2013/14 · Rebuilt without Manchester City
Manchester City won 2013/14 by two points on the final day. Take them out and Steven Gerrard still slips, Crystal Palace still come back from 3–0 down, and Liverpool are champions anyway, three points clear of Arsenal. Gerrard never won the Premier League. Here his Liverpool win it, in the season everyone remembers him losing it.
The story
It was the first season after Sir Alex Ferguson. David Moyes left Everton to replace him at Manchester United, Chelsea appointed José Mourinho and Manuel Pellegrini arrived at City. Nobody could hold on to first place. The lead changed hands 25 times, the most in a Premier League season since 2001/02, and Arsenal led for longer than anyone before finishing fourth.
Brendan Rodgers's Liverpool scored 101 league goals, 31 of them from Luis Suárez and 21 from Daniel Sturridge. They put together the season's longest winning run, 11 games, and in mid-April they were top with five games left.
Then, late in April, Steven Gerrard slipped. Demba Ba scored and Chelsea won 2–0 at Anfield. At Crystal Palace Liverpool led 3–0 and drew 3–3. City led the league on just 14 days all season, and one of them was the last. They went top at Everton on 3 May with two games left and settled it on the final day, 2–0 against West Ham, with goals from Nasri and Kompany. City 86, Liverpool 84.
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 | LiverpoolChampions | 81 | +51 | Up 1 place | 2nd | 84 | −3 | 36 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 97 | 46 |
| 2 | Arsenal (top four) | 78 | +30 | ▲ 2 Up 2 places | 4th | 79 | −1 | 36 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 64 | 34 |
| 3 | Chelsea (top four) | 76 | +42 | No change | 3rd | 82 | −6 | 36 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 68 | 26 |
| 4 | Everton (top four) | 72 | +25 | Up 1 place | 5th | 72 | 0 | 36 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 58 | 33 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 69 | +14 | Up 1 place | 6th | 69 | 0 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 54 | 40 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 64 | +27 | Up 1 place | 7th | 64 | 0 | 36 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 63 | 36 |
| 7 | Southampton | 55 | +11 | Up 1 place | 8th | 56 | −1 | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 52 | 41 |
| 8 | Stoke City | 49 | −6 | Up 1 place | 9th | 50 | −1 | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 45 | 51 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 49 | −10 | Up 1 place | 10th | 49 | 0 | 36 | 15 | 4 | 17 | 43 | 53 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 45 | −12 | Up 1 place | 11th | 45 | 0 | 36 | 13 | 6 | 17 | 33 | 45 |
| 11 | Swansea City | 42 | +4 | Up 1 place | 12th | 42 | 0 | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 52 | 48 |
| 12 | West Ham United | 40 | −7 | Up 1 place | 13th | 40 | 0 | 36 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 39 | 46 |
| 13 | Hull City | 37 | −11 | ▲ 3 Up 3 places | 16th | 37 | 0 | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 38 | 49 |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | 36 | −13 | ▲ 3 Up 3 places | 17th | 36 | 0 | 36 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 40 | 53 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 35 | −19 | No change | 15th | 38 | −3 | 36 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 36 | 55 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 34 | −20 | Down 2 places | 14th | 38 | −4 | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 38 | 58 |
| 17 | Norwich City (relegated) | 32 | −27 | Up 1 place | 18th | 33 | −1 | 36 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 55 |
| 18 | Fulham (relegated) | 32 | −38 | Up 1 place | 19th | 32 | 0 | 36 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 38 | 76 |
| 19 | Cardiff City (relegated) | 27 | −41 | Up 1 place | 20th | 30 | −3 | 36 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 27 | 68 |
The real movers: Hull and West Brom climb three places, Arsenal two, into second; Everton step into the top four; Sunderland fall two.
| Pos | Club | Pts | GD | P | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester CityRemoved | 86 | +65 | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 102 | 37 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 84 | +51 | 38 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 101 | 50 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 82 | +44 | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 71 | 27 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 79 | +27 | 38 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 68 | 41 |
| 5 | Everton | 72 | +22 | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 61 | 39 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 69 | +4 | 38 | 21 | 6 | 11 | 55 | 51 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 64 | +21 | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 64 | 43 |
| 8 | Southampton | 56 | +8 | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 54 | 46 |
| 9 | Stoke City | 50 | −7 | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 45 | 52 |
| 10 | Newcastle United | 49 | −16 | 38 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 43 | 59 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 45 | −15 | 38 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 33 | 48 |
| 12 | Swansea City | 42 | 0 | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 54 | 54 |
| 13 | West Ham United | 40 | −11 | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 40 | 51 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 38 | −19 | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 41 | 60 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 38 | −22 | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 39 | 61 |
| 16 | Hull City | 37 | −15 | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 38 | 53 |
| 17 | West Bromwich Albion | 36 | −16 | 38 | 7 | 15 | 16 | 43 | 59 |
| 18 | Norwich City | 33 | −34 | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 28 | 62 |
| 19 | Fulham | 32 | −45 | 38 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 40 | 85 |
| 20 | Cardiff City | 30 | −42 | 38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 32 | 74 |
20 clubs, 38 games each. Rebuilt from the published data; it matches the published final table in three independent sources.
