Fewer feelings are more sickening than losing points from a winning position in football. For fans, it’s incredibly frustrating – for players, it can be soul-crushing.
Today, we’ll be looking at the five Premier League clubs who have dropped the most points after having been ahead. Interestingly, only one of the teams on our list are in the relegation zone – can you guess who they are?
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola has played some highly entertaining football at Bournemouth this season, but the Cherries’ cavalier attitude has come at a cost on occasion.
Bournemouth are 9th in the Premier League table and are just four points away from a spot in the European places, but their season could’ve been even better if they had been able to maintain some of their leads.
So far, Bournemouth have dropped 18 points from winning positions this season. The most notable instance of this came back in November, when they lost 3-2 against Sunderland after having been 2-0 up after 15 minutes.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace’s descent this season has been sad to witness. Despite such a strong start to the campaign, Oliver Glasner’s men now sit 13th in the Premier League table.
They’ve begun to find a bit of form again, having won three of their last six Premier League games, but their dreams of finishing in the top seven are all but extinguished.
Not only this, they’ve also dropped plenty of points this year – 19 in total. In particular, the Eagles were the subject of widespread mockery when they lost 3-2 at home to Burnley after notching up a 2-0 lead.
Newcastle United
Newcastle United have led an incredibly frustrating campaign for their fans to witness. Despite a handful of good results, the Magpies have generally underperformed in the 2025/26 season.
The Toon have dropped a grand total of 19 points from winning positions this season. This extends further than just the Premier League – they failed to win their last two games in the FA Cup and the Champions League after having been ahead.
Granted, those two games were against Manchester City and Barcelona, respectively – but it is indicative of the overarching problem at St. James’ Park.
Chelsea
Chelsea are particularly guilty of failing to kill lesser teams off in games this season. For example, over the last month, they drew with both Burnley and Leeds United after they’d been ahead – worse still, both of these fixtures took place at Stamford Bridge.
This has been an issue under Liam Rosenior, but it also existed while Enzo Maresca was at the club. Back in October, the Blues were beaten 2-1 by Sunderland, despite taking an early 1-0 lead over the Black Cats.
Against established Premier League teams, the Blues have looked much stronger – they will need to learm how to break down defensive outfits if they wish to make some progression. Like Newcastle and Palace before them, they have dropped 19 points from winning positions in the 2025/26 campaign.
West Ham United
No team has dropped more points than West Ham United have this season – additionally, they’re only team on our list who currently find themselves in the bottom three.
It’s no surprise, given the Hammers’ shabby defensive record – only Burnley have shipped more goals than they have this season.
With 20 points dropped from winning positions, West Ham will need to find form as the end of the season approaches, lest they run the risk of relegation.
Games Played Goal Difference Pts Dropped From Winning Positions
Bournemouth 29 -2 18
Crystal Palace 29 -2 19
Newcastle United 29 -1 19
Chelsea 29 +19 19
West Ham United 29 -19 20