2009/10 · Rebuilt without Manchester City

Same champions. Same four. Same three down.

Without City, nothing changes hands in 2009/10. What moves is the tension. Chelsea lose nothing for their two defeats by City, United lose both derby winners, and a title won by a point on the final day is won by seven. The only race left is for fourth, and Spurs hold it by one.

1stChelsea86PTS
2ndMan Utd79PTS
3rdArsenal74PTS

What changed What if?

The story

The real season.

The title went to the last afternoon. Chelsea started 9 May a point clear of Manchester United, then beat Wigan 8–0 at Stamford Bridge while United beat Stoke 4–0. That made it 86 to 85: the title, in Carlo Ancelotti's first season. His side scored 103 league goals, the first in the Premier League to reach 100, and their goal difference of +71 was a Premier League record.

Manchester City finished fifth on 67 without once going top. Carlos Tevez, signed from United in the summer, scored 23 league goals, but between October and November City drew seven league games in a row. Mark Hughes was sacked on 19 December, the day of a 4–3 home win over Sunderland, and Roberto Mancini took over.

Liverpool finished seventh, their first season outside the top four since 2004/05. Burnley, back in the top flight after 33 years, went straight down again with Hull and Portsmouth. Fulham reached their first European final and lost it to Atlético Madrid in Hamburg, 2–1 after extra time. Wigan became the first team to lose two Premier League matches by eight goals in one season, 9–1 at Tottenham and 8–0 at Chelsea.

Rebuild the table without City and every one of those fates holds; only the distances between them move.

The table

2009/10, rebuilt.

Clubs lose only the points they took off City, so a club that lost both games loses nothing. Everyone who finished below City moves up a place automatically; we count it as a change only when a club climbs further, or its fate changes.

The 2009/10 Premier League table rebuilt without Manchester City
Pos	Club	Pts	GD	Move	Real pos	Real pts	City pts	P	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	ChelseaChampions	86	+74	No change	1st	86	0	36	27	5	4	100	26
2	Manchester United (top four)	79	+56	No change	2nd	85	−6	36	25	4	7	81	25
3	Arsenal (top four)	74	+44	No change	3rd	75	−1	36	23	5	8	81	37
4	Tottenham Hotspur (top four)	64	+22	No change	4th	70	−6	36	19	7	10	63	41
5	Aston Villa	63	+15	Up 1 place	6th	64	−1	36	17	12	7	50	35
6	Liverpool	61	+26	Up 1 place	7th	63	−2	36	18	7	11	59	33
7	Everton	55	+7	Up 1 place	8th	61	−6	36	14	13	9	56	49
8	Blackburn Rovers	50	−9	▲ 2 Up 2 places	10th	50	0	36	13	11	12	40	49
9	Birmingham City	49	−5	No change	9th	50	−1	36	13	10	13	37	42
10	Stoke City	46	−12	Up 1 place	11th	47	−1	36	11	13	12	33	45
11	Fulham	45	−6	Up 1 place	12th	46	−1	36	12	9	15	36	42
12	Sunderland	43	−7	Up 1 place	13th	44	−1	36	11	10	15	44	51
13	Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	−20	▲ 2 Up 2 places	15th	38	0	36	9	11	16	32	52
14	Bolton Wanderers	38	−23	No change	14th	39	−1	36	10	8	18	39	62
15	Wigan Athletic	35	−39	Up 1 place	16th	36	−1	36	9	8	19	36	75
16	West Ham United	34	−17	Up 1 place	17th	35	−1	36	8	10	18	45	62
17	Burnley (relegated)	29	−35	Up 1 place	18th	30	−1	36	8	5	23	38	73
18	Hull City (relegated)	26	−42	Up 1 place	19th	30	−4	36	5	11	20	31	73
19	Portsmouth (relegated)	19	−29	Up 1 place	20th	19	0	36	7	7	22	34	63

Champions
Top four: Champions League places by position
Relegated
▲ places gained Why? The rules of the rebuild

Blackburn and Wolves, who lost both games to City, are the only clubs to climb two places. Portsmouth's nine-point deduction for entering administration stays.