What changed
Title race
They lose the 3–2 win over City at Anfield in April. Nothing else from the run-in goes.
Runners-up
Chelsea lose six points for beating City twice. Arsenal lose one, and skip the Champions League play-off.
Top four
Beaten twice by City, they lose no points and finish three clear of Spurs, in the play-off round.
Title race Changes
For real
City 86
Champions by two points
Without City
Liverpool 81
Champions by 3 points
On Christmas Day Liverpool were top on 36 points, level with Arsenal and ahead on goal difference, with City a point behind.
Without City, Liverpool lose the afternoon that seemed to settle it. At Anfield on 13 April Sterling and Škrtel put them 2–0 up, and Silva and an own goal levelled it. Coutinho won it after Kompany sliced a clearance, and Henderson was sent off in stoppage time. It left Liverpool seven points clear of City, who had two games in hand.
That win goes, and three points with it. So does the 2–1 defeat at the Etihad on Boxing Day, which had earned nothing.
The rest of the run-in is untouched: the slip, Ba's goal, the 3–3 at Selhurst Park. None of it involved City, so all of it stays in the table.
Liverpool finish on 81. Arsenal, who took a point off City, finish on 78. Even without their two City games, Liverpool's 97 goals are the most in the league.
Runners-up Changes
For real
Arsenal 4th
79 points, the Champions League play-off round
Without City
Arsenal 2nd
78 points, straight into the group stage
Arsenal arrived at the Etihad on 14 December as leaders, six points clear of City, and were beaten 6–3. Without City that defeat costs nothing. The 1–1 at the Emirates on 29 March costs a point, and Arsenal finish on 78.
Chelsea go the other way. José Mourinho's side were the only club to beat City twice in the league. At Stamford Bridge on 27 October, Hart and Nastasić went for the same long ball and Torres scored the winner in the 90th minute. On 3 February Ivanović's goal gave City their only home league defeat of the season.
Those two wins were worth six points, the most any club loses. Chelsea stay third on 76, but they go from three points ahead of Arsenal to two behind.
Beating City twice is the most expensive thing in the table.
Second means no play-off in August. Under that season's rules the top three went straight into the group stage, and fourth went into the play-off round.
Top four Changes
For real
Everton 5th
72 points, the Europa League
Without City
Everton 4th
72 points, a Champions League play-off place
The club he joined finish sixth. Roberto Martínez took over at Everton on 5 June, and his side lost both games to City. They were beaten 3–1 at the Etihad in October, when Lukaku's opener lasted a minute, and 3–2 at Goodison on 3 May, when City came from behind to go top.
So Everton keep every point. Their 72 are enough for fourth, three clear of Spurs, and a place in the Champions League play-off round. For real, the same points and Lukaku's 15 league goals took them fifth, into the Europa League.
The stakes
€36.4m
What the 2014/15 Champions League paid Arsenal, fourth for real in 2013/14, who entered at the play-off round.
Source: UEFA, 2014/15 distribution to clubs
Spurs are fifth on 69. They were beaten 6–0 at the Etihad and 5–1 at home, and changed manager in between: André Villas-Boas left on 16 December and Tim Sherwood took over the same day. United finish sixth on 64, unchanged. Moyes was sacked on 22 April, with Ryan Giggs put in charge, and seventh was United's lowest Premier League finish at the time.
Norwich, Fulham and Cardiff still go down. Cardiff lose the 3–2 win over City in their first top-flight home game for 51 years. Sunderland, not West Brom, are last safe.
Careers in the rebuilt table Changes
Four careers that read differently at the top of this table, starting with the captain who slipped.
Steven Gerrard Champions without City
Liverpool's captain played 34 league games, and the slip against Chelsea stays in the rebuilt season. For real he finished runner-up with Liverpool three times, never won the Premier League, and left for LA Galaxy in 2015. In this table one of those three seconds becomes a first.
Liverpool 2013/14 · 34 league apps · 2nd → rebuilt champions
Kolo Touré Champions without City
His one title in these nine seasons moves: from City in 2011/12, where he played 14 league games, to Liverpool in 2013/14, where he played 20 after joining on a free in July 2013. His brother Yaya played 35 for City that season, on the side this table leaves out.
Liverpool 2013/14 · 20 league apps · rebuilt champions
Gareth Barry Top four without City
Gareth Barry played 34 league games in City's 2011/12 title side. Two seasons later City loaned him to Everton on deadline day, and he started 32 league games for a side that finish 4th in the rebuilt table. The club that lent him out is the one the rebuilt table leaves out.
Everton 2013/14 · 32 league apps, all starts · 5th → 4th, Champions League play-off round
James Milner Title removed
James Milner played 31 league games for City in 2013/14, often from the bench. In the rebuilt table that title goes to Liverpool, the club he joined in July 2015. His real title stands.
