotting their copybook.

Chelsea, under Jose Mourinho, managed a 40-game unbeaten run through October 2005, followed by Arsenal's 30 matches through October 2002.

Liverpool became just the fourth team to record 30 straight unbeaten games in the Premier League following their victory over Crystal Palace in November 2019, in a run that started after their loss against Manchester City in January 2019.

But Jurgen Klopp's side's streak ended on February 29, 2020 after a shock 3-0 loss against relegation battlers Watford.

Date of runTeamMatches unbeaten
May 2003 - October 2004Arsenal49
January 2019 - February 2020Liverpool44
October 2004 - October 2005Chelsea40
December 2001 - October 2002Arsenal30
April 2017 - January 2018Manchester City30
December 2007 - October 2008Chelsea29
December 1998 - October 1999Manchester United29
April 2010 - February 2011Manchester United29
October 2016 - April 2017Manchester United25
February 1995 - November 1995Nottingham Forest25

What is the longest home unbeaten run in the Premier League?

It should come as no surprise to find that Jose Mourinho figures prominently at the top of the Premier League charts when it comes to making a fortress out of a home.

The Portuguese built his reputation on the sturdiest of foundations, with solidity at the back allowing those further up the field to flourish.

Few visitors to Stamford Bridge during his time as Chelsea manager found a solution to the many challenges that the Blues posed.

Between March 2004 and October 2008, an 86-game unbeaten run was enjoyed by the west London heavyweights in their own backyard.

That remarkable sequence took in reigns from four managers – Claudio Ranieri, Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari – with Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ the last team to beat Chelsea before a Xabi Alonso winner for Liverpool finally brought the Blues back down to earth.

Liverpool enjoyed a similar run of their own that also included a Premier League title triumph as they went 68 games without coming unstuck on Merseyside between April 2017 and January 2021.

A title-winning era for Manchester City also makes the top five of longest unbeaten home runs, while Sir Alex Ferguson boasts two entries from his legendary stint as Manchester United manager.

Date of run

Team

Matches unbeaten

February 2004 - October 2008

Chelsea

86

April 2017 - January 2021

Liverpool

68

December 2010 - December 2012

Manchester City

37

December 1998 - December 2000

Manchester United

36

December 1994 - November 1996

Manchester United

35

What is the longest away unbeaten run in the Premier League?

Given how inconsistent Manchester United have been in more recent times, since Sir Alex Ferguson headed off into retirement back in 2013, they can take heart from boasting the Premier League’s longest unbeaten away run.

They would, of course, swap that record in a heartbeat for a long-awaited piece of silverware, but positives need to be taken at Old Trafford in any form.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the man to oversee another entry in the history books for the Red Devils, with the 1999 Treble winner guiding his side through 29 games on the road without coming unstuck between February 2020 and October 2021.

That run was ended by a disappointing 4-2 reversal at Leicester and Solskjaer was out of a job by the end of November.

Arsenal’s fabled ‘Invincibles’ went 27 matches without suffering any kind of travel sickness between April 2003 and October 2004 – when Wayne Rooney ended their 49-game unbeaten run in the top flight.

The Gunners also completed the entire 2001-02 season without suffering an away defeat, while Liverpool went 13 months without losing on the road when chasing down a first Premier League title and Chelsea made it through 20 games in the first of their post-Mourinho eras.

Date of run

Team

Matches unbeaten

February 2020 - October 2021

Manchester United

29

April 2003 - October 2004

Arsenal

27

August 2001 - September 2002

Arsenal

23

January 2019 - February 2020

Liverpool

21

December 2007 - January 2009

Chelsea

20

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