DELETECITY

2017/18 · Rebuilt without Manchester City

Mourinho wins the league. By one point.

Take Manchester City and their 38 league games out of 2017/18, and José Mourinho's United, 19 points adrift for real, are champions. They lose the most famous afternoon of their season on the way.

  1. 1stMan Utd78PTS
  2. 2ndSpurs77PTS
  3. 3rdLiverpool72PTS
What changed What if?

The story

The real season.

Guardiola's City went top on 16 September and never came down. Between 26 August and 27 December they won 18 league games in a row, a Premier League record. The run ended only in a 0–0 at Selhurst Park on New Year's Eve, and even then Ederson had to save Luka Milivojević's stoppage-time penalty. By Christmas they were 13 points clear of Mourinho's United.

The first league defeat came at Anfield on 14 January. Liverpool scored three times in nine minutes to lead 4–1 and held on for 4–3. That winter Anfield had found a new song for Mohamed Salah, borrowed from Dodgy's Good Enough, and he finished with 32 league goals, the record for a 38-game Premier League season. In April Klopp's side knocked City out of the Champions League quarter-finals too, 5–1 on aggregate.

Nobody else got near. On the final day Gabriel Jesus scored in the 94th minute at Southampton, and City became the first English top-flight side to reach 100 points: 32 league wins, 106 league goals, 19 points clear of United. It was less a title race than a procession.

Take City out, and the procession becomes a photo finish.

The table

2017/18, 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 2017/18 Premier League table rebuilt without Manchester City
PosClubPtsGDMoveReal posReal ptsCity ptsPWDLGFGA
1Manchester UnitedChampions78+40Up 1 place2nd81−33624666424
2Tottenham Hotspur (top four)77+43Up 1 place3rd7703623857229
3Liverpool (top four)72+50Up 1 place4th75−336201248030
4Chelsea (top four)70+26Up 1 place5th7003621786236
5Arsenal63+28Up 1 place6th63036196117345
6Burnley530Up 1 place7th54−1361411113535
7Everton48−12Up 1 place8th49−136139144254
8Leicester City47+2Up 1 place9th470361211135553
9Newcastle United44−5Up 1 place10th44036128163843
10AFC Bournemouth44−11▲ 2 Up 2 places12th440361111144455
11Crystal Palace43−5No change11th44−1361110154550
12West Ham United42−16Up 1 place13th420361012144662
13Watford41−12Up 1 place14th41036118174355
14Brighton & Hove Albion40−16Up 1 place15th40036913143349
15Southampton36−17▲ 2 Up 2 places17th36036715143653
16Huddersfield Town36−29No change16th37−13699182756
17Swansea City (relegated)33−19Up 1 place18th3303689192847
18Stoke City (relegated)33−26Up 1 place19th33036712173359
19West Bromwich Albion (relegated)31−21Up 1 place20th31036613172950

Only two pairs truly swap: Bournemouth pass Palace, and Southampton pass Huddersfield.

Compare: the real 2017/18 table
The real Premier League 2017/18
PosClubPtsGDPWDLGFGA
1Manchester CityRemoved100+7938324210627
2Manchester United81+403825676828
3Tottenham Hotspur77+383823877436
4Liverpool75+4638211258438
5Chelsea70+2438217106238
6Arsenal63+2338196137451
7Burnley54−3381412123639
8Everton49−14381310154458
9Leicester City47−4381211155660
10Newcastle United44−838128183947
11Crystal Palace44−10381111164555
12AFC Bournemouth44−16381111164561
13West Ham United42−20381012164868
14Watford41−2038118194464
15Brighton & Hove Albion40−2038913163454
16Huddersfield Town37−3038910192858
17Southampton36−1938715163756
18Swansea City33−283889212856
19Stoke City33−3338712193568
20West Bromwich Albion31−2538613193156

20 clubs, 38 games each. Rebuilt from the published data; it matches the official final table.

What changed

Ranked by what was at stake.

  1. Title race

    United go from runners-up to champions.

    They lose three points and still finish top, on 78. Spurs keep all 77, a point short of a first title since 1961.

    Full story: United go from runners-up to champions.

  2. Top four

    Chelsea take the last Champions League place.

    Conte's defending champions go into the group stage instead of the Europa League, and Wenger's last Arsenal side are the ones left outside.

    Full story: Chelsea take the last Champions League place. £30m · the stakes: Goal's estimate, 13 May 2018, of the TV revenue Chelsea would lose by missing the Champions League.

Title race Changes

The comeback goes. The title stays.

For real

City 100

Champions by 19 points

Without City

United 78

Champions by one point

On 15 April United lost 1–0 at home to West Brom, and City were champions with five games to spare. That defeat had nothing to do with City, so it stands.

United lose at home to the side who finish bottom, and still win the league.

What they lose is their comeback. On 7 April a City win in the derby at the Etihad would have clinched the title in front of their neighbours, and City led 2–0 at half-time. Paul Pogba scored twice in two minutes after the break and Chris Smalling won it 3–2. Without City that afternoon never happens, and its three points go with it. The December derby at Old Trafford, a 2–1 City win that ended in a tunnel row, goes too, but it had earned United nothing.