Compare: the real 2009/10 table

The real Premier League 2009/10
Pos	Club	Pts	GD	P	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	Chelsea	86	+71	38	27	5	6	103	32
2	Manchester United	85	+58	38	27	4	7	86	28
3	Arsenal	75	+42	38	23	6	9	83	41
4	Tottenham Hotspur	70	+26	38	21	7	10	67	41
5	Manchester CityRemoved	67	+28	38	18	13	7	73	45
6	Aston Villa	64	+13	38	17	13	8	52	39
7	Liverpool	63	+26	38	18	9	11	61	35
8	Everton	61	+11	38	16	13	9	60	49
9	Birmingham City	50	−9	38	13	11	14	38	47
10	Blackburn Rovers	50	−14	38	13	11	14	41	55
11	Stoke City	47	−14	38	11	14	13	34	48
12	Fulham	46	−7	38	12	10	16	39	46
13	Sunderland	44	−8	38	11	11	16	48	56
14	Bolton Wanderers	39	−25	38	10	9	19	42	67
15	Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	−24	38	9	11	18	32	56
16	Wigan Athletic	36	−42	38	9	9	20	37	79
17	West Ham United	35	−19	38	8	11	19	47	66
18	Burnley	30	−40	38	8	6	24	42	82
19	Hull City	30	−41	38	6	12	20	34	75
20	Portsmouth	19	−32	38	7	7	24	34	66

20 clubs, 38 games each. Portsmouth were docked nine points for entering administration. Rebuilt from the published data; it matches the published final table in four independent sources.

What changed

Ranked by what was at stake.

No title, European place or relegation changes hands. Two margins move.

Title race

Chelsea by seven: United lose both stoppage-time winners.

Owen in September, Scholes in April. Both go, and United finish on 79.

Full story: Chelsea by seven: United lose both stoppage-time winners. Share: CHELSEA BY SEVEN: UNITED LOSE BOTH STOPPAGE-TIME WINNERS.
Top four

Spurs keep fourth. By a single point.

Crouch's header at City goes, and three more points with it. Spurs 64, Aston Villa 63.

Full story: Spurs keep fourth. By a single point. Share: SPURS KEEP FOURTH. BY A SINGLE POINT.

Title race Changes

The title race loses its photo finish.

For real

Chelsea 86

Champions by 1 point, on the final day

Without City

Chelsea 86

Champions by 7 points

City were the only club to beat Chelsea home and away in the league. They won 2–1 at Eastlands on 5 December, ending their own run of seven draws. On 27 February they won 4–2 at Stamford Bridge, the day Wayne Bridge refused John Terry's hand before kick-off. It was Chelsea's first home league defeat under Ancelotti. Remove both games and Chelsea's 86 stands.

United paid for their derbies instead, and paid late. On 20 September Michael Owen won it 4–3 at Old Trafford in the sixth minute of added time, after four had been indicated. On 17 April Paul Scholes headed the only goal at City 17 seconds before the scheduled end of injury time. Both winners go, six points with them, and United finish on 79.

The champions lose nothing. The runners-up lose six.

Runners-up No change

United finish second on 79, as they did for real, when second was paid more than first: £52.996m in Premier League payments to Chelsea's £52.8m. Share: UNITED FINISH SECOND ON 79, AS THEY DID FOR REAL, WHEN SECOND WAS PAID MORE THAN FIRST: £52.996M IN PREMIER LEAGUE PAYMENTS TO CHELSEA'S £52.8M.

Top four Changes

Crouch's header goes. Fourth stays in north London.

For real

Spurs 4th

70 points, three clear of fifth

Without City

Spurs 4th

64 points, one clear of fifth

On 5 May Peter Crouch headed the only goal at City eight minutes from time and settled fourth place. Without City, that header disappears with the match it won.

