No Fifth Time: Four Teams Miss Premier League Title After Arsenal Leads at Matchday 23
On 27 January 2026, BBC Sport revealed a concerning statistic for Arsenal, the league leaders currently at risk of missing out on the English Premier League title as has happened before, following their 2-3 home defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
The latest Premier League standings after 23 matches show Arsenal with 50 points, maintaining first place but leading second-placed Manchester City and third-placed Aston Villa by only 4 points. This immediately impacts the title race despite Arsenal having led since matchday 7.
BBC Sport noted that Premier League leaders with at least a 4-point advantage after 23 matches usually go on to win the title, but there have been only four teams that ended the season disappointed:
1. Newcastle United (leading by 12 points) in the 1995-96 season
2. Manchester United (leading by 5 points) in the 1997-98 season
3. Arsenal (leading by 5 points) in the 2002-03 season
4. Liverpool (leading by 4 points) in the 2018-19 season
Arsenal has led the table after 23 matches on three occasions but has secured the Premier League title only once, in the undefeated 2003-04 season. They missed out in both the 2002-03 and 2022-23 seasons.