So United drop to 78. Tottenham lose nothing. They were beaten 4–1 at the Etihad in December and 3–1 at Wembley, their home for the season, in April, and a defeat costs nothing when it is taken away. Spurs finish on 77, with the better goal difference: +43 to United's +40, the reverse of the real table's +38 to +40. Points come first.

Runners-up No change

Spurs climb from third to second on the same 77 points, 23 behind City for real and one behind United here. Champions League either way.

Top four Changes

Chelsea climb into fourth. Arsenal stay outside.

For real

Chelsea 5th

Europa League group stage

Without City

Chelsea 4th

Champions League group stage

Conte's defending champions lost both league games to City 1–0: Kevin De Bruyne's winner at Stamford Bridge in September, Bernardo Silva's at the Etihad in March.

They keep all 70 and finish fourth. That season fourth went straight into the Champions League group stage. For real, Chelsea were fifth and went into the Europa League.

The stakes

£30m

Goal's estimate, 13 May 2018, of the TV revenue Chelsea would lose by missing the Champions League.

Source: Goal, 13 May 2018

Conte's champions lose two games 1–0, and lose nothing.

The Beast from the East buried Britain in snow in the week Arsenal met City twice in four days. They lost 3–0 both times, first in the League Cup final at Wembley on 25 February, then in the league on 1 March. Only the league game comes out, and it had earned them nothing. Arsène Wenger's last season, after 22 years, ends fifth instead of sixth: 63 points, seven short of Chelsea, and the Europa League either way.

The bottom No change

Swansea, Stoke and West Brom still go down, Swansea three points from safety in both tables. Huddersfield lose their trophy-day point and slip behind Southampton on goal difference; both stay up.

Careers in the rebuilt table Changes

The players.

Every appearance stands. Three careers read differently once City's 2017/18 is gone.

  • Raheem Sterling Title removed

    Sterling's first title moves back four seasons.

    Raheem Sterling's first Premier League title came at City in 2017/18, with 33 league games. On this page that title disappears. In our 2013/14 table Liverpool are champions instead, and Sterling played 33 league games for them.

    “This is my first Premier League title so who cares how you win it, whether it was on the pitch or on my sofa, I'm just delighted to win the title.”

    Raheem Sterling, Sky Sports, 18 Apr 2018

    Man City 2017/18 · 33 league apps · title removed

  • Paul Pogba Champions without City

    Pogba's Etihad double goes. He still ends a champion.

    Paul Pogba came back to United in August 2016 for a world-record fee and played 27 league games in 2017/18. The rebuilt table takes away his two goals in two minutes at the Etihad, told in the title race, and still makes him a champion.

    Man Utd 2017/18 · 27 league apps · champions without City

  • Victor Moses Top four without City

    Moses's Chelsea finish fourth, not fifth.

    Victor Moses played 28 league games for Chelsea in 2017/18. Without City they finish fourth instead of fifth, and the Champions League group stage replaces the Europa League.

    Chelsea 2017/18 · 28 league apps · 5th → 4th

Two more 2017/18 careers turn on other pages: Kyle Walker, 32 league games in his first City season (on 2011/12), and Alexis Sánchez, 12 for United after his January move (on 2016/17).

What if?

Questions for the pub.

Three managers' careers run through this table: Mourinho's, Pochettino's and Conte's. Each question starts from what really happened to them next.

Door 1

What if Mourinho had been champion?

His fourth English title, and United's 21st. For real he was gone seven months later. How much time does a title really buy?

The summer of 2018 brought Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant, not the centre-back Mourinho wanted. On 16 December United were beaten 3–1 at Anfield. Two days later, sixth and 19 points behind leaders Liverpool, he was sacked, and Ole Gunnar Solskjær was on his way back to the club he had played for.

Now give him a banner at Old Trafford. Same squad, same summer. Titles buy a manager time. They buy him the benefit of the doubt in a bad November. Sometimes they even buy him the defender he asked for.

The case against? Mourinho supplied it himself. In May 2015 he won the league with Chelsea. On 17 December 2015, with the defending champions 16th, Chelsea sacked him. Champion in the spring, gone before Christmas.

Over to you. Would a title have bought Mourinho his centre-back, or just a later sacking?

Door 2

What if Spurs had come within a point?

Tottenham's last league title came in 1961. What does a near miss this close do to a club that is busy building a stadium?

The real summer of 2018 told you how the club saw itself. Harry Kane came home from Russia with the World Cup Golden Boot, and Spurs became the first Premier League club since the transfer window was introduced in 2003 to make no summer signings. A new stadium was rising on and around the site of White Hart Lane. The squad was asked to wait.

One point would have changed the argument. Third place, 23 points behind a record-breaking City, is a gap a chairman can explain away. Second place, one point behind United, is an accusation. Every player, every agent and every season-ticket holder would have known exactly how close it was.

Then again, the building was always the project, and one point does not pour concrete. The same patient squad reached a Champions League final in Madrid in June 2019. Five months later Pochettino was sacked. His replacement was José Mourinho: the man who, in our table, beat him to the title.

Over to you. Would a club that lost the league to Mourinho's United still have handed Mourinho the keys to its new stadium?

Door 3

