Top Five Most Successful English Clubs of All Time

These clubs set benchmarks and left their mark on English Football.

In this day and age, anything less than multiple trophies a season at a top club gets a manager put under the microscope. Despite doing good work but not having results to show for it. While on the other hand discord and instability in dressing room and things like playing anti football are quashed the moment those methods start delivering trophies now that the world of football is more end result oriented than it ever was before.

Manchester City have made English football their own in recent years. The so called noisy Mancunian team have won several domestic league and cup titles. But, most of their success has come since 2010. Meanwhile, their city rivals Manchester United have a much longer history of success in the country but have been relatively been struggling to keep the ridiculously high standards expected from a club that large in size ,reputation, finances ,etc. The Red Devils are one of the most successful clubs in the world especially under the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Chelsea, Arsenal, Leeds United and Aston Villa have also enjoyed tremendous success.

Let’s have a look at the top five most successful English clubs of all time.

5. Manchester City – 35 Titles

The Manchester club which bleeds blue has seen significant changes in recent years. Since a change of ownership in 2007, they have dominated English football. Manchester City has emerged from the shadow of their successful neighbours. The club has established itself as one of the leading figures not only in English but world football too.

Manchester City won the first division titles in 1937 and 1968. However, they have been on a roll and it seems like nobody has been able to find a way as they have won the Premier League eight times in a row, most recently in 2023-24. They've also won several domestic cup titles. Manchester City won the Champions League in the 2023–24 season.

 4. Chelsea – 34 Titles

Next on the list of the most successful English clubs are The Blues from London. Most of their success has come since the turn of the century. This  has been somewhat attributed by many to a change in ownership about two decades prior. Chelsea have been a dominant force in English football in recent years.

They are a  club which has won the Premier League five times. Chelsea also won a first-division championship in 1955. They have a number of domestic cup successes as well.

Chelsea are one of the most successful English clubs in Europe. They have won the Champions League and Europa League twice.

3. Arsenal – 48 Titles

Arsenal have a rich history in English football. Despite a challenging period in recent years, where they were supposedly in a banter era, they now look like closing the gap on city though they narrowly missed out on the league title this around. However, Arsenal still remains one of the most successful clubs in the country. The North Londoners won the league title five times during the 1930s. This was followed by first-division success in subsequent decades.

Arsenal has won the Premier League twice since the start of this century. However, the Arsenal are the most successful team in FA Cup history. They have won the competition a record fourteen times. and  have also been on an invincible run. However, they have yet to know what it feels like to win a major European title.

2. Manchester United – 68 Titles

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red side of Manchester dominated English football and made sure everyone knew that Manchester was Red loud and clear through their performances. Manchester United has always had a roster of  star studded players. However, much of their success came under the former Aberdeen Gaffer. During his very long term with the club, the team won 13 of its 20 league titles. Ferguson also guided the Red Devils to two Champions League victories.

Since his departure, United have not been able to cope with his absence though they still have won some cups here and there and remained in the fray to win big season after season. Nevertheless, they managed to win a few titles and few other teams have been as ruthless of a winning machine as are the teams assembled by Sir Alex Ferguson.

1 Liverpool – 69 Titles

With their latest League Cup triumph, the Merseyside giants wrestled back their title of being England's best team. Liverpool enjoyed significant domestic  run during the 1970s and 1980s. Buy after that had a very long wait seeing all their rivals grab trophies but the Merseyside remained trophy less for a very long time. The 2019-20 Premier League victory was their first in three decades. Despite not having the best of times at least till Klopp arrived in England, Liverpool was successful in Europe. 

Liverpool have won the Champions League six times. This is the most from any English club. They've also won several UEFA Cups and Super Cups. Liverpool has won 19 league crowns, eight FA Cups, and ten EFL Cups. The Reds won their tenth EFL Cup title against Chelsea. A close 1-0 victory was enough to add to their trophy collection. The Reds won their 10th EFL Cup title against Chelsea. A narrow 1-0 victory was enough to add another trophy that their fans could cherish especially since it would be the last trophy secured under the Klopp era.

Cover Credits - Sky Sports