Teams with the most points after 20 games in a Premier League season
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are currently loving life at the top of the Premier League. The imperious Gunners have collected an impressive 50 points at the halfway point of the 2022/23 season as they go in search of their first title since 2004.
There's still a long way to go until we even reach the 'run-in', of course, but history would suggest that Arteta's side are well-placed to go on and claim an unlikely title triumph.
Arsenal's points accumulation through 19 games is the fifth-most in Premier League history and the Gunners have already secured their place among the teams to register the most points through 20 games.
Here are the teams that notched the most points through 20 games in Premier League history.
7. Arsenal 2007/08 & Manchester City 2018/19 (47 points)
The current Gunners have already beaten their tally from 2007/08 despite playing a game less. Arsene Wenger's side were embroiled in an initially tight title race and they couldn't sustain their impressive start.
Four consecutive draws with the likes of Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic saw them slip to second with just eight matches to go, with Manchester United leapfrogging them into first.
The two sides faced off in the final few weeks of the season, and a 2-1 win for the Red Devils saw Arsenal fall to third. The Gunners ended up finishing four points behind the eventual champions.
We'll touch on Man City's 2018/19 season a little later on.
6. Manchester City 2011/12 (48 points)
Back in the 2011/12 Premier League season, it was Manchester City who found themselves at the summit of the league table after 20 games, with their tally of 48 points giving them a lead of three points over United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Citizens had been top of the league for the vast majority of the season, but a shock 1-0 loss to Swansea City in March opened the door for United, and the Red Devils managed to move level with their rivals when they earned a 1-0 victory over City with just two games remaining.
However, this season had one of the most memorable conclusions in recent years, with the two sides level on points on the final day of the season. With City drawing 2-2 with Queens Park Rangers, United's 1-0 win over Sunderland looked to have won them the title, only for a late Sergio Aguero goal to spoil the party and bring City their first Premier League title.
5. Manchester United 1993/94, 2003/04 & 2012/13, Chelsea 2004/05 & 2016/17 (49 points)
49 points has been a regular milestone since the league was founded, with United and Chelsea sitting on that total after 20 games a combined five times.
United stormed to both the 1993/94 and 2012/13 league titles, but their three-point lead over Arsenal in the 2003/04 season was not enough to carry them to glory. Instead, they came unstuck to the Arsenal 'Invincibles', who ended the season an incredible 15 points ahead of third-placed United.
As for Chelsea, they managed to retain their position and went on to lift the trophy in both seasons. They finished 12 points ahead of Arsenal in 2005 and seven ahead of Tottenham in 2017.
4. Manchester United 2006/07 & Manchester City 2021/22 (50 points)
The two Manchester clubs each accumulated 50 points during their title-winning seasons on 2006/07 and 2021/22.
Led by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, as well as a sizeable contribution from former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United looked in control of the division all season.
Aside from a two-week spell earlier in the season, United were top of the league for the entire campaign, and did not let their position slip as they went on to finish six points ahead of the Blues and lifted yet another Premier League title.
City, meanwhile, overcame defeat on the opening weekend of the season at Spurs as they quickly asserted their superiority with a 12-game win streak that started in November. They were pushed all the way by Liverpool, and were forced to come from behind on the final day to win yet another league title.
3. Liverpool 2018/19 (54 points)
Liverpool appeared destined to claim their first Premier League title in the 2018/19 season as they opened the campaign having dropped just six points through 20 games.
They conceded just eight goals during that period, and a thumping victory at Anfield over Arsenal just after Christmas re-asserted their status as the Premier League's best.
However, defeat at the Etihad handed Man City - who accumulated 47 points through 20 games - a route back into the title race and while the Reds' imperious run of form continued, City didn't blink either and they eventually pipped Klopp's side to the title.
2. Chelsea 2005/06 (55 points)
A 2-0 victory over Birmingham saw Chelsea finish their 20th match with 55 points in the 2005/06 season, despite having already suffered defeat at the hands of United in November.
Nevertheless, the Blues were 11 points clear at the top of the table and looked head and shoulders above the rest of the division on their rampant run to the league title.
Chelsea finished with 91 points, and the eight-point gap to second-placed United could have been much greater. However, having already wrapped up the title, a lacklustre Chelsea side suffered meaningless defeats at the hands of Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United in the final weeks of the campaign.
1. Manchester City 2017/18 & Liverpool 2019/20 (58 points)
The City side from the 2017/18 season was arguably one of the most dominant that England has ever seen, but they were matched by their fierce domestic rivals in 2019/20.
Pep Guardiola's men racked up 58 points after 20 games, dropping just two points against Everton in the second week of the season. An emphatic 5-0 victory over Liverpool in September set the tone for this season, and City strolled to success.
They waltzed to the title and became the first and only side to reach 100 points in a single Premier League season. 2019/20 Liverpool seemed destined to match City's Centurions campaign but their form took a dive after they wrapped up their maiden Premier League title victory in the summer amid a COVID-impacted season.