England’s Finest: The 12 Greatest One‑Season Sides Ranked

Football is religion on these shores. From the drizzle at non-league grounds to the bright lights of the Premier League, supporters traipse up and down the country every weekend, hoping for a moment to tell the grandkids. And at the very top of the pyramid, a select few sides have produced seasons that belong in folklore.

Fresh off Liverpool’s 2024/25 title under Arne Slot and an eye-watering summer that reportedly shattered the British transfer record twice to land Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, the big question is obvious: can this new-look Reds outfit muscle into history’s pantheon as well? If you’re checking the form and prices on the best betting sites, remember this: only the truly elite write their legend across a whole campaign.

12) Everton – 1984/85

Howard Kendall fashioned a proper side at Goodison. The Toffees didn’t just nudge Liverpool off their perch; they stormed the summit, finishing 13 points clear of their neighbours. They also conquered Europe, lifting the Cup Winners’ Cup, and beat Liverpool three times across the season for good measure. Only an FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United stopped a clean sweep. Graeme Sharp led the line with 27, Kendall pulled every string, and Everton ruled the roost.

11) Manchester United – 2008/09

Sir Alex’s United weren’t quite the vintage of the famous treble side, but they were still a ruthless machine. A third straight league crown equalled Liverpool’s then-record of 18 top-flight titles. Cristiano Ronaldo bowed out with 26 goals, they added the League Cup (on pens against Spurs) and the Club World Cup, and were only halted in Europe by Pep’s Barcelona in the final. Relentless at home, elite everywhere else.

10) Arsenal – 1997/98

Arsène Wenger’s first full campaign rewired English football. He married that granite back five to silk up top, and the result was a fabulous Double. Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp provided the gloss, while teenage tearaway Nicolas Anelka bagged in the FA Cup final. The Gunners were fit, fast, and a step ahead of the league’s old guard.

9) Nottingham Forest – 1978/79

Brian Clough’s Forest didn’t just dream; they delivered. Second in the league, League Cup winners, and then Europe conquered with a 1-0 win over Malmö in the European Cup final. Trevor Francis – the first British £1m footballer – nodded the winner and straight into Forest immortality. Garry Birtles struck 26 across all comps; Clough supplied the magic dust.

8) Manchester United – 1967/68

Ten years after Munich, United scaled Europe’s summit in an emotional, era-defining season. George Best – 32 goals and both European Footballer of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year – was unplayable. In the final at Wembley, Sir Bobby Charlton struck twice in a 4-1 win over Benfica. Matt Busby’s lads finished second domestically, but their European Cup triumph made the campaign immortal.

7) Chelsea – 2004/05

Jose Mourinho arrived and built a defensive citadel. Ninety-five points, a dozen clear at the top, and defensive records that still stand: just 15 league goals conceded and 25 clean sheets. Add the League Cup after edging Liverpool 3-2 at Wembley and you’ve got a season of iron discipline plus enough stardust from Frank Lampard (19 goals) to push them over the line.

6) Manchester City – 2017/18

The Centurions. Pep Guardiola’s side were a blur of movement and menace, racking up 100 points thanks to Gabriel Jesus’s stoppage-time winner on the final day at Southampton. Records tumbled: most wins (32), most away wins (16), most goals (106). Toss in the EFL Cup with a 3-0 stroll over Arsenal, and you’ve got a domestic league campaign for the ages. Sergio Agüero led with 30 across all comps.

5) Liverpool – 2019/20

Jurgen Klopp’s juggernaut finally ended the Anfield wait for a league title – and did it with a swagger. Ninety-nine points, 18 clear at the finish, and silverware already in the cabinet from the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup after the previous season’s European triumph. Mohamed Salah topped their charts with 23 as that front three terrorised back lines like a force of nature.

4) Arsenal – 2003/04

The Invincibles. Thirty-eight league games, zero defeats. Twenty-six wins, 12 draws, and a golden trophy that will shine forever in North London. They didn’t sweep the cups or Europe, but when you go unbeaten in England’s top flight, the rest is noise. Thierry Henry was outrageous, smashing 39 in all competitions and driving a side that felt inevitable.

3) Liverpool – 1976/77

Bob Paisley’s Reds nearly pulled off the lot. They nicked the league by a single point from Manchester City, lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United, then made amends in Rome by beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 to land Liverpool’s first European Cup. Kevin Keegan finished top scorer with 20 before heading to Hamburg, and the Reds cemented their place among the greats.

2) Manchester United – 1998/99

The gold standard for drama and durability. United clawed back the league, edged a fierce FA Cup run (cue Ryan Giggs’s chest-haired sprint against Arsenal), and then produced that timeless two-punch in Barcelona: Sheringham, Solskjær, bedlam. The Treble – Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League – remains the ultimate flex of mentality and moments. Dwight Yorke led the scoring with 29 as Ferguson orchestrated his masterpiece.

1) Manchester City – 2022/23

Peak Guardiola. City hunted down Arsenal with a relentless spring surge, then completed their own Treble: Premier League, FA Cup (2-1 over Manchester United), and a first Champions League after grinding past Inter in Istanbul. Erling Haaland detonated the record books with 52 in all competitions, while City’s control of matches bordered on suffocating. The highest expression of a modern super-team – ruthless, relentless, and history-making.

Agree with the order? That’s half the fun. But whether you favour romance, resilience or sheer ruthlessness, these 12 campaigns set the gold bar for English football greatness.