Top five champions in the Premier League era
The Premier League, as we know it, was formed in 1992, as clubs broke away from the Football League to form a new one. Since then, the league has become the most watched and challenging league in the world.
It has seen several great managers and players spend their careers in England and has offered brilliant moments to football.
Below, we take a look at the top five teams of the era. These are teams that have managed to achieve brilliant records. Records that have not been matched by any other side over the years. Elite managers and elite players were part of these teams. Let's take a look.
#5 Premier League fairtytale - Leicester City 2015-16
After finishing 14th the previous season, Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri for the 2015-16 season. A magical 10 months of football followed, which symbolised the underdog story.
Against all odds and the money of the big six, Leicester finished atop the table. There was an element of luck as several of the top teams went through a transition phase, but Leicester took advantage.
This Leicester City team won the 2015/2016 EPL title,.
What a story!!
#TheGamePlan https://t.co/HLvgGAoaWd
They managed 81 points and finished 10 points ahead of Arsenal to be crowned Premier League champions. They won 23 games, drew 12, and lost only three games that season.
Jaimie Vardy scored 23 goals while Riyad Mahrez added a further 17 during the campaign. Leicester have flirted with the top four since, but that one season will always be special for football fans regardless of allegiance.
#4 The Centurions - Manchester City 2017-2018
Pep Guardiola signed for Manchester City in 2016-17, and City finished the season third in the table. A summer of heavy spending and a year later, City were Premier League champions with 100 points to their name.
They won 32 games, drew four, and lost two the whole season. They scored 106 goals and conceded 27. Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling scored 21 and 18 goals, respectively.
years ago today! 
#OnThisDay
#ManCity | mancity.comThe Centurions claimed their crown 3️⃣ years ago today! 👑
📅 #OnThisDay
🔷 #ManCity | mancity.com https://t.co/X98d3OFhPW
Guardiola had seen Chelsea win the title with 93 points the previous season and said that was the benchmark, but he went beyond that. The next best team were Manchester United with 81 points.
Liverpool came close in 2019-20, managing 99 points, but City's tally could not be reached. They added a Carabao Cup to their name to make it a double for the season. Ultimate consistency!
#3 The Invincibles - Arsenal 2003-04
Imagine going a whole season without losing a single game in the league. That is what Arsenal and Arsene Wenger accomplished during the 2003-04 season.
Arsenal won the title with 90 points, winning 26 games, drawing 12, and losing none. It was a brilliant achievement and the last title that the Gunners won. Thierry Henry scored 30 goals while Robert Pires added a further 14.
Played 38. Won 26. Drawn 12.
Lost? Exactly 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞.
🗓 #OnThisDay in 2004, we completed our league season by lifting the @PremierLeague trophy at Highbury 🥳 https://t.co/W7KRaOsDOo
The Invincibles were a majestic team and a far cry from the current Arsenal squad. Arsene Wenger's football was at its peak, and elegant players like Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, and Dennis Bergkamp were a joy to watch for any football fan.
Arsenal have been on a slow decline since that season. But it is an achievement they hold close to their hearts, and for now, it remains exclusively theirs.
#2 The best defence ever - Chelsea 2004-05
Defence wins you titles, and don't let anyone try and tell you anything different. Jose Mourinho signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2004 as 'The Special One', and he achieved something special with the club in his first season.
Chelsea won the title with 95 points, winning 29 games, drawing eight, and losing one. Chelsea scored 72 goals but conceded only 15, which is a league record.
📅 OTD in 2005, Chelsea were crowned Premiership champions for the first time
Two Frank Lampard goals saw off Bolton as Jose Mourinho's side won their first top flight trophy for 50 years!
https://t.co/R4cOS96NyZ
No team has come close to that defensive record since, and no team probably will. John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho were so strong in defense that, often, a solitary goal was enough to win the team their games.
Jose Mourinho and Chelsea changed the Premier League that season and broke the dominance of Manchester United and Arsenal. The 'Special One' delivered with a League Cup as a bonus.
#1 The Treble - Manchester United 1998-99
Doubles are common in English football, but no team has managed to win the treble since Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United in 1999.
They won the title with 79 points, finishing ahead of Arsenal by a point. They beat Newcastle in the FA Cup, and they beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final to round of a historic season.
In 1999 @ManUtd did the unthinkable by winning the Treble; the FA Cup, @premierleague, and @ChampionsLeague - the first and only English side to do so to date.
#EmiratesFACup
https://t.co/x6dcAlXEJk
United had players like Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole running the show for them in attack while players like David Beckham and Gary Neville were youngsters. The treble is something that United fans feel is their moment in history.
It was one of the reasons their fans begrudgingly supported Manchester City this season. Sir Alex won many doubles, but this treble was his crowning achievement.