2010/11 · Rebuilt without Manchester City
Ian Holloway's Blackpool went down on the final day of their first Premier League season, and lost both their games to City. Take City out and the same 39 points put them 16th. Wolves beat City in October. That win goes, and their survival with it.
United? 76. Still champions, by 8.
The story
City had spent £126 million that summer on Yaya Touré, David Silva, Mario Balotelli and James Milner among others. They led the league for exactly one day, 15 January, after a 4–3 win over Wolves; United were back on top the next day. In February Birmingham beat Arsenal 2–1 in the League Cup final at Wembley, Martins scoring in the 89th minute, for their first major trophy since 1963.
On 14 May the two stories met. United drew 1–1 at Blackburn for their 19th English league title, one more than Liverpool, and shortly afterwards Yaya Touré's 74th-minute goal beat Stoke in the FA Cup final: City's first major trophy in 35 years. Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov shared the Golden Boot on 20 league goals each.
The bottom went to the last day. West Ham were already down, beaten 3–2 at Wigan after leading 2–0 at half-time. On 22 May Wigan won 1–0 at Stoke. Blackpool lost 4–2 at Old Trafford, and Birmingham, the League Cup winners, lost at Tottenham to a Pavlyuchenko winner in injury time. Wolves lost 3–2 at home to Blackburn and stayed up anyway, a point above the drop.
Without City the trophy stays at Old Trafford, but three things lower down move: Tottenham get a Champions League play-off, Liverpool a Europa League place, and the bottom three is different.
The table
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.
| Pos | Club | Pts | GD | Move | Real pos | Real pts | City pts | P | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester UnitedChampions | 76 | +40 | No change | 1st | 80 | −4 | 36 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 76 | 36 |
| 2 | Chelsea (top four) | 68 | +35 | No change | 2nd | 71 | −3 | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 67 | 32 |
| 3 | Arsenal (top four) | 64 | +26 | Up 1 place | 4th | 68 | −4 | 36 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 69 | 43 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur (top four) | 61 | +10 | Up 1 place | 5th | 62 | −1 | 36 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 55 | 45 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 55 | +15 | Up 1 place | 6th | 58 | −3 | 36 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 56 | 41 |
| 6 | Fulham | 48 | +9 | ▲ 2 Up 2 places | 8th | 49 | −1 | 36 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 47 | 38 |
| 7 | Everton | 48 | +4 | No change | 7th | 54 | −6 | 36 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 47 | 43 |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 47 | −10 | ▲ 3 Up 3 places | 11th | 47 | 0 | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 56 | 66 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 46 | +2 | ▲ 3 Up 3 places | 12th | 46 | 0 | 36 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 54 | 52 |
| 10 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | −1 | ▲ 4 Up 4 places | 14th | 46 | 0 | 36 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 52 | 53 |
| 11 | Stoke City | 45 | +1 | ▲ 2 Up 2 places | 13th | 46 | −1 | 36 | 13 | 6 | 17 | 45 | 44 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 45 | −8 | Down 3 places | 9th | 48 | −3 | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 47 | 55 |
| 13 | Sunderland | 44 | −7 | Down 3 places | 10th | 47 | −3 | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 44 | 51 |
| 14 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | −12 | Up 1 place | 15th | 43 | −1 | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 45 | 57 |
| 15 | Wigan Athletic | 42 | −18 | Up 1 place | 16th | 42 | 0 | 36 | 9 | 15 | 12 | 40 | 58 |
| 16 | Blackpool | 39 | −21 | ▲ 3 Up 3 places | 19th | 39 | 0 | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 53 | 74 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (relegated) | 37 | −20 | No change | 17th | 40 | −3 | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 41 | 61 |
| 18 | Birmingham City (relegated) | 37 | −21 | No change | 18th | 39 | −2 | 36 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 35 | 56 |
| 19 | West Ham United (relegated) | 33 | −24 | Up 1 place | 20th | 33 | 0 | 36 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 41 | 65 |
Bolton climb furthest, four places, having lost both their games to City.
| Pos | Club | Pts | GD | P | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 80 | +41 | 38 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 78 | 37 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 71 | +36 | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 69 | 33 |
| 3 | Manchester CityRemoved | 71 | +27 | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 60 | 33 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 68 | +29 | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 72 | 43 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 62 | +9 | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 55 | 46 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 58 | +15 | 38 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 59 | 44 |
| 7 | Everton | 54 | +6 | 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 51 | 45 |
| 8 | Fulham | 49 | +6 | 38 | 11 | 16 | 11 | 49 | 43 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 48 | −11 | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 48 | 59 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 47 | −11 | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 45 | 56 |
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion | 47 | −15 | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 56 | 71 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 46 | −1 | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 56 | 57 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 46 | −2 | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 46 | 48 |
| 14 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | −4 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 52 | 56 |
| 15 | Blackburn Rovers | 43 | −13 | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 46 | 59 |
| 16 | Wigan Athletic | 42 | −21 | 38 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 40 | 61 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 40 | −20 | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 46 | 66 |
| 18 | Birmingham City | 39 | −21 | 38 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 37 | 58 |
| 19 | Blackpool | 39 | −23 | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 55 | 78 |
| 20 | West Ham United | 33 | −27 | 38 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 43 | 70 |
20 clubs, 38 games each. Rebuilt from the published data; it matches the published final table in four independent sources.
