The Premier League Champions If Manchester City’s Titles Were Stripped
A hypothetical list of Premier League champions has sparked plenty of debate among football fans, showing which clubs would have finished top if Manchester City were stripped of the league titles they won during the seasons in question.
Manchester City have won eight Premier League titles, including four consecutive championships between 2020/21 and 2023/24. The Premier League’s official records currently continue to recognise those City title wins.
However, if the titles from the seasons listed below were retrospectively reassigned to the runners-up, the champions would be:
🏆 2011/12 — Manchester United
City famously won the title on the final day after Sergio Agüero’s stoppage-time goal against QPR.
🏆 2013/14 — Liverpool
Liverpool finished second behind Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City.
🏆 2017/18 — Manchester United
City won the title with a record-breaking 100 points, finishing well clear of United.
🏆 2018/19 — Liverpool
Liverpool finished with 97 points but missed out to City by just one point.
🏆 2020/21 — Manchester United
United finished second as City secured another Premier League crown.
🏆 2021/22 — Liverpool
Liverpool pushed City all the way again, finishing just one point behind them.
🏆 2022/23 — Arsenal
Arsenal led the title race for much of the campaign before City eventually overtook them. City were officially confirmed as champions after Arsenal lost to Nottingham Forest.
🏆 2023/24 — Arsenal
Arsenal finished second, two points behind City as Pep Guardiola’s side became the first team to win four consecutive Premier League titles.
The hypothetical redistribution
Manchester United — 3 titles
2011/12, 2017/18, 2020/21
Liverpool — 3 titles
2013/14, 2018/19, 2021/22
Arsenal — 2 titles
2022/23, 2023/24
It is important to stress that this is a hypothetical scenario, not an official change to the Premier League record. The Premier League has charged Manchester City with alleged rule breaches, but the official list of champions has not been altered.
