How often does the club top at Christmas win the Premier League title?

A 1-1 draw at Anfield ensured Arsenal were top of the Premier League on Christmas Day, with Liverpool passing up the chance to leapfrog The Gunners after being held at home in a second successive game.

Much was made of the fact that Mikel Arteta’s side would be top of the tree as they were picking their presents out from under it, although the relentless nature of the English top flight’s festive schedule means they could quite easily find themselves down in third, fourth or even fifth by the time New Year comes around.

This year, the traditional round of Boxing Day fixtures will also stretch out to 27 and 28 December, while matchday 20 will follow between 30 December and 2 January.

How many times have the Christmas leaders won the Premier League?

So, just how important it is to be top of the Premier League table at Christmas? The short answer, history tells us, is not especially, with the pacesetters roughly midway through the season going on to win the title 16 times in 31 seasons since the formation of the competition in 1992.

Which teams have the best and worst “conversion rates”?

Manchester United have been in first spot on 25 December most often (seven times) and won the league in five of those seasons, while Chelsea and Manchester City both have a 100% “conversion rate”. The Blues’ record is especially impressive, with all of their Premier League titles coming on the five occasions they had been ahead at Christmas.

On the flip side are Liverpool and Arsenal, touted by most as the main challengers to City in 2023-24. The Reds have been top at Christmas six times but have won just one title, while The Gunners have won three Premier Leagues but never after leading on Christmas Day. Perhaps a defeat at Anfield wouldn’t have been such a bad omen after all…

Premier League Christmas Day leaders and title winners