Ranking The Biggest Premier League Title Slip-ups

ByAlex Bysouth

BBC Sport Senior Journalist

"Bottlers!"

It's nan sadistic taunt thrown astir by rival fans. But you've gotta beryllium successful nan Premier League title title to triumph it, right?

It's conscionable erstwhile you lead for truthful agelong and don't triumph it, there's a lonely void, an 'it should person been us' vacuum of sorrow.

Staring astatine nan imaginable of letting different seemingly insurmountable lead slip, Arsenal are hopeless to banish those demons, having grappled pinch nan tag complete nan past 2 decades.

But they are acold from unsocial - successful fact, nan Gunners' slip-ups person been acold little melodramatic than those of immoderate of their rivals.

To thief analyse nan apical flight's biggest wobblers, those who person fto nan convention descent from seemingly watertight positions, we enlisted nan thief of BBC Sport statistician Chris Collinson, personification ever connected apical of his tables.

While Chris' investigation shows america Arsenal merit to characteristic respective times, location is room for Stevie G's slip, a mention for that 'Aguerooo!' moment, and, of course, Kevin Keegan's iconic speech - which took spot 30 years agone this month.

And I'll show you, honestly, I will emotion it if you publication this, emotion it!

10. Tottenham Hotspur 2015-16

Does it count arsenic bottling if you were ne'er successful front? It is possibly harsh to see Tottenham, considering northbound London rivals Arsenal were astatine 1 constituent successful a much commanding position - but there's plentifulness of room for nan Gunners connected this list…

As nan accustomed suspects each faltered, Mauricio Pochettino's vibrant young broadside appeared good placed to bring a first title to White Hart Lane since 1961.

But cometh nan hour, cometh nan dilly-dong. Claudio Ranieri's pizza-loving Leicester nomads stormed to nan Premier League acme and, aft concisely giving up apical spot to Arsenal, surged clear to go 5,000-1-shot winners.

A six-game winning tally done January and February put Spurs successful premier position to capitalise connected a Foxes stumble, but that ne'er came. A bruising tie successful nan Battle of nan Bridge ended Tottenham's hopes earlier they mislaid their last 2 games to gaffe to third.

Never mind, Tottenham and Pochettino's clip would come, surely…

9. Norwich City: 1992-93

Norwich City, meanwhile, recovered themselves arsenic improbable leaders for 129 days of nan inaugural Premier League season, contempt having vanished fifth-bottom nan twelvemonth earlier and sold striker Robert Fleck to Chelsea for a nine grounds £2m.

Reinvesting that successful Mark Robins and Efan Ekoku, pinch a young Chris Sutton emerging astatine Carrow Road, nan Canaries led until matchday 26, earlier an Eric Cantona-inspired Manchester United ploughed a way to nan top. Norwich vanished third.

8. Liverpool: 2018-19

Liverpool, successful their pursuit of a first Premier League title, put up almost nan cleanable play successful 2018-19, reaching 97 points, past nan third-highest full successful Premier League history. Their problem was that Manchester City went 1 better.

Jurgen Klopp's rock'n'roll Reds racked up 30 wins and topped nan convention for 141 days - only 5 teams person spent longer location without winning it - while City were 10 points adrift successful December.

But Liverpool's 1 conclusion of nan convention play came astatine City - John Stones making a famously important goal-line clearance - and that efficaciously decided nan title. Four draws successful six soon aft that proved damaging, and not moreover 9 wins successful a statement to adjacent nan convention run was enough.

7. Arsenal: 2002-03

Arsene Wenger's Arsenal managed to walk up almost identical leads 5 years isolated successful nan 2000s, though Gunners fans could bathe successful nan glory of their Invincibles play in-between.

Wenger predicted an unbeaten run soon aft he won nan double successful 2002, branding Arsenal's triumph "a displacement successful power" aft clinching nan title astatine Old Trafford.

'Le Professeur' and his squad spent almost 5 months connected apical nan pursuing term. United, though, put 4 past Liverpool and six past Newcastle to separator successful beforehand - while Arsenal were held astatine Villa - earlier a Highbury gathering successful mid-April.

Theirry Henry scored doubly aft Ruud van Nistelrooy's opener, but Ryan Giggs, apical to tail successful blue, stooped to make it 2-2 successful a classical nether nan lights. United ne'er looked back, while Arsenal fumbled points against Bolton and Leeds.

6. Arsenal: 2007-08

In 2008, now astatine nan Emirates and pinch their Invincibles halfway gone, a fresh-looking Arsenal had mislaid conscionable erstwhile by March and spent 156 days connected apical of nan table. But travel May they were third, down United and Chelsea.

Wenger, look arsenic agelong arsenic his trusty trenchcoat, bemoaned fierce Premier League guidance aft Eduardo's horrific surgery limb wounded successful a tie astatine Birmingham that began a five-game winless run.

The malaise group successful crossed each competitions, pinch Arsenal thrashed by Spurs successful nan League Cup semi-finals, thumped by Manchester United astatine Old Trafford successful nan FA Cup and dumped retired of nan Champions League by Liverpool.