For real, Tottenham finished fourth on 70, three clear of City and six clear of Aston Villa in sixth. It was a Champions League play-off place, the club's first Champions League berth and its highest Premier League finish at the time. Harry Redknapp, in his first full season, was the Premier League's Manager of the Season, the first manager without the title to win it since George Burley in 2000/01.

Spurs beat City twice, 3–0 at White Hart Lane in December, with two from Kranjčar, and 1–0 in May. Both wins go, and Spurs finish on 64. The club behind them is now Villa, who lose a point for the 1–1 at Villa Park in October, when Richard Dunne scored against City a month after leaving them. Their 3–1 defeat at City costs them nothing, so they finish on 63. Six points between fourth and sixth become one between fourth and fifth.

The bottom No change

The same three go down. Hull, who beat City in February, lose four points and finish three behind Burnley instead of level with them. Share: THE SAME THREE GO DOWN. HULL, WHO BEAT CITY IN FEBRUARY, LOSE FOUR POINTS AND FINISH THREE BEHIND BURNLEY INSTEAD OF LEVEL WITH THEM.

The players No change

No player wins or loses a title, a Champions League place or a relegation in the rebuilt 2009/10 table.

What if?

Questions for the pub.

Door 1

What if Chelsea had won by seven?

Carlo Ancelotti won the Double in his first season and was dismissed at the end of his second. Does a bigger winning margin buy a manager more time?

Less than two hours. That is how long Ancelotti lasted after Chelsea were beaten 1–0 at Everton on the last day of 2010/11. Twelve months earlier he had the title and, six days after it, the FA Cup, won 1–0 against Portsmouth with a Didier Drogba free kick: the club's first Double.

The second season came apart in stages. Assistant manager Ray Wilkins left in November. Fernando Torres arrived from Liverpool in January for a club and British record fee. On 8 May Chelsea were beaten 2–1 at Old Trafford, and they finished second, nine points behind United.

A seven-point title would have looked like control rather than a close call. But the first season already carried the Double and the goal records above, and none of it bought a third. The question is whether a margin banked in one May is worth anything by the next.

Over to you. Does a seven-point title make a board more patient, or just more demanding?

Door 2

Did nine points relegate Portsmouth?

Docked nine points for entering administration, Portsmouth went down in April. Give the points back, in either table, and where do they land?

On 26 February 2010 Portsmouth became the first Premier League club to enter administration. On 17 March, the day after the High Court validated the administration, they were docked nine points, which left them on 10. They were relegated in April, and still reached the FA Cup final, where Petr Čech saved Kevin-Prince Boateng's penalty.

Hand the nine back and the sums are short. For real, 19 plus nine is 28, two short of Burnley and Hull on 30: bottom either way. Without City, Portsmouth lose nothing, because they lost both games to City. Their 28 would pass Hull, down to 26, but not Burnley on 29. That is 18th of 19, still in the bottom three. For real the deduction cost them no place in the table; without City, one.

Over to you. If nine points couldn't move a club that was already last, what is a points deduction actually for?

The case

2009/10 is one of the seasons covered by the charges the Premier League referred to an independent commission on 6 February 2023. On 25 September 2026 BBC Sport, The Athletic and Sky Sports reported that the commission had found City in breach of Premier League rules. The Premier League has not published the decision, City say the process is ongoing, reports say City are expected to appeal, and no sanction has been announced (as of 27 September 2026).

Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool, the four clubs The Times reported in November 2024 had lodged legal notices reserving the right to claim compensation if City were found in breach, gain no title, top-four place or European place from this season. More on the case: the nine-season summary

Reference · Every club

Find your club.

Where every club finishes without City.

