The 100-point Premier League season: how Manchester City did it
By Arasi Rex · Updated 13 August 2026 · 8 min read
Manchester City's 2017/18 season is the only 100-point Premier League campaign in history, and it is also the most misunderstood. The team won 32 of 38 games, drew four, lost two, scored 106 goals, conceded 27 and finished 19 points clear of second place, a margin that remains the biggest in the competition's history. The claim worth disagreeing with is that 100 points proves City were the greatest champions ever. It does not. One hundred is a round number that flatters the total; by the measure that matters more, how early a champion seals the title and how hard it had to run, Liverpool's 99-point season in 2019/20 was the greater achievement, and the one-point gap between the two hides a genuine argument.
What is the 100-point Premier League season?
The 100-point season is Manchester City 2017/18, the only time a Premier League club has reached three figures. City finished on 100 points from 38 matches, the first English top-flight club ever to do so. No team had reached 100 points before them; the previous record was Chelsea's 95 in 2004/05. City's total stands at the top of the Premier League's official records page for most points in a season, with Liverpool's 99 in 2019/20 second and City's own 98 in 2018/19 third.
The season was a parade of records. City registered the most wins in a season (32), the most goals in a season (106), the best goal difference ever recorded (plus 79), the most away wins (16) and the most away points (50). They also set the record for the biggest title-winning margin, finishing 19 points clear of Manchester United. The title was effectively sealed with five games still to play, and the 100th point itself arrived in stoppage time on the final day: Gabriel Jesus scored in the 94th minute at Southampton to make it 1-0 and complete the century.
How City got to 100: the shape of the season
City's 2017/18 campaign was defined by a single extraordinary burst. After a 1-1 draw with Everton in their second game, they won 18 consecutive league matches between 26 August and 27 December 2017, a Premier League record they now share with Liverpool's 2019/20 side. The run was effectively the title race: by the time it ended with a goalless draw at Crystal Palace on New Year's Eve, City were so far clear that the second half of the season was a victory lap.
The final numbers tell the story of a team that attacked relentlessly. City scored 106 goals, the most ever in a Premier League season, at 2.79 per game, and their plus 79 goal difference has never been approached. They won 16 away games, another record, and took 50 points on the road. The one caution is the closing stretch: City needed a stoppage-time winner on the final day to reach the milestone, which is a reminder that the 100th point was a target the team consciously chased rather than a number the season produced naturally.
The 99-point season that matched it
Liverpool's 2019/20 season finished on 99 points, one short of the record, and it deserves the argument that it was the better campaign. Liverpool won 32 games, the same as City, drew three and lost three, with 85 goals scored and 33 conceded for a goal difference of plus 52. The headline difference is the timing. Liverpool won the title with seven games still to play, the earliest any club has clinched the Premier League title by games remaining, a record that still stands. City's 2017/18 side sealed theirs with five games to spare.
The context is even more striking. Liverpool went 26 wins and one draw from their opening 27 matches, taking 79 points from a possible 81 before their first defeat, a 3-0 loss at Watford on 29 February 2020. They built a 25-point lead at one stage, the biggest any English top-flight champion has ever held, and finished 18 points clear of second-placed Manchester City. They also strung together 24 consecutive home league wins between February 2019 and July 2020, the longest home winning run in Premier League history, and finished with 55 home points, the joint all-time best.
Why 100 versus 99 flatters City
The one-point gap between the two seasons is the weakest possible basis for ranking them, and it flatters City in two ways. First, City's 100 required chasing the number: the 94th-minute winner at Southampton was a team openly pursuing a milestone rather than a game they had to win. Liverpool's 99 was simply what the season produced once the title was long decided, and their final two matches after clinching were a 4-2 win and a 5-3 win, no resting on the number.
Second, the 19-point margin of 2017/18 says as much about the chasing pack as it does about City. Manchester United finished second that season on 81 points, and no one else reached 80. Liverpool's 99-point season, by contrast, was run against a Manchester City side that won 26 games and finished on 81 points itself. The field Liverpool beat was stronger, and the gap they opened was built against a defending champion rather than a collapsing one.
The other champions in the 90s club
Three other title-winning seasons belong in the conversation. Chelsea's 2004/05 campaign under Jose Mourinho finished on 95 points with 29 wins, eight draws and one defeat, and it remains the benchmark for defence: 15 goals conceded, a record never approached, and 25 clean sheets, also a record. City's own 2018/19 season finished on 98 points with 32 wins, two draws and four losses, scoring 95 and conceding just 23 for a goal difference of plus 72, the second-best ever. That season ended with 14 consecutive league wins, still the longest winning run to close out a title.
Then there is the season that never needed points. Arsenal's 2003/04 Invincibles are the only Premier League champions to go a full campaign unbeaten, 26 wins and 12 draws, and they sit outside every points ranking despite being the only team to do what no points total can match. The Premier League's own records page lists Arsenal 2003/04 as the only season with zero defeats.
How the records compare
| Season | Club | Points | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Manchester City | 100 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 106 | 27 | +79 |
| 2019/20 | Liverpool | 99 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 85 | 33 | +52 |
| 2018/19 | Manchester City | 98 | 32 | 2 | 4 | 95 | 23 | +72 |
| 2004/05 | Chelsea | 95 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 72 | 15 | +57 |
The records page puts a useful pair of bookends around the whole debate. The fewest points ever needed to win the title is 75, Manchester United in 1996/97, and the most points ever posted without winning the title is 97, Liverpool in 2018/19, when they lost the league to City's 98 by a single point. Both numbers are the same lesson from opposite ends: the title is decided by the gap, not the total. A 100-point season and a 97-point runner-up are two ways of describing the same era of dominance, and the total only matters relative to the season it was posted in. The winning runs that built these campaigns are covered in our longest winning runs guide, and the individual scoring records they produced are in the most goals in a season guide.
Key takeaways
- Manchester City 2017/18 is the only 100-point Premier League season, winning 32 games, scoring 106 goals and finishing 19 points clear.
- Liverpool 2019/20 finished on 99 points and won the title with seven games to spare, a record, after taking 79 points from their first 27 games.
- The one-point gap flatters City: their 100th point came from a stoppage-time winner chased as a milestone, while Liverpool's 99 came against a stronger field including an 81-point Manchester City.
- Chelsea 2004/05 (95 points, 15 conceded, 25 clean sheets) remains the defensive benchmark, and Arsenal 2003/04 remains the only unbeaten season.
- The records bookends are Manchester United's 75 points to win in 1996/97 and Liverpool's 97 points to finish second in 2018/19: the title is decided by the gap, not the total.
FAQ
Has any team scored 100 points in the Premier League?
Yes, one: Manchester City in 2017/18, who finished on exactly 100 points from 38 games, the first English top-flight club to reach the mark.
What is the second-highest points total in Premier League history?
99, set by Liverpool in 2019/20, who won 32 games and clinched the title with seven matches remaining.
How many points did Manchester City 2017/18 get and what records did they set?
100 points, with records for most wins in a season (32), most goals (106), best goal difference (plus 79), most away wins (16), most away points (50) and biggest title-winning margin (19 points).
Which team won the Premier League with the fewest points?
Manchester United in 1996/97, with 75 points. Liverpool's 97 points in 2018/19 is the most ever posted by a runner-up.
Was Liverpool 2019/20 better than Manchester City 2017/18?
That is the genuine argument. Liverpool won the title earlier (seven games remaining, a record) and built a 25-point lead, but City's 100 points and plus 79 goal difference remain the statistical high-water mark.