English Football's Longest Winning and Winless Runs

Sheffield Wednesday’s torrid form this season has earned them the unfortunate record of having the longest winless run in English footballing history. Points deductions, administrative woes and poor form have left them dead last in the Championship on -3 points, and without a win in a whopping 37 games. Let’s take a look at some of the other longest winless streaks in English footballing history, before also checking out some of the most prolific winning runs.

Most consecutive winless games in English football

39 – Sheffield Wednesday - 2025-26

Sheffield Wednesday have had a season from hell this year. The Owls have won just one league match this season, and with the club going into administration in October, have received multiple points deductions throughout the year. It leaves them on -3 points for the season and has seen them be relegated earlier than any club in EFL history. Truly a season to forget for Wednesday fans.

32 - Derby County - 2007-08

Derby County also put themselves into the record books for all the wrong reasons during the 2007-08 campaign. The Rams won just one league game all season and only managed 11 points, the lowest total in Premier League history. Their winless run would even extend into the next season, as they failed to win their first four league matches of the following campaign.

31 – Cambridge United - 1983-84

Cambridge United finished dead last in the Second Division back in 1983-84, failing to win a league match in 31 attempts. The U’s also lost matches in both the FA and League Cup, bringing the total streak to 34 games in all competitions without a win. They finally snapped the streak with a victory over Newcastle, more than six months after their last win.

27 - AFC Wimbledon - 2021-22

Wimbledon started the 2021-22 season promisingly, winning three of their opening seven games to sit 4^th in the League One table. However, the side failed to win a league game from 11 December through to the end of the season, with 27 attempts. Suprisingly, Wimbledon’s strong start meant they didn’t finish last in the league, but they were relegated with just 37 points.

27 - Hull City - 1989

Hull’s 27 game winless streak straddled two seasons, meaning Tigers fans didn’t see their team win a league match for almost nine months. They ended the 88/89 season with an eleven-game winless run, and didn’t see victory until early November in the following season, 17 weeks into their Second Division campaign. Remarkably, the Tigers avoided relegation in both seasons.

Most consecutive wins in English football

18 - Liverpool - 2019-20 & Manchester City - 2017

Liverpool and Manchester City pushed each other to amazing levels during the height of the Klopp/Guardiola years. Both sides put together spectacular 18-game winning streaks in the Premier League towards the end of the 2010s. Liverpool’s came mid-way through the 2019-20 season, with Mo Salah scoring 11 goals along the way. The Reds also went 27 games unbeaten in the league during this period, a record snapped surprisingly by Watford, who were relegated at the end of the year.

Manchester City’s streak came in 2017, with Pep Guardiola’s men hitting their stride in week 3, and winning every league game through to week 20. They scored an incredible 58 goals over the 18-game period and would go on to win the league with 100 points.

17 – Liverpool - 2019

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool appear again on this list, courtesy of a 17-game winning streak straddling the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons. The formidable front three of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino scored 28 goals during this run, helping Liverpool go 44 Premier League games unbeaten over the course of the two seasons.

15 - Manchester City - 2019 & 2020-21

Manchester City also put together winning streaks of 15 twice in two years. The Sky Blues won the last 14 games of the 2018/19 season, and added a 15^th with a win to open the following season. Pep Guardiola’s side would repeat the feat mid-way through the 2020-21 season, outscoring their opponents by 37 goals to 5 on the way to a 15-game Premier League winning streak.

14 - Arsenal - 2002

Arsenal’s legendary team of the early 2000s famously went unbeaten for the entire 2003-04 Premier League, but their longest winning streak under Arsène Wenger came a couple of years before their invincible season. The Gunners won the last 13 games of the 2001-02 season, a streak which saw them win the league, before adding a 14^th to the streak with a win on opening week of the following campaign.

13 - Chelsea - 2016

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea were known for their stout defence, but the Blues also played some enthralling football on the way to a 13-game winning streak during the 2016-17 season. Chelsea scored 32 goals while only conceding five, as they won every league game from October to the end of 2016. They would go on to be crowned Premier League champions later that season.