1st: ChelseaChampions. 86 → 86 pts (real finish 1st, no change)
Beaten 2–1 away and 4–2 at home by City, so no points come off. 86 points.
Share: CHELSEA. CHAMPIONS.
Games against City
- 5 Dec 2009 · AwayLost 1–20 pts
- 27 Feb 2010 · HomeLost 2–40 pts
Real finish
1st · 86 pts
Without City
1st · 86 pts

Movement
No change
Record (36 games)
W27 D5 L4 · GD +74
2nd: Manchester UnitedSecond. 85 → 79 pts (real finish 2nd, no change)
Owen's and Scholes's stoppage-time derby winners go: six points. 79 points.
Share: MAN UTD. SECOND.
Games against City
- 20 Sep 2009 · HomeWon 4–3−3 pts
- 17 Apr 2010 · AwayWon 1–0−3 pts
Real finish
2nd · 85 pts
Without City
2nd · 79 pts

Movement
No change
Record (36 games)
W25 D4 L7 · GD +56
3rd: ArsenalThird. 75 → 74 pts (real finish 3rd, no change)
The 0–0 at the Emirates costs a point; the 4–2 defeat at City costs nothing. 74 points.
Share: ARSENAL. THIRD.
Games against City
- 12 Sep 2009 · AwayLost 2–40 pts
- 24 Apr 2010 · HomeDrew 0–0−1 pt
Real finish
3rd · 75 pts
Without City
3rd · 74 pts

Movement
No change
Record (36 games)
W23 D5 L8 · GD +44
4th: Tottenham HotspurFourth. 70 → 64 pts (real finish 4th, no change)
Both wins over City go, 3–0 at White Hart Lane and 1–0 away: six points. 64 points, and the Champions League play-off place stays.
Share: SPURS. FOURTH.
Games against City
- 16 Dec 2009 · HomeWon 3–0−3 pts
- 5 May 2010 · AwayWon 1–0−3 pts
Real finish
4th · 70 pts
Without City
4th · 64 pts

Movement
No change
Record (36 games)
W19 D7 L10 · GD +22
5th: Aston VillaUp one place. 64 → 63 pts (real finish 6th, up 1)
Villa lose the 1 point they took off City. 63 points. The one place gained is City's.
Share: VILLA. UP ONE PLACE.
Games against City
- 5 Oct 2009 · HomeDrew 1–1−1 pt
- 1 May 2010 · AwayLost 1–30 pts
Real finish
6th · 64 pts
Without City
5th · 63 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W17 D12 L7 · GD +15
6th: LiverpoolUp one place. 63 → 61 pts (real finish 7th, up 1)
Liverpool lose the 2 points they took off City. 61 points. The one place gained is City's.
Share: LIVERPOOL. UP ONE PLACE.
Games against City
- 21 Nov 2009 · HomeDrew 2–2−1 pt
- 21 Feb 2010 · AwayDrew 0–0−1 pt
Real finish
7th · 63 pts
Without City
6th · 61 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W18 D7 L11 · GD +26
7th: EvertonUp one place. 61 → 55 pts (real finish 8th, up 1)
Everton lose the 6 points they took off City. 55 points. The one place gained is City's.
Share: EVERTON. UP ONE PLACE.
Games against City
- 16 Jan 2010 · HomeWon 2–0−3 pts
- 24 Mar 2010 · AwayWon 2–0−3 pts
Real finish
8th · 61 pts
Without City
7th · 55 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W14 D13 L9 · GD +7
8th: Blackburn RoversUp two places. 50 → 50 pts (real finish 10th, up 2)
Beaten 2–0 at home and 4–1 away by City, so no points come off. 50 points: 8th, not 10th.
Share: BLACKBURN. UP TWO PLACES.
Games against City
- 15 Aug 2009 · HomeLost 0–20 pts
- 11 Jan 2010 · AwayLost 1–40 pts
Real finish
10th · 50 pts
Without City
8th · 50 pts

Movement
Up 2
Record (36 games)
W13 D11 L12 · GD −9
9th: Birmingham CityNo change. 50 → 49 pts (real finish 9th, no change)
The 0–0 at home costs a point; the 5–1 defeat at City costs nothing. 49 points, ninth either way.
Share: BIRMINGHAM. NO CHANGE.
Games against City
- 1 Nov 2009 · HomeDrew 0–0−1 pt
- 11 Apr 2010 · AwayLost 1–50 pts
Real finish
9th · 50 pts
Without City
9th · 49 pts

