Sports
10 Teams with Fewest Goals Conceded in a Premier League Season (Ranked)
Despite the tactical changes in modern football, a strong defensive foundation remains the most important aspect of a title challenge. In fact, Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.” Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have won six out of the last seven Premier League titles, dazzling the other teams with front-footed attacking football. They have stopped the ball going in at the other end as well, though, and their 2018/19 team looked formidable at the back.
In this current 2025/2026 Premier League season, Arsenal have the meanest defence in the country by quite a mile, keeping clean sheet after clean sheet in pretty remarkable fashion. The Gunners look on course to break records this campaign, armed with the reigning Golden Glove winner, David Raya, and then an assortment of defensive options that include the likes of Gabriel and William Saliba.
But how do they compare against some of the greatest defensive teams in Premier League history? Well, find out below the ten sides who have conceded the least amount of goals in a season.
10
Liverpool – 2005/06
25 goals conceded
After winning the Champions League in the following season, Liverpool entered the 2005/06 campaign with a number of summer additions, including Pepe Reina and Peter Crouch. While they flattered to deceive in the Champions League – losing in the round of 16 – the Reds finished third in the league behind Chelsea and Manchester United.
Despite only conceding 25 goals in the Premier League, Rafael Benitez’s side still didn’t have the best defensive record, as Chelsea only conceded 22. The likes of Jamie Carragher, John Arne Riise and Sami Hyypia helped Liverpool maintain a solid defensive base, while the likes of Steven Gerrard and Crouch scored the goals to propel the club to Champions League qualification.
9
Chelsea – 2006/07
24 goals conceded
Chelsea won the Premier League in their first two seasons under Mourinho, but they failed to make it three in a row in the 2006/07 campaign. They finished six points behind United, despite conceding only 24 goals, which was the defensive record in the division. Ashley Cole, who controversially signed from Arsenal in the summer, was an important addition to the backline, while Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry were as reliable as ever as the two centre-backs.
The Blues were in contention for the unprecedented quadruple up until the closing stages of the campaign. They eventually lost to Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Champions League but won both domestic cup competitions. They beat United in the FA Cup final, while they saw off Arsenal in the League Cup final.
8
Manchester United – 2008/09
24 goals conceded
United won their 18th Premier League title in the 2008/09 season – equalling Liverpool’s record. They finished four points clear of their Merseyside rivals, despite losing both games against Benitez’s side, conceding six goals in the process.
Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were key players for the Red Devils in a campaign that saw them concede only 24 goals. These two centre-backs are renowned as one of the best partnerships in Premier League history. Behind them was Edwin van der Sar, who kept 14 clean sheets in a row between November 2008 and February 2009 – an English top-flight record that still hasn’t been beaten.
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Sir Alex Ferguson Honours List |
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|---|---|
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Team |
Titles |
|
St Mirren |
Scottish First Division |
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Aberdeen |
Scottish Premier Division x 3, Scottish Cup x 4, Scottish League Cup, Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, European Super Cup |
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Manchester United |
Premier League x 13, FA Cup x 5, Football League Cup x 4, FA Community Shield x 10, UEFA Champions League x 2, Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup |
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7
Chelsea – 2008/09
24 goals conceded
Chelsea’s 2008/09 team are perhaps the most surprising inclusion on this list. They finished third during this campaign and had three different managers: Luiz Felipe Scolari, Ray Walkins and Guus Hiddink. One of the main positives was the summer acquisition of Jose Bosingwa, who helped form the joint-best defence in the league.
They conceded 24 goals in the 38-game season – the same number as United – but lost five matches and drew eight, which led to them falling seven points behind the Red Devils. The defence of Petr Cech, Brainslav Ivanovic, Terry, Alex and Bosingwa helped the Blues reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, but they lost to Barcelona on away goals in controversial circumstances.
