Perennial champions Manchester City rewrote Premier League history in the 2023/24 campaign, beating Arsenal to the title for the second season on the trot.
Shortly after being named the Premier League Player of the Season, England ace Phil Foden inspired the Cityzens to a 3-1 home win against West Ham United on the final day.
As in all nine previous occasions, the team sitting atop the standings ahead of the last matchday hoisted the title, with Pep Guardiola’s charges winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive EPL crown.
In doing so, they left their city rivals Manchester United behind, breaking the tie to become the only side in EPL history to win four consecutive titles.
Even though the Red Devils completed a hat-trick on two separate occasions under their iconic manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, Guardiola has surpassed the legendary Scot.
The Spaniard has left the fans sweating about his future as he dropped an exit bombshell, but not before celebrating his sixth Premier League title, a feat only achieved by three other managers.
In addition to ensuring a place in the Premier League Hall of Fame, the ex-Barcelona boss helped Man City become only the fourth club in England’s top division to win the crown 10+ times.
As a result, Manchester has extended its lead on Liverpool as the capital of English football, with Man City and Man Utd combining for 30 EPL titles, leaving Liverpool and Everton in the dust at 28.
Numerous other records were shattered in the season just gone as we look at some of them.
Team Records
Things did not go as planned for Erik ten Hag in his second season at Old Trafford as Man Utd recorded their lowest finish in the Premier League era.
An underwhelming win ratio of only 47% was barely enough for an eighth-place finish. But those 18 victories solidified United’s place at the top of the all-time leaderboard with 744 EPL triumphs.
In terms of goals, the Red Devils experienced their second-worst campaign in the past seven years, racking up only 57 strikes – the joint-fewest among sides to finish in the upper half of the table.
But with 2,300 goals, they’re the most efficient team in EPL history.
Newcastle United pipped Ten Hag’s side to seventh on goal difference, largely thanks to their history-defining two-legged exploits against basement boys Sheffield United.
After an 8-0 thrashing at Bramall Lane, the Magpies thrashed the Blades 5-1 in the return fixture, tying Man City’s record from the 2019/2020 season for the biggest aggregate win of 12 goals.
Eddie Howe’s men also became the first team to score 13 times against a specific opponent in a single campaign.
Negative Records
Newcastle’s rampant displays were part of the reason Chris Wilder’s side finished the season as the worst defence in Premier League history, conceding a staggering 104 goals.
Writings were on the wall for the Blades from the start, and they couldn’t cope with the pressure as efficiently as Everton, who defied an eight-point deduction to lock down a 15th-place finish.
Sean Dyche’s tactical brilliance saw the Toffees concede just 51 goals, with only Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool shipping fewer as they extended the second-longest continuous presence in the EPL.
But they’re still the worst defensive side in Premier League history, having capitulated 1589 times, including the competition-record 62 own goals, three of which came in 2023/24.
Dyche’s troops also suffered 16 defeats in the season just passed, forming part of the unwanted tally of 448 losses in the Premier League era, six more than second-placed West Ham.
Though only 23.68% of Everton’s league games ended level, they’ve drawn more Premier League clashes than any other team (341).
As much as Everton’s records are troubling, they pale to Man Utd’s erratic campaign, culminating with the club’s first-ever Premier League season ending with a negative goal difference of -1.
Individual Records
Kevin De Bruyne was again the secret ingredient behind Man City’s success, mustering ten assists across the 2023/24 season to take his Premier League career tally to 112.
Only Man Utd legend Ryan Giggs boasts a better record with 162, a milestone destined to stand the test of time even if the Belgian wizard stays at this level for another few years.
But De Bruyne wasn’t the best playmaker in 2023/24. That title surprisingly belongs to Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who, in addition to 19 goals, laid off 13 assists.
Watkins had a remarkable campaign, even outscoring Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah, whose 18-goal haul propelled him into the top ten most prolific players in Premier League history.
Salah has 157 career goals in England’s top flight to his name amid speculation he could leave Anfield to join forces with ex-teammate Sadio Mane in the Saudi Pro League.
Another former Liverpool star broke several records this past campaign.
Brighton & Hove Albion utility man James Milner is 38, but it didn’t stop him from making 15 league outings in 2023/24, taking his career match appearances to 634, leaving Giggs in third with 632.
If the Englishman remains in the division next year, Gareth Barry’s all-time record of 654 appearances could be in jeopardy.
As aforementioned, Sheffield United had a forgettable campaign.
However, among numerous negatives, the Blades’ 27-year-old forward Oli McBurnie etched his name in the history books.
He became the scorer of the latest Premier League goal when he put away a penalty with 102:08 on the clock in January’s 2-2 draw against West Ham.