Movement
No change
Record (36 games)
W13 D10 L13 · GD −5
10th: Stoke CityUp one place. 47 → 46 pts (real finish 11th, up 1)
Stoke lose the 1 point they took off City. 46 points. The one place gained is City's.
Share: STOKE. UP ONE PLACE.
Games against City
- 26 Dec 2009 · AwayLost 0–20 pts
- 16 Feb 2010 · HomeDrew 1–1−1 pt
Real finish
11th · 47 pts
Without City
10th · 46 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W11 D13 L12 · GD −12
11th: FulhamUp one place. 46 → 45 pts (real finish 12th, up 1)
Fulham lose the 1 point they took off City. 45 points. The one place gained is City's.
Share: FULHAM. UP ONE PLACE.
Games against City
- 25 Oct 2009 · AwayDrew 2–2−1 pt
- 21 Mar 2010 · HomeLost 1–20 pts
Real finish
12th · 46 pts
Without City
11th · 45 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W12 D9 L15 · GD −6
12th: SunderlandUp one place. 44 → 43 pts (real finish 13th, up 1)
Sunderland lose the 1 point they took off City. 43 points. The one place gained is City's.
Share: SUNDERLAND. UP ONE PLACE.
Games against City
- 19 Dec 2009 · AwayLost 3–40 pts
- 14 Mar 2010 · HomeDrew 1–1−1 pt
Real finish
13th · 44 pts
Without City
12th · 43 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W11 D10 L15 · GD −7
13th: Wolverhampton WanderersUp two places. 38 → 38 pts (real finish 15th, up 2)
Beaten 1–0 away and 3–0 at home by City, so no points come off. 38 points: 13th, not 15th.
Level on 38 points with Bolton; ahead on goal difference (−20 v −23).
Share: WOLVES. UP TWO PLACES.
Games against City
- 22 Aug 2009 · AwayLost 0–10 pts
- 28 Dec 2009 · HomeLost 0–30 pts
Real finish
15th · 38 pts
Without City
13th · 38 pts

Movement
Up 2
Record (36 games)
W9 D11 L16 · GD −20
14th: Bolton WanderersNo change. 39 → 38 pts (real finish 14th, no change)
The 3–3 at home costs a point; the 2–0 defeat at City costs nothing. 38 points, 14th either way.
Level on 38 points with Wolves; behind on goal difference (−23 v −20).
Share: BOLTON. NO CHANGE.
Games against City
- 12 Dec 2009 · HomeDrew 3–3−1 pt
- 9 Feb 2010 · AwayLost 0–20 pts
Real finish
14th · 39 pts
Without City
14th · 38 pts

Movement
No change
Record (36 games)
W10 D8 L18 · GD −23
15th: Wigan AthleticUp one place. 36 → 35 pts (real finish 16th, up 1)
Wigan lose the 1 point they took off City. 35 points. The one place gained is City's.
Share: WIGAN. UP ONE PLACE.
Games against City
- 18 Oct 2009 · HomeDrew 1–1−1 pt
- 29 Mar 2010 · AwayLost 0–30 pts
Real finish
16th · 36 pts
Without City
15th · 35 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W9 D8 L19 · GD −39
16th: West Ham UnitedUp one place. 35 → 34 pts (real finish 17th, up 1)
West Ham lose the 1 point they took off City. 34 points. The one place gained is City's.
Share: WEST HAM. UP ONE PLACE.
Games against City
- 28 Sep 2009 · AwayLost 1–30 pts
- 9 May 2010 · HomeDrew 1–1−1 pt
Real finish
17th · 35 pts
Without City
16th · 34 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W8 D10 L18 · GD −17
17th: BurnleyStill relegated. 30 → 29 pts (real finish 18th, up 1)
Burnley lose the 1 point they took off City. 29 points, 17th of 19.
Share: BURNLEY. STILL RELEGATED.
Games against City
- 7 Nov 2009 · AwayDrew 3–3−1 pt
- 3 Apr 2010 · HomeLost 1–60 pts
Real finish
18th · 30 pts
Without City
17th · 29 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W8 D5 L23 · GD −35
18th: Hull CityStill relegated. 30 → 26 pts (real finish 19th, up 1)
Hull lose the 4 points they took off City. 26 points, 18th of 19.
Share: HULL. STILL RELEGATED.
Games against City
- 28 Nov 2009 · AwayDrew 1–1−1 pt
- 6 Feb 2010 · HomeWon 2–1−3 pts
Real finish
19th · 30 pts
Without City
18th · 26 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W5 D11 L20 · GD −42
19th: PortsmouthStill relegated. 19 → 19 pts (real finish 20th, up 1)
Beaten 1–0 at home and 2–0 away by City, so no points come off. 19 points after the nine-point deduction for entering administration: 19th of 19.
Share: PORTSMOUTH. STILL RELEGATED.
Games against City
- 30 Aug 2009 · HomeLost 0–10 pts
- 31 Jan 2010 · AwayLost 0–20 pts
Real finish
20th · 19 pts
Without City
19th · 19 pts

