As things stand, the 2025/26 Premier League season has already been a fascinating one. With 24 games played, and 14 to go, the title race is still wide open, while the relegation spots are far from decided, and plenty of teams will feel as though they have a good shot at qualifying for European football.
Arsenal look to be the favourites, but haven't quite been able to truly pull away from Manchester City or Aston Villa just yet. Behind them, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool will all hope to make it into the Champions League spots. At the other end of the table, Wolves look to be relegated, and things don't seem so great for Burnley either, but any one of West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds United could join them in the bottom three come May.
With plenty left to play for, it's fascinating to look back at the Premier League table last season, to see how teams have performed in comparison with this time around. Journalist Dougie Critchley has done the maths, and his data reveals some interesting results.
20-16
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It's no surprise that Wolves, who sit bottom of the table by some distance, are considerably worse off this time around. They finished 16th in 2024/25 but are on course to finish dead last this term, and having picked up a woeful 11 points fewer so far. Interestingly, though, that's not the poorest deficit in the division.
That particular honour belongs to Nottingham Forest, who have picked up -21 points fewer this time around. It's been a dismal campaign so far for the team that finished seventh in 2024/25.
Both Burnley and Leeds United were in the Championship last term, so they can't be compared, but West Ham can be. The Hammers could well go down this season, as they are seven points worse off right now than they were last term (when they finished 14th).
Premier League Point Difference in 2024/25 to 2025/26
Current Position
20.
19.
18.
17.
16.
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15-11
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe after losing to West Ham United.
Crystal Palace always seem to end up around mid-table and having finished 12th last time around, they could do that again. They are currently 15th, but have only picked up one fewer points.
Interestingly, Tottenham Hotspur, are actually two points better off right now. Most would assume they wouldn't be, as things have been pretty bleak under Thomas Frank, but it just goes to show how poor Spurs were with Ange Postecoglou calling the shots.
It's been a season of slight regression for Brighton up to this point, with three fewer points, but that change hasn't been as dramatic as it has been for south coast rivals Bournemouth, who are down seven points in comparison to 2024/25.
The most eye-catching change in this section, however, is for Newcastle United. Eddie Howe's team secured Champions League football by finishing fifth last term, but have been way off the mark this time around. With eight fewer points under their belt, they might not even manage a top-half-of-the-table finish.
Premier League Point Difference in 2024/25 to 2025/26
Current Position
15.
14.
13.
12.
11.
10-6
arne slot
Everton fans will be delighted to see that their debut season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium has yeilded seven more points than the final campagin at Goodison Park so far. Former Europa Conference League winner (with West Ham), David Moyes could well even have his eye on a European finish this time around.
Fulham are slighlty worse off, by just two points, but it's nothing to worry about as they sit in a resetctable league position. Sunderland cannot be compared as they weren't in the Premier League last term, but they've certainly exceeded all expectations as they sit eight with 24 games played. Brentford have also impressed many, picking up five points more, when many questioned if Keith Andrews would be the right man to take over from Frank.
Perhaps the most shocking stat from the whole table is that Liverpool have picked up 18 fewer points now than they had this time last year. Of course, it was always going to be hard to win the title again, but having spent big in the summer – on the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike – it's quite remarkable to see just how much the team has regressed.
Premier League Point Difference in 2024/25 to 2025/26
Current Position
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
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5-1
Michael Carrick in the background of Mikel Arteta
Chelsea clearly weren't happy with how things were going under Enzo Maresca this season, as they replaced him with Liam Rosenior in January. The new man has some work to do if he wants to improve on the fourth-placed finish last term, with the Blues three points worse off right now.
Manchester United have the most improved record right now, as they have picked up 12 more points than they did last term. Finishing 15th with just 42 points set a low bar in 2024/25 and Michael Carrick has almost immediately improved upon Ruben Amorim's efforts, picking up nine points out of nine in his first three games since taking over. With no European football to worry about, and the club out of the cup competitions, the Red Devils should be aiming to finish inside the top five.
It's also been a season of improvement for Aston Villa, made all the more impressive as they finished sixth last term. Unai Emery has taken his team to a new level this time around, and with nine extra points, they can count themselves just about in a title race.
In may surprise some to see Manchester City on six more points now than they managed after 24 games last term, but it just goes to show how poor they previously were. They still seem vulnerable, but with Pep Guardiola calling the shots, it would be foolish to write off their title chances.
As for Arsenal, it looks as though this could finally be their year. That said, they've only picked up three more points than they had at this point last season, so it's not as though their Premier League form has reached a whole new level. But that marginal improvement on some consistent form might just be enough to get them across the line this time around.
Premier League Point Difference in 2024/25 to 2025/26
Current Position
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Data via Dougie Critchley - as of 05/02/26