What changed
The bottom
Relegated on 39 for real; 16th on the same 39 without City. They took nothing off City. Wolves and Birmingham did, and fall past them.
Top four
Fourth, not fifth: a Champions League play-off instead of the Europa League.
Europe
Sixth and out of Europe in 2011/12 for real. Without City, fifth: the league's Europa League place by position.
Top four
Four points go, 68 to 64, and they still climb to third. The real fourth meant a play-off.
Movers
One striker, two clubs, two league wins over City. Both clubs fall three places.
Wayne Rooney's overhead kick, the derby winner in February, goes with City. United still win the league, 76 to 68: by eight instead of nine.
Chelsea, the defending champions, lose three points and nothing else: second on 68, and straight into the Champions League group stage.
Top four Changes
For real
Spurs 5th
62 points, into the Europa League
Without City
Spurs 4th
61 points, a Champions League play-off place
On 10 May a Peter Crouch own goal beat Spurs and confirmed City's first Champions League qualification, one year and five days after Crouch's header for Spurs had beaten City in the same fixture.
One Crouch own goal put City in. Without City, the place is Tottenham's.
Spurs lose a single point, from the 0–0 at White Hart Lane on the opening day; the 1–0 defeat in May costs them nothing. With City's 71 gone from the top three, their 61 is fourth, 6 points clear of Liverpool. In 2010/11 fourth meant a Champions League play-off. Fifth, where Spurs really finished, meant the Europa League.
The stakes
€7.2m
Minimum payment to each 2011/12 Champions League group-stage club; fourth was a play-off away. The Europa League group stage paid at least €1m.
Source: UEFA, 13 and 15 Sep 2011
Arsenal lose four: the 3–0 win at City in October, when Boyata was sent off after five minutes, and the 0–0 at home in January. 68 becomes 64, still enough for third, and third went straight into the group stage.
Liverpool, under Kenny Dalglish since January, lose three for the 3–0 at home in April, Andy Carroll's first goals for the club. On 55 they are fifth, the league's Europa League place by position. The real Liverpool had no European football in 2011/12.
The bottom Changes
For real
Blackpool 19th
39 points, relegated
Without City
Blackpool 16th
39 points, 2 clear of the drop
Blackpool took nothing from City. At home in October they lost 3–2 in front of their biggest home crowd of the season, Taylor-Fletcher scoring three minutes into injury time. On New Year's Day they lost 1–0 at City, where Tevez put a penalty wide less than a minute after Adam Johnson's goal. So their 39 points stand.
The rebuilt table has 19 clubs and still sends three down, so 17th is now a relegation place. Losing City lifts Blackpool one place, to 18th of 19, and that is still in the bottom three. What lifts them clear is two clubs falling past them.
The first is Wolves. On 30 October, 19th before kick-off, Mick McCarthy's side came from behind to beat City 2–1. Take that win away and the 4–3 defeat at City in January changes nothing: 40 becomes 37. The second is Birmingham, who drew 0–0 at City and 2–2 at St Andrew's, so 39 becomes 37. Wolves finish 17th of 19, a goal ahead of Birmingham, 2 points behind Blackpool, and down. West Ham are last either way.
The stakes
about £40m
Sporting Intelligence's estimate, May 2011, of what relegation cost. Without City, it's Wolves' bill, not Blackpool's.
Source: Sporting Intelligence, 24 May 2011
Careers in the rebuilt table Changes
Two careers on either side of the same line at the bottom.
Charlie Adam Stays up without City
Blackpool's captain played 35 league games in the season they went down. Without City the same results leave Blackpool 16th, above the line. Whether he would still have been sold that summer is argued under What if?
Blackpool 2010/11 · 35 league apps · 19th → 16th, safe
Matt Jarvis Relegated without City
Nobody played more league games for Wolves than Matt Jarvis's 37, and they survived in 17th. Without City the same place is a relegation place. Blackpool are on the other side of the same line.
Wolves 2010/11 · 37 league apps · 17th → 17th of 19, relegated
What if?
Door 1
Blackpool lost Charlie Adam and David Vaughan in the summer after the drop. Does a second Premier League season keep either of them?
The two left for different reasons. Vaughan played 35 league games that season, every one of them a start, then turned down a new contract because he wanted to keep playing in the Premier League. He joined Sunderland on 7 July.