Wenger would not triumph different Premier League title, pinch this disappointment portion of a nine-year barren tally that led to Mourinho branding nan Gunners leader a "specialist successful failure" earlier a drawstring of FA Cups arrived successful nan twilight of his tenure.

5. Arsenal: 2022-23

Fast guardant to 2022-23 and Arsenal were mounting records. Unfortunately for nan Gunners, they became nan squad to walk nan astir days apical of nan Premier League without winning it, immoderate 248.

Arsenal only dropped retired of nan lead for 3 days successful a 30-week table-topping spell, erstwhile Manchester City won a rearranged conflict successful February.

They returned to nan acme again until visiting City connected 26 April, pinch Pep Guardiola's juggernauts convincing 4-1 victors during a tally of 14 wins from 15 games.

It's possibly fairer to opportunity City won it, alternatively than Arsenal blew it. But successful 3 successive draws earlier that pivotal Etihad Stadium conclusion they appeared to frost - giving up two-goal leads astatine some Liverpool and West Ham and sharing six goals astatine location pinch Southampton.

4. Manchester United: 1997-98

Things were acold rosier successful nan reddish half of northbound London successful 1998. With Wenger's gyration successful afloat flow, Arsenal overcame a grounds points shortage to triumph nan Frenchman's first Premier League and followed up pinch nan FA Cup.

Manchester United were nan autumn guys this time, contempt seeming to beryllium truthful successful power of nan title that 1 bookmaker paid retired early. Blackburn were United's closest challengers astatine halfway, pinch Arsenal down successful sixth. Arsenal trailed United by 13 points astatine 1 stage.

Sir Alex Ferguson's broadside proceeded to return conscionable 1 constituent from meetings pinch Southampton, Bolton and Leicester, past mislaid to Sheffield Wednesday and drew pinch West Ham earlier what proved a title-defining conflict pinch Arsenal successful March.

Marc Overmars netted precocious on, arsenic Arsenal strung together a 10-game winning streak, and United slipped to 2nd aft location draws pinch Liverpool and Newcastle successful April, finishing runners-up by 1 point.

3. Liverpool: 2013-14

Moving from maths to post-match monologues and melodrama. Enter shape left, Steven Gerrard. "This does not slip," bellowed an affectional Liverpool skipper aft a 3-2 triumph astatine Manchester City made it 10 connected nan rotation and put nan Reds connected nan brink of a first title since 1990.

Yet, Gerrard soon did conscionable that - gaffe - arsenic nan Liverpool midfielder mislaid his footing connected nan very turf wherever he had go an Anfield icon. Demba Ba raced distant to people arsenic a Chelsea squad containing Mohamed Salah won 2-0 astatine Liverpool.

Liverpool's advantage was gone. They stormed into a three-goal lead astatine Crystal Palace successful nan penultimate crippled of nan play but knew they needed much to outscore Manchester City, and alternatively they conceded 3 times successful nan closing minutes to only draw.

Gerrard near Anfield astatine nan extremity of nan pursuing play without a Premier League winner's medal, though Liverpool would yet get their title successful 2020.

2. Manchester United: 2011-12

It's 1 of nan astir iconic images successful Premier League history: a bare-chested Sergio Aguero windmilling his Manchester City jersey astir his caput aft scoring a 94th-minute victor that ripped nan title from rivals United's grasp.

United had done their spot connected that sunny May day successful 2012, winning astatine Sunderland. But really nan harm was done successful nan preceding weeks arsenic Ferguson's outfit gave up an eight-point lead pinch six games to play.

"Not successful my lifetime," said a laughing Ferguson erstwhile asked if City, pursuing their 2008 takeover, would ever beryllium apical dogs successful Manchester. But that precocious Aguero play confirmed nan bluish broadside of nan metropolis could observe a first Premier League crown.

1. Newcastle United: 1995-96

Sorry Newcastle fans, you knew this was coming.

Kevin Keegan's boys were nan Premier League's awesome entertainers, yet nan existent play came not pinch nan flicks and tricks of Faustino Asprilla aliases David Ginola but pinch an epic illness aft they led Manchester United by 12 points successful January 1996.

When Manchester United won astatine St James' Park successful March, Ferguson's broadside had reeled nan Magpies' lead successful to 1 point. Then, pinch 3 games to go, they were level - some still having to look Leeds and Nottingham Forest.

It was Ferguson's quip aft narrowly beating Leeds, suggesting teams "raise their game" against Manchester United, that proved nan spark for Keegan's celebrated rant.

Newcastle won their Monday nighttime gathering astatine Elland Road 12 days later, aft which Keegan bemoaned Ferguson's comments astir Leeds' players and a "man for illustration Stuart Pearce".

He added: "You tin show him now, we're still fighting for this title and he's sewage to spell to Middlesbrough and get something. And I'll show you, honestly, I will emotion it if we hit them. Love it!"

Newcastle drew astatine Forest and were past held astatine location by Tottenham. Manchester United went to Middlesbrough and sewage thing - a 3-0 triumph that sealed nan title successful their favour.