Manchester City and the 5 teams to win the Premier League titles three times in a row

Manchester City and the 5 teams to win the Premier League titles three times in a row

Ayoola Kelechi 08:48 - 21.05.2023

After securing the 2022/23 Premier League title, Manchester City have joined an elite list of English teams who have won the top-flight league three times in a row, find out who all five teams are

Manchester City’s latest Premier League title put them among the best teams in the history of the sport, as they became only the fifth side in English football history to win three top-flight titles in a row. 

Huddersfield 1924-1926

Huddersfield became the first club in English football history to win three consecutive English League titles after becoming champions in the 1923/24, 1924/25, and 1925/26 seasons, following up their first-ever league win with two more. 

Huddersfield team led by Herbert Chapman (Back Row, Far Left)
Huddersfield team led by Herbert Chapman (Back Row, Far Left)

The first two titles came under legendary manager Herbert Chapman, who also helped Arsenal to their first league title, while the third was won by Cecil Potter, who won the 1926 English Football League title. 

Huddersfield’s reign was ended by Newcastle in the 1926/27 season when the Magpies finished above the Terriers by only four points. 

Arsenal 1933-1935

Arsenal came within two points of becoming the first team to win four titles in a row, but Chapman’s first and second English League titles with the Gunners sandwiched an Everton win in the 1931/32 season. 

The second league win of Chapman’s Arsenal career started a chain of three league wins between 1933 and 1935 as the Gunners powered through the manager's death to become the second side to win a threepeat in the English Football League. 

Statue of Herbert Chapman outside Arsenal's Emirates Stadium
Statue of Herbert Chapman outside Arsenal's Emirates Stadium

Arsenal won the first of three consecutive titles under Chapman in 1933, and they were on course to win the second when Chapman died in 1934. 

They still secured the title with caretaker coach Joe Shaw in charge, before also claiming the 1935 trophy under George Allison.   

Liverpool 1982-1984

Liverpool’s incredible era under iconic manager Bob Paisley saw them come dramatically close to winning three titles in a row under the record-breaking Englishman, but they were only able to complete their treble one season after he retired as manager. 

Paisley won six English Football League titles with Liverpool and became the first manager to win three European Cup titles, but the most he could manage was two in a row of both. 

Statue of Paisley carrying future Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes at Anfield
Statue of Paisley carrying future Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes at Anfield

Liverpool won the final two league titles of Paisley’s reign in 1982 and 1983 and completed the threepeat with a victory under one of Paisley’s former players, Joe Fagan, in 1984. 

They were stopped from reaching four title wins in a row by crosstown neighbours Everton, who beat them to the 1985 title by 13 points. 

Manchester United 1999-2001, 2006-2009

Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to win three top-flight league titles in a row in English Football, surviving a rough start as the Red Devils’ manager to win three consecutive Premier League titles twice. 

Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson
Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson

His first run of titles came after winning the European Cup, league, and FA Cup treble in the 1998/99 season, as Manchester United built on that success to defend the Premier League title twice in the 1999/00 and 2000/01 seasons. 

Ferguson repeated the feat by winning the Premier League title three times between 2006 and 2009 with another UEFA Champions League title in 2008 sweetening the achievement even more. 

Manchester City 2021-2023

Before Pep Guardiola, Ferguson held the record for being the only manager to win the English top flight three times. 

However, with Arsenal’s defeat against Nottingham Forest, the Manchester City manager joined the legendary coach from the other side of the Manchester divide to become the only managers to win three titles in a row. 

Pep Guardiola with the 2021/22 Premier League trophy
Pep Guardiola will be back to kissing the Premier League trophy again this season

Guardiola has now won five Premier League titles in seven years as Manchester City manager after he became the first gaffer to defend the title since Ferguson retired by winning the league in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons. 

He followed that success up by winning three titles in a row between 2021 and 2023 to also become the first manager since Ferguson to win the league title three times in a row. 

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