Adam is the harder case. In January, with Blackpool still a Premier League club, Liverpool bid £4.5m for their captain and were turned down. In July they came back and got him. A club that has just stayed up can say no again. Whether it would, with Liverpool asking twice, is another matter.
The season without them is on the record too. Blackpool finished fifth in the Championship and were beaten 2–1 by West Ham in the play-off final on 19 May 2012, one game from going straight back up.
Over to you. Liverpool asked twice for their captain. Does a club that has just stayed up say no a second time?
Door 2
In June 2011 Chelsea reportedly bid for Luka Modrić, and Tottenham, fifth, said no. What was fourth worth in that conversation?
Tottenham had just had their first Champions League season. They beat Milan in the last 16 and went out to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, 5–0 on aggregate. Then they finished fifth, and the Champions League was gone.
On 18 June 2011, after a reported Chelsea bid for Modrić, the chairman Daniel Levy said: “we are not prepared to sell at any price, to Chelsea Football Club or any other club.” That summer Spurs added Brad Friedel, Scott Parker on deadline day from West Ham, and Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from City.
Fourth puts a Champions League play-off, one tie from the group stage, in front of a player a rival wants. It is still only a play-off. And Levy drew his line without one.
Over to you. Levy said no at any price with the Europa League to offer. Does a Champions League play-off make that easier to say, or was it never about Europe?
2010/11 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).
Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool were among 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. All three finish higher in the rebuilt table. The same report said the clubs had been advised the six-year limitation period could potentially date back to November 2018, when Der Spiegel first published allegations against City. More on the case: the nine-season summary
Reference · Every club
Where every club finishes without City.
Rooney's overhead-kick winner at Old Trafford goes, and so does the 0–0 at City: four points. 76 is still 8 clear.
Games against City
The 2–0 win at home in March goes; the 1–0 defeat at City in September costs nothing. 71 becomes 68.
Games against City
The 3–0 win at City and the 0–0 at home both go, four points in all. 64 is third, straight into the Champions League group stage.
Games against City
The 0–0 at White Hart Lane goes; the 1–0 defeat at City in May costs nothing. 61 points and fourth, a Champions League play-off place. They actually finished fifth.
Games against City
The 3–0 win at home in April, Carroll's first goals for the club, goes; the 3–0 defeat at City costs nothing. 55 points and fifth, the Europa League place by position.
Games against City
Only the 1–1 at City goes, while Everton lose six. 48 points: 6th, not 8th.
Level on 48 points with Everton; ahead on goal difference (+9 v +4).
Games against City
The only club to beat City twice, 2–1 away in December and 2–1 at home in May, so the only club to lose six points. 54 becomes 48.
Level on 48 points with Fulham; behind on goal difference (+4 v +9).
Games against City
Beaten 2–0 at home and 3–0 away by City, so no points come off. 47 points: 8th, not 11th.
Games against City
Beaten 2–1 away and 3–1 at home by City, so no points come off. 46 points: 9th, not 12th.
Level on 46 points with Bolton; ahead on goal difference (+2 v −1).
Games against City
Beaten 1–0 away and 2–0 at home by City, so no points come off. 46 points: 10th, not 14th.
Level on 46 points with Newcastle; behind on goal difference (−1 v +2).
Games against City
Stoke lose the 1 point they took off City. 45 points: 11th, not 13th.
Level on 45 points with Villa; ahead on goal difference (+1 v −8).
Games against City
Darren Bent's winner in January goes; the 4–0 defeat at City costs nothing. 45 points: 12th, not 9th.
Level on 45 points with Stoke; behind on goal difference (−8 v +1).
Games against City
Darren Bent's stoppage-time penalty in August goes; the 5–0 defeat at City costs nothing. 44 points: 13th, not 10th.
Games against City
Blackburn lose the 1 point they took off City. 42 points. The one place gained is City's.
Level on 42 points with Wigan; ahead on goal difference (−12 v −18).
Games against City
Beaten 2–0 at home and 1–0 away by City, so no points come off. 42 points. The one place gained is City's.
Level on 42 points with Blackburn; behind on goal difference (−18 v −12).
Games against City
Beaten 3–2 at home and 1–0 away by City, so no points come off. 39 points, and 16th of 19 is safe.
Games against City
Wolves lose the 3 points they took off City. 37 points, 17th of 19.
Level on 37 points with Birmingham; ahead on goal difference (−20 v −21).
Games against City
Birmingham lose the 2 points they took off City. 37 points, 18th of 19.
Level on 37 points with Wolves; behind on goal difference (−21 v −20).
Games against City
Beaten 3–1 at home and 2–1 away by City, so no points come off. 33 points, 19th of 19.
Games against City
Reference · The 38 games
City won 21, drew 8 and lost 9. Those 17 results were worth 35 points to thirteen clubs, and they are the only points that come off anyone's total.
6
of 19 clubs lose no points at all
17
of City's 38 league games cost them points