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Are City's Treble-winners the best ever Premier League team?

12 Jun 2023
BEST-PL-TEAM-PURPLE

Man Utd's class of 1998/99, Arsenal's "Invincibles" and more. Vote for the No 1 side

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Treble-winner Bernardo Silva took to social media after Saturday's historic UEFA Champions League final win over Internazionale Milano to declare that Manchester City are "the best team in the land and all over the world".

But the big question remains: Is Pep Guardiola's class of 2022/23, who have played mesmerising football and smashed multiple records on their way to winning the top-flight title, FA Cup and Champions League, the best team to ever grace the Premier League?

Refresh your memory of some of the top sides in the competition's history and vote for the No 1 team.

Man Utd (1998-01)

Sir Alex Ferguson's side dominated the 1990s and became the first team to win three consecutive Premier League titles, in 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01.

The first of that trio was their Treble-winning season.

In a campaign defined by "Fergie time", Man Utd's ability to claim late wins under Ferguson was legendary.

Appropriately, goals from David Beckham and Andrew Cole completed a 2-1 comeback win on the final day of 1998/99 against Tottenham Hotspur, to secure the Premier League title, before the Red Devils also lifted the FA Cup.

But it was the dramatic manner in which United beat Bayern Munich to win the Champions League final that really encapsulated their never-say-die spirit.

Without their midfield talismen Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, United trailed 1-0 until stoppage time, when substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer completed the latest, arguably greatest, ever finish to win the trophy and complete the Treble.

Arsenal (2003/04)

Who could forget Arsenal's "Invincibles" 2003/04 title-winning campaign? Arsene Wenger's Gunners went unbeaten in their 38 Premier League matches, the only team in the competition's history to achieve the feat.

They won 26 and drew the other 12 matches, conceding only 26 goals across the campaign.

Thierry Henry's superlative striking qualities were complemented by the brilliance of Dennis Bergkamp as Arsenal finished with a competition-high 73 goals.

Henry scored 30 times to claim the Golden Boot and Player of the Season awards.

Chelsea (2004-06)

The arrival of Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge in June 2004 sparked a record-breaking, title-winning 2004/05 season.

Racking up 95 points, six more than this season's champions Man City, Chelsea built their success from the back, with a rock-solid defence based around Petr CechJohn Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.

The Blues conceded only 15 goals and kept 24 clean sheets, which remain Premier League records, while they were beaten only once en route to the title, which they won by 12 points ahead of Arsenal. 

New signing Didier Drogba and Iceland international Eidur Gudjohnsen played their part in an unforgettable season, while midfielder Frank Lampard netted 13 times and followed that up with a further 16 strikes, as Chelsea retained the crown the following year.

Man Utd (2006-09)

Now with Wayne Rooney leading the line, Man Utd again won three successive titles in 2006/07,  2007/08 and 2008/09, with Cristiano Ronaldo helping them to add the Champions League in the second of those seasons.  

They were tight at the back thanks to Rio FerdinandNemanja Vidic and co, helping Edwin van der Sar keep a record 14 successive clean sheets in 2008/09.

Liverpool (2018-20)

The 2018/19 season saw Jurgen Klopp's Reds go nose-to-nose with Man City, losing out on the title by only one point in one of the Premier League's most compelling title races.

Suffering only one defeat throughout the season, with that coming against Man City, Liverpool amassed 97 points, at the time the third-highest total in the history of England's top flight, and the most achieved by a team without winning the title.

Although they fell agonisingly short in the league, Liverpool beat Spurs 2-0 to win the Champions League and they carried that momentum into the following season, finally ending their 30-year wait for a top-flight title.

Such was their dominance that at one stage they had a 25-point lead over City - a record gap at the top, and they finished 18 points clear of their rivals.

Man City (2020-23)

Winning back-to-back Premier League titles in 2020/21 and 2021/22 was merely a taste of what was to follow in 2022/23, as Man City's three seasons of progression ended with the Treble.

Slowly, surely and with meticulous attention to detail, Guardiola led City to a third successive Premier League title, overturning an eight-point deficit at the start of April to seize the Premier League crown from the grips of Arsenal.

There was a sense of inevitability as City clicked into top gear, winning 12 consecutive matches as their unstoppable winning machine overtook the Gunners.

Having played with no recognised striker the previous season, the signing of Erling Haaland provided the final piece in the jigsaw.

The Norwegian's record-breaking season of 36 Premier League goals helped City's three-pronged bid for trophies, as they matched Man Utd's most vaunted achievements: three straight titles, and the Treble.

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