Movement
Up 1
Record (36 games)
W7 D7 L22 · GD −29

Reference · The 38 games

Fifteen clubs took points off City. Four took nothing.

City won 18, drew 13 and lost 7. Those 20 results were worth 34 points to fifteen clubs, and they are the only points that come off anyone's total.

of 19 clubs lose nothing at all

of City's 38 league games cost them points

All 38 games, in date order

15 Aug 2009Blackburn 0–2 Man CityCity win
22 Aug 2009Man City 1–0 WolvesCity win
30 Aug 2009Portsmouth 0–1 Man CityCity win
12 Sep 2009Man City 4–2 ArsenalCity win
20 Sep 2009Man Utd 4–3 Man CityMan Utd −3
28 Sep 2009Man City 3–1 West HamCity win
5 Oct 2009Villa 1–1 Man CityVilla −1
18 Oct 2009Wigan 1–1 Man CityWigan −1
25 Oct 2009Man City 2–2 FulhamFulham −1
1 Nov 2009Birmingham 0–0 Man CityBirmingham −1
7 Nov 2009Man City 3–3 BurnleyBurnley −1
21 Nov 2009Liverpool 2–2 Man CityLiverpool −1
28 Nov 2009Man City 1–1 HullHull −1
5 Dec 2009Man City 2–1 ChelseaCity win
12 Dec 2009Bolton 3–3 Man CityBolton −1
16 Dec 2009Spurs 3–0 Man CitySpurs −3
19 Dec 2009Man City 4–3 SunderlandCity win
26 Dec 2009Man City 2–0 StokeCity win
28 Dec 2009Wolves 0–3 Man CityCity win
11 Jan 2010Man City 4–1 BlackburnCity win
16 Jan 2010Everton 2–0 Man CityEverton −3
31 Jan 2010Man City 2–0 PortsmouthCity win
6 Feb 2010Hull 2–1 Man CityHull −3
9 Feb 2010Man City 2–0 BoltonCity win
16 Feb 2010Stoke 1–1 Man CityStoke −1
21 Feb 2010Man City 0–0 LiverpoolLiverpool −1
27 Feb 2010Chelsea 2–4 Man CityCity win
14 Mar 2010Sunderland 1–1 Man CitySunderland −1
21 Mar 2010Fulham 1–2 Man CityCity win
24 Mar 2010Man City 0–2 EvertonEverton −3
29 Mar 2010Man City 3–0 WiganCity win
3 Apr 2010Burnley 1–6 Man CityCity win
11 Apr 2010Man City 5–1 BirminghamCity win
17 Apr 2010Man City 0–1 Man UtdMan Utd −3
24 Apr 2010Arsenal 0–0 Man CityArsenal −1
1 May 2010Man City 3–1 VillaCity win
5 May 2010Man City 0–1 SpursSpurs −3
9 May 2010West Ham 1–1 Man CityWest Ham −1