Man City 2013/14 · 31 league apps · real champions, removed
Also in Liverpool's squad: Raheem Sterling, 33 league games, and Victor Moses, 19 on loan from Chelsea. Both have turns on 2017/18.
What if?
Door 1
A title changes what a club can say to its best player. Does it change what he says back?
Two months after the final day, on 11 July 2014, Luis Suárez joined Barcelona for a fee reported at £75 million. Liverpool spent £117 million on ten new arrivals, finished sixth in 2014/15 on 62 points and went out of the Champions League in the group stage. On 4 October 2015, about an hour after a 1–1 draw at Everton, Brendan Rodgers was sacked with Liverpool tenth.
The case for a different ending is short. Champions do not have to explain why a Golden Boot winner should stay: they are the reason. And a title buys a manager credit. Sixth reads differently a year after a championship than a year after a near miss.
The case against is in the calendar. Suárez was gone within two months, and the money went on ten players, not one replacement. Is that a club waiting to see where it finished, or one that had already planned for life without him? And what finished Rodgers came later: a sixth-place season, a group-stage exit, then tenth after eight games.
Over to you. Champions in May 2014: is Suárez still sold that July, and is Rodgers still gone by October 2015?
Door 2
One tie from the group stage, in a new manager's first season. Would it have changed his second?
Everton did not wait for the Champions League. On 30 July 2014, with fifth place and the Europa League all they had, they paid Chelsea a club-record £28 million for Romelu Lukaku. The summer's biggest decision was made without the bigger stage.
So what does fourth add? A play-off in August, one tie from the group stage. A manager in his first season with that proof to carry into every conversation, about who to sign and who to keep. And autumn nights in Europe's top competition on top of a league campaign.
The Europa League run they did have lasted until 19 March 2015, when Dynamo Kyiv beat them 6–4 on aggregate in the round of 16. A year later they were 11th on 47, 25 points fewer than the 72 above, and nothing in this table touches that.
Over to you. Would a Champions League autumn have built on Martínez's first season, or brought the fall to 11th sooner?
2013/14 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).
Liverpool and Arsenal 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. 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.
Liverpool lose the 3–2 win at Anfield in April, and three points with it; the 2–1 defeat at the Etihad on Boxing Day had earned nothing. 84 becomes 81, which is enough.
Games against City
Beaten 6–3 at the Etihad, which costs nothing; the 1–1 at home in March costs a point. 79 becomes 78, and fourth becomes second.
Games against City
The only club to beat City twice in the league, so they lose more than anyone: 82 becomes 76. Third either way, now behind Arsenal.
Games against City
Beaten 3–1 away and 3–2 at home by City, so no points come off. 72 points: fourth, a Champions League play-off place, not fifth.
Games against City
Beaten 6–0 away and 5–1 at home by City, so no points come off. 69 points. The one place gained is City's.
Games against City
Beaten 4–1 away and 3–0 at home by City, so no points come off. The same 64 points, in the season Moyes was sacked: sixth, not seventh.
Games against City
Southampton lose the 1 point they took off City. 55 points. The one place gained is City's.
Games against City
Stoke lose the 1 point they took off City. 49 points. The one place gained is City's.
Level on 49 points with Newcastle; ahead on goal difference (−6 v −10).
Games against City
Beaten 4–0 away and 2–0 at home by City, so no points come off. 49 points. The one place gained is City's.
Level on 49 points with Stoke; behind on goal difference (−10 v −6).
Games against City
Beaten 1–0 away and 2–0 at home by City, so no points come off. 45 points. The one place gained is City's.
Games against City
Beaten 3–0 away and 3–2 at home by City, so no points come off. 42 points. The one place gained is City's.
Games against City
Beaten 3–1 at home and 2–0 away by City, so no points come off. 40 points. The one place gained is City's.
Games against City
Beaten 2–0 away and 2–0 at home by City, so no points come off. 37 points: 13th, not 16th.
Games against City
Beaten 3–2 at home and 3–1 away by City, so no points come off. 36 points: 14th, not 17th.
Games against City
Villa lose their 3–2 comeback win in September. 35 points, 15th and one clear of Sunderland; in the real table the two were level on 38.
Games against City
The 1–0 win in November and the 2–2 at the Etihad in April both go. 34 points: 16th, not 14th, and 2 clear of the drop.
Games against City
Norwich lose the 1 point they took off City. 32 points, 17th of 19.
Level on 32 points with Fulham; ahead on goal difference (−27 v −38).
Games against City
Beaten 4–2 at home and 5–0 away by City, so no points come off. 32 points, 18th of 19.
Level on 32 points with Norwich; behind on goal difference (−38 v −27).
Games against City
Cardiff lose their first Premier League win, 3–2 against City in August. 27 points, 19th of 19.
Games against City
Reference · The 38 games
City won 27, drew 5 and lost 6. Those 11 results were worth 23 points to nine clubs, and they are the only points that come off the table.
10
of 19 clubs lose nothing at all
11
of City's 38 league games cost them points