Newcastle United have ended their 56-year trophy drought after winning the EFL Cup – and they’re not the only major English club to have experienced a long barren period without success.
There are multiple Premier League clubs who remain starved of success after many decades, while a number of them have never won a major trophy in their entire history.
We’ve picked out some of the most notable trophy droughts in the history of English football and how they ended.
Newcastle – 70 years (1955-2025)
Prior to their EFL Cup final triumph over Liverpool, Newcastle hadn’t won any major silverware since 1955 when they lifted the FA Cup.
Given the size of the North East club, it does seem absolutely bonkers that they went 70 years without adding any major trophies to their collection.
After losing domestic finals in 1974, 1976, 1998, 1999 and 2023, they finally ended their trophy drought against Liverpool thanks to goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak.
Given their riches, surely this trophy is the first of many to come.
West Ham United – 43 years (1980-2023)
West Ham won the FA Cup three times between 1964 and 1980, alongside the Cup Winners Cup in 1965 and making the final of that European competition in 1976.
But that impressive period was followed by over four decades where fortune remained hidden.
One League Cup final appearance in 1981 and being heartbroken by Steven Gerrard in the 2006 FA Cup final was all the Hammers had to show for their efforts despite usually being in the top flight.
All that changed with the invention of the UEFA Conference League.
West Ham took the competition by storm in 2022-23 and Jarrod Bowen’s last-minute winner against Fiorentina in the final caused thousands of shaven-headed geezers to weep with happiness.
The team are now back in their customary lower mid-table position, but they’ll always have Prague.
Manchester United – 37 years (1911-1948)
United’s current struggles seem quite modest when you consider the club once went 37 years without winning any major silverware.
Matt Busby guided United to the FA Cup in 1948, beating Blackpool 4-2 in the final. He then went on to win another 12 trophies with the club and laid the foundations that are still felt at Old Trafford today.
Manchester City – 35 years (1976-2011)
These days, we’ve become accustomed to watching Manchester City sweep up silverware like it’s nothing, although that wasn’t always the case.
Prior to the club being purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group, City had endured a rather prolonged trophyless spell.
After winning the League Cup in 1976, the club went 35 years without winning a single piece of silverware.
That was until Yaya Toure sank Stoke City in the 2011 FA Cup final. Since that point, they’ve managed to win 20 trophies and have never gone longer than one season without winning something.
Everton – 30 years (1995-)
After spending the 1980’s among the cream of the crop, Everton have been in various stages of decline over the past three and a half decades.
Their last trophy came in 1995 when they shocked Manchester United to win the FA Cup before going on to win the Charity Shield later that year.
The Toffees have been to one FA Cup final since then and don’t look like ending their wait anytime soon.
Chelsea – 26 years (1971-1997)
Chelsea became serial winners during the Roman Abramovich-era, but that wasn’t always the case at Stamford Bridge.
After their triumph in the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, the club went 25 years without winning any major silverware.
That was until Ruud Gullit guided the Blues to FA Cup glory in 1977 against Middlesbrough.
Liverpool – 24 years (1923-1947)
Liverpool have been a trophy-winning behemoth ever since the 1960s, but the Reds’ transformation was largely down to the arrival of Bill Shankly.
Their longest trophy drought came in the black and white era of the last century, which was admittedly inflated by the small matter of the Second World War.
But Liverpool went 24 years between 1923 and 1947 without silverware as the title-winning side of the early 1920s aged and often finished in mid-table.
The Reds lifted the league title just after hostilities with Hitler finished.
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Arsenal – 17 years (1953-1970)
Still London’s most successful club in terms of trophies, Arsenal have had a few elongated periods where silverware was not forthcoming.
Unlike the drought between 2005 and 2014, or the current barren run under Mikel Arteta, there were less entitled sh*tehawks around in the mid-20th century when Arsenal struggled to regain their former status.
The Gunners went from 1953 (the league title) to 1970 (Inter-Cities Fairs Cup) after a period where they struggled to attract big stars and saw their promising young players leave.
Arsenal often finished mid-table during those 17 years, even after taking the bold step of appointing former England captain Billy Wright as manager in the 1960s.
The trophyless period was made even worse by the great success of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur and it took until the arrival of Bertie Mee as boss to change the club’s fortunes.
Tottenham (2008-)
This season’s Europa League represents Tottenham’s last chance to avoid extending their current trophy drought into its 18th year.
The subject of much mirth from opposition fans, Spurs have been allergic to trophies ever since winning the League Cup in 2008 despite possessing some brilliant players in that time.
Having Gareth Bale, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min at their peak hasn’t helped Spurs over the line.