6
Manchester City – 2018/19
23 goals conceded
City completed a domestic treble in the 2018/19 season, finishing one point clear of Liverpool in an enthralling title race. Guardiola’s side finished on 98 points, scoring 95 and conceding only 23. Vincent Kompany and Aymeric Laporte were the preferred centre-back partnership, and they were integral in City’s 14-match winning run to end the season, which saw them pip Jurgen Klopp’s side to the title. During this run, the Sky Blues only conceded four goals, keeping 10 clean sheets.
The only disappointment for City during this season was in the Champions League. They lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals, with Raheem Sterling’s injury-time winner ruled out for offside by VAR.
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Pep Guardiola Honours List |
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Team |
Titles |
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Barcelona |
La Liga x 3, Copa del Rey x 2, Supercopa de Espana x 3, Champions League x 2, Uefa Super Cup x 2, Fifa Club World Cup x 2 |
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Bayern Munich |
Bundesliga x 3, DFB-Pokal x 2, Uefa Super Cup, Fifa Club World Cup |
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Manchester City |
Premier League x 6, FA Cup x 2, League Cup x 4, Champions League, Community Shield x 2, Uefa Super Cup, Fifa Club World Cup |
5
Chelsea – 2005/06
22 goals conceded
Chelsea defended their Premier League crown in the 2005/06 season, finishing on 91 points and conceding only 22 goals. The summer acquisition of Michael Essien provided some steel to the Blues’ midfield and the central defensive partnership of Terry and Carvalho, with Cech behind them, continued to be incredibly hard to create chances against. Meanwhile, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole were ever-present members of the team, with the former scoring 20 goals from midfield.
Throughout the campaign, Chelsea kept 20 clean sheets. Despite their league success, they struggled in the cup competitions, losing in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and exiting the Champions League in the round of 16 to Barcelona.
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Jose Mourinho Honours List |
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Team |
Titles |
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Porto |
Primeira Liga x 2, Champions League, UEFA Cup, Taca de Portugal, Supertaca Candido de Oliveira |
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Chelsea |
Premier League x 3, FA Cup, League Cup x 3, Community Shield |
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Inter Milan |
Serie A x 2, Champions League, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana |
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Real Madrid |
La Liga, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana |
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Manchester United |
Europa League, League Cup, Community Shield |
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Roma |
Conference League |
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4
Manchester United – 2007/08
22 goals conceded
United won their 10th Premier League title in the 2007/08 season, finishing two points clear of Chelsea on 87 points. The Red Devils conceded only 22 goals during the campaign. Ferguson’s side had a backline of Ferdinand and Vidic as the centre-backs, with Wes Brown and Patrice Evra most commonly used as the full-backs. Van der Sar also made 29 appearances, keeping clean sheets in over 50% of the games he played in.
The solid defence, along with the dynamic front three of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo propelled United to a Champions League. They beat fellow English side, Chelsea, in the final, winning the competition for the third time.
3
Liverpool – 2018/19
22 goals conceded
Liverpool nearly completed the Premier League and Champions League double in the 2018/19 season. The main priority in the summer was to sign a new goalkeeper to improve on the following campaign, which saw them finish fourth and lose in the Champions League final against Real Madrid after a nightmare for Loris Karius.
Alisson Becker was signed from Roma in July 2018 and proved to be an inspired addition. Liverpool conceded only 22 goals, with the defence largely consisting of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Andy Robertson. They only lost one Premier League game – a decisive 2-1 defeat to the eventual champions City. Klopp’s side managed to win their sixth Champions League trophy, beating Spurs in the final.
2
Arsenal – 1998/99
17 goals conceded
Despite conceding only 17 goals in the 1998/99 season, Arsenal didn’t win the Premier League title. They finished a point behind United, who secured a historic treble, including the Champions League. Arsene Wenger’s side struggled for goals throughout the campaign, scoring only 59 in comparison to United’s 80. Their defence kept them in the title race, with Martin Keown and Tony Adams proving to be an impenetrable duo.
David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Steve Bould also played key roles in securing the best defensive record in Premier League history at the time. Despite their impressive backline, the Gunners went trophyless, losing in the semi-finals of the FA Cup against United following an extra-time winner from Ryan Giggs.
1
Chelsea – 2004/05
15 goals conceded
It is hard to believe that this Premier League record will ever be broken. Chelsea conceded only 15 goals in the 2004/05 season, winning the league in Mourinho’s first year in charge. The most common back four they played were: William Gallas, Carvalho, Terry and Paulo Ferreira. With Cech behind them, the Blues kept 25 clean sheets, letting in only six goals in 19 matches at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea only lost one game during this season – a 1-0 away defeat against City. This was one of only nine away goals they conceded on the road. The Blues eventually finished on 95 points, with the best defence in Premier League history. It seems unlikely that the English top-flight will ever see a more stubborn backline.
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Ranking the 10 Teams with the Fewest Goals Conceded in a Premier League Season |
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|---|---|---|---|
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Rank |
Team |
Season |
Goals Conceded |
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1. |
Chelsea |
2004/05 |
15 |
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2. |
Arsenal |
1998/99 |
17 |
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3. |
Liverpool |
2018/19 |
22 |
|
4. |
Manchester United |
2007/08 |
22 |
|
5. |
Chelsea |
2005/06 |
22 |
|
6. |
Manchester City |
2018/19 |
23 |
|
7. |
Chelsea |
2008/09 |
24 |
|
8. |
Manchester United |
2008/09 |
24 |
|
9. |
Chelsea |
2006/07 |
24 |
|
10. |
Liverpool |
2005/06 |
25 |
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (Correct as of 1/11/2025)
Legendary seven-time singles Grand Slam winner John McEnroe has revealed his clear frontrunner to win Wimbledon this year, with his pick unlikely to leave fans surprised.
This year’s edition of the prestigious tournament got underway on Monday with plenty of stars of the sport in action in round one as they look to walk away with the £3,600,000 prize money and etch their name in history.
McEnroe, a three-time winner at the tournament in the 1980s, knows just what it takes to be victorious on Centre Court and earmarked none other than the current world No.1 Jannik Sinner as the out-and-out favourite to repeat his Wimbledon win of 2025.
The odds are increasingly in the Italian’s favour to do just that, with his arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz, who he defeated in the final to secure his first win at SW19 in a four-set thriller, forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an ongoing wrist injury he picked up back in April.
Alcaraz was one of many big names that announced they would not take part at Wimbledon this year in the men’s section, with Lorenzo Musetti, Valentin Vacherot, and home favourite Jack Draper also confirming their absences in the lead-up to one of the biggest events in tennis.
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That is not to say Sinner won’t find worthwhile adversaries as he looks to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles. He has already had his hands full in the first round, where he dropped two sets to Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic before eventually seeing off his opponent to progress.
The Italian found his stride in the next round, with a more recognisable performance to dispatch Nuno Borges 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 to set up a third-round tie with American Jenson Brooksby, who has reached as high as world number 33.
After he defeated Borges in straight sets, McEnroe pointed to that clinical display as proof that the 24-year-old is returning to his best.
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“It was a great test for him,” stated McEnroe.
“He played a guy playing as good as he could play, throwing a lot at him and made him come up with the goods in some tense moments.
“Sinner has got to be feeling good about that to get through in straight sets. But that’s just what the doctor ordered: it was highly competitive, and his level lifted, so it’s good signs for Jannik Sinner.”
Having endured a bitterly disappointing stint at the French Open in May, which ended with a second-round defeat, question marks had been raised over whether Sinner could go far at the All England Club.
When asked about that shock loss at Roland Garros and whether the four-time major winner could legitimately be named as the odds-on favourite, McEnroe answered emphatically.
“Oh yeah, absolutely, no question about that.
🎾
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“There is a little dent in the armour which you saw in France. There’s always that risk when you don’t play any matches (on grass before the tournament).
“You’re a little bit unsure the first couple of rounds, but he’s going to go into Friday feeling a lot better than he did two sets to one down on Monday as the defending champion.”
Manchester United will have to look at alternative midfield options after missing out on the signature of Mateus Fernandes.
Amid talk of a big-money move from West Ham, the Portuguese ace will be remaining in London for the new season after agreeing a transfer to Tottenham.
Much will be expected of the Red Devils heading into the 2026/27 season after a positive campaign under Michael Carrick, with a midfield overhaul expected to happen as they look to go strong in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Following Fernandes’ snub, a familiar name has cropped up again as United look to add some much-needed options to that area of the pitch.
Baleba return?
Manchester United have Carlos Baleba on their list when it comes to signing a new midfielder, according to GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs.
The Red Devils were keen on signing the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder 12 months ago but a deal never came to fruition.
United did approach the Seagulls for the 22-year-old last summer, only to be put off by their £100m price tag.
Jacobs said in April that offers under £70m are unlikely to be considered, with the journalist also confirming that the player only wants United.
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The Cameroon international, who club chiefs reportedly view as the ‘new Casemiro’, received rave reviews during the 2024/25 season, thus leading to Manchester United’s interest in him, and he still went on to feature regularly for Fabio Hurzeler’s team last term.
Baleba may not have had the same influence in 2025/26 as he did the previous season, but Brighton will still be looking to get as close to their valuation of the player as possible.
Alternative midfield options
United have a number of options as they look to take their midfield to the next level.
The club already have one player set to add to Carrick’s numbers in the middle of the park, with Ederson set to officially complete a move to Old Trafford from Atalanta once his participation at this summer’s World Cup with Brazil is officially over.
According to Jacobs, Manchester United are set to explore a move for Bournemouth star Alex Scott after seeing Fernandes opt for a £85m switch to Tottenham.
The Cherries are keen to tie the former Bristol City midfielder down to a new contract at the Vitality Stadium after a standout season that saw him called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the very first time.
Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea are other clubs to watch when it comes to a move for Scott, who Bournemouth value around £80m.
Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni joins Baleba on United’s list, with Sander Berge of Fulham another name discussed.
All eyes will be on Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool this season after the highly-rated Spaniard replaced Arne Slot at the helm.
Following their 2024/25 Premier League title-winning campaign, the Reds endured a nightmare season last term and finished the year in fifth position, 25 points behind newly-crowned champions Arsenal.
Liverpool’s struggles resulted in Slot’s departure, with Iraola taking on the hotseat after an incredible season where he guided Bournemouth to European qualification for the first time after finishing three points behind the Merseyside club in sixth.
Liverpool splashed the cash in the transfer market 12 months ago and the focus will very much be on them once again as Iraola looks to make an immediate mark at Anfield.
Liverpool watching Fulham star
Liverpool are keeping close tabs on Fulham winger Kevin, according to Anfield Watch.
The Reds have already seen some movement in that area of the pitch this summer following Mohamed Salah’s departure from the club.
Federico Chiesa could potentially join the Egyptian in heading for pastures new, with the club signing Spanish ace Victor Munoz from Osasuna in a £34.5m deal and having a keen interest in RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande.
Given the need to add to their wide options, Kevin has emerged as a potential addition for Liverpool as they plan for the years ahead.
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The Brazilian joined Fulham in a club-record £34.6m deal last September on a long-term contract until the summer of 2030, with the Cottagers having an option to extend it by a further year.
The left-winger finished his first season in west London with three goals and four assists to his name in 31 appearances, notably scoring in a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United in February.
More will be expected of the 23-year-old this season following his first year in England, with Anfield Watch reporting that Liverpool have been watching the player since his move to Fulham to see how he would adapt to the Premier League.
Exciting Kevin prediction could come true
Dario Srna’s big Kevin prediction could very well come true if Liverpool make a move for the Fulham star,
Speaking to BBC Sport last September following the Brazilian’s move from Shakhtar Donetsk to the Cottagers, Srna, the club’s sporting director, stated that the youngster “will move to one of the biggest clubs within the next two years”.
“Fulham have an amazing winger, he has amazing skills, is so fast, good one-versus-one, he even defends well,” outlined Srna.
“With Marco Silva, for me one of the best coaches in the Premier League, he will continue to develop for sure. I believe Kevin will move to one of the biggest clubs within the next two years.”
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