There's a reason in football that a manager on the touchline will berate his team – who are in a winning position already – until they manage to get another goal under their belt. "Remember, it's 0-0!" is a common phrase used by touchline tacticians across the globe, in fact, as a measure of how crucial it is to score as many as possible. Because it could all come crashing down.
The art of holding onto a lead crucially swings week-on-week in the Premier League, which is known to be unpredictable. Being in an English top flight match can never guarantee a victory until the final whistle is blown – and some teams have suffered the fate of losing precious points following last-minute equalisers and/or winners.
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While one would automatically assume those wallowing at the bottom of the table would have lost the most points from winning positions, that simply isn't the case. When you think about it, the relegation-threatened teams in the Premier League seldom have a lead in their grasp to lose in the first place. But who, of all 20 teams, has lost the most points from winning positions this season?
Brentford and Newcastle Utd Weakest When Leading Matches
Brentford are, still, in their transition period from Thomas Frank to Keith Andrews – but they are faring better than most imagined. Overall, the London outfit have thrown away a league-worst tally of 16 points this season and their recent 1-1 draw against Leeds United is the perfect example: Jordan Henderson scored in the 70th minute before Leeds, through Dominic Calvert-Lewin, pegged back 12 minutes later.
They also relinquished their one-goal lead in mid-to-late November in their trip to Brighton & Hove Albion, while they were also first to score in their 3-1 defeat to Fulham on September 20. The Bees also lost 2-1 to Sunderland earlier on in the season, but that was despite Igor Thiago bagging the opener.
Igor Thiago
Newcastle United have dropped the second-most points (11) in the Premier League from winning positions, highlighting the drop-off from last season for the Magpies. Eddie Howe's side took the lead against Brentford back in early November, but they ended up losing the match 3-1, thus dropping three points, and the same occurred two weeks earlier after going ahead against West Ham United.
Alexander Isak's replacement, Nick Woltemade, also opened the scoring against the table-toppers Arsenal early in the campaign but late goals from Mikel Merino and Gabriel saw the Gunners run out victors. If Newcastle are to qualify for the Champions League again, they need to iron out giving away leads.
Man Utd Have Dropped Points From Winning Positions Third-Most
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim staring.
Manchester United have certainly freshened things up in attack – but their turgid back line, which was relatively reliable in the 2024/25 campaign, is still a work in progress under head coach Ruben Amorim. Their recent eight-goal thriller against Bournemouth, which ended 4-4 after a frantic second half of action, is the perfect example of the yo-yo football expected at Old Trafford.
Amorim's two-man midfield, not thanks to the personnel but more as a result of the tactical set-up, is often overrun and results in a barrage of goals going in their net.
United, who are in fifth place on 26 points in the actual table, were in front against the Cherries three times but became the first Premier League team to do so without winning the match since Manchester City in 2023. Elsewhere, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest have all fought back to draw after the porous Red Devils have been leading throughout this season.
The Likes of Brighton, Man City and Palace Middle of The Pack
The middle of the park consists of teams who neither let go of leads at an alarming rate but also, perhaps, those who seldom go in front in matches – the likes of Brighton, Manchester City and Crystal Palace feature. Pep Guardiola's side, at the time of writing, are second in the table and that proves they would've benefitted from their tally of five lost points.
The Citizens went ahead in their away encounter against Arsenal on September 21 but Gabriel Martinelli's last-gasp equaliser resulted in a share of the spoils rather than all three points. They also dropped two points after scoring first in their 2-1 loss to Brighton.
The Seagulls themselves, however, are no strangers to relinquishing leads – as the data suggest they've dropped seven points. Their curtain-raiser against Fulham is the perfect example of Fabian Hurzeler's men crumbling under the pressure: they scored in the 55th minute and held onto their lead until the 96th minute when Rodrigo Muniz struck.
Known for their ability to throw away leads, Tottenham Hotspur are much more solid from a defensive standpoint under Thomas Frank, but they've still lost five points – the same as the above-mentioned City – from winning positions since the season got underway in August. That includes their 2-1 defeat to Villa after going ahead within five minutes back in October.
Liverpool, Villa, Arsenal Decent at Holding Onto Leads
In one of the worst title defences of recent memory, Arne Slot's Liverpool may be a shadow of their former selves, of course, but they have not made losing points from winning positions a regular occurrence. Ao Tanaka's last-gasp strike did steal two points from them as Leeds United picked up a 3-3 draw on home soil and that's the only time this term the Reds have let go of a lead.
Although Unai Emery is renowned for his tactical nous and expertise in the hotseat, Aston Villa struggled in the early embers of this season; but they are now one of the best teams in the division, evidenced by the fact they are sturdy enough to retain their rightful leads. Sunderland's 75th-minute strike in their September encounter, which ended 1-1, are the only two points dropped by Emery and co since their curtain-raiser in August.
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As expected of a team that has established themselves as the early favourites to reign supreme come May, Arsenal – led by Mikel Areta, who is regarded as one of the best managers in world football – have lost just two points from winning positions. Those were as a result of Dan Ballard scoring in the 94th minute of their 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light.
How Many Points Each 2025/26 Premier League Have Dropped From Winning Positions
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All information correct as of 17/12/2025