Teams with the most points after 20 games in a Premier League season

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are currently loving life at the top of the Premier League. The imperious Gunners have collected an impressive 50 points at the halfway point of the 2022/23 season as they go in search of their first title since 2004.

There’s still a long way to go until we even reach the ‘run-in’, of course, but history would suggest that Arteta’s side are well-placed to go on and claim an unlikely title triumph.

Arsenal’s points accumulation through 19 games is the fifth-most in Premier League history and the Gunners have already secured their place among the teams to register the most points through 20 games.

Here are the teams that notched the most points through 20 games in Premier League history.

The current Gunners have already beaten their tally from 2007/08 despite playing a game less. Arsene Wenger’s side were embroiled in an initially tight title race and they couldn’t sustain their impressive start.

Four consecutive draws with the likes of Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic saw them slip to second with just eight matches to go, with Manchester United leapfrogging them into first.

The two sides faced off in the final few weeks of the season, and a 2-1 win for the Red Devils saw Arsenal fall to third. The Gunners ended up finishing four points behind the eventual champions.

We’ll touch on Man City’s 2018/19 season a little later on.

Back in the 2011/12 Premier League season, it was Manchester City who found themselves at the summit of the league table after 20 games, with their tally of 48 points giving them a lead of three points over United and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Citizens had been top of the league for the vast majority of the season, but a shock 1-0 loss to Swansea City in March opened the door for United, and the Red Devils managed to move level with their rivals when they earned a 1-0 victory over City with just two games remaining.

However, this season had one of the most memorable conclusions in recent years, with the two sides level on points on the final day of the season. With City drawing 2-2 with Queens Park Rangers, United’s 1-0 win over Sunderland looked to have won them the title, only for a late Sergio Aguero goal to spoil the party and bring City their first Premier League title.