Arsenal

The 2023 Premier League table: Liverpool and Arsenal behind Aston Villa

by
staff
01/01/2024

Perennial Premier League champions Manchester City drew 2023 to a close with a routine 2-0 home victory against rock-bottom Sheffield United on Saturday.

Goals from Rodri and Julian Alvarez on either side of half-time handed Pep Guardiola’s side a fitting end to a memorable calendar year in which they won a historic treble.

It was also Man City’s 29th win in 41 Premier League matches in 2023, meaning they topped the point charts in England’s top flight for the third year in a row.

With 93 points, they trumped second-placed Aston Villa, who defied the odds to leapfrog the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in the calendar year table.

Unai Emery’s team enjoyed a transformative year, racking up an eye-catching 85 points from 42 games.

The Birmingham outfit halted a decade-long absence from European competition in 2022/23 and finished the calendar year level on points with Liverpool at the Premier League summit.

Despite missing out on a top-four finish for the first time since Jurgen Klopp’s debut season in charge last term, the Reds amassed a third-high 81 points from 41 outings.

Last season’s runners-up Arsenal equalled the Anfield club’s point haul, but having played one more game, Mikel Arteta’s side had to settle for fourth place.

Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United placed fifth. Given the Red Devils’ recurring rough patches, especially in the first half of the 2023/24 campaign, a 74-point tally looks a bit surprising.

Speaking of rotten spells, Chelsea had a fair share in 2023.

The Blues barely averaged over a point per game, clocking up 48 in 43 league fixtures, which stranded them in the lower reaches, pinning them to 13th in the standings.

In addition to a disastrous record, bettered by Brentford, Fulham, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and others, Chelsea closed out the last calendar year with a -8 goal difference.

Chelsea played a league-high 43 matches in 2023 but managed just 12 triumphs, resulting in a dismal 12th-place finish in 2022/23 and an equally disturbing tenth place at the halfway point of the current campaign.