Manchester United are top of the Premier League table from this calendar year, having picked up more points than Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool in 2026 so far.
Indeed, Liverpool are somehow below Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth in the 2026 table, which might be why the Spaniard now finds himself a target for Chelsea, who are 16th – somehow only three points ahead of relegated Wolves – in the calendar year table.
Chelsea have had a rotten 2026, appointing Liam Rosenior in January before watching that fall apart and then sacking him in April.
Only Crystal Palace, who suffered the loss of Marc Guehi in January, sit between Chelsea and a bottom three that obviously features Spurs, who only picked up their first win of 2026 in April.
It’s a remarkable table because only four of the Big Six actually feature in the top six, with United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool being joined by Bournemouth and Brighton as the over-achievers of 2026.
The achievements of relegation battlers Nottingham Forest, Leeds and West Ham have been extraordinary since the turn of the year, with all three clubs dragging themselves into the top half above Aston Villa, who will likely earn a Champions League place from the actual Premier League table.
It is quite the turn-around in fortunes for Manchester United, who ended 2025 as the 12th best team in the Premier League across that calendar year, while Villa were riding high in third.
Arsenal were the best team across 2025, as they also were in 2024 despite not winning the Premier League title in either year.
Here’s how the table stacks up since the turn of the year. Look away, Burnley fans.
Note: to create this table, we’ve used our sister site Football365 and their brilliant Premier League Tables resource – a goldmine for creating and exploring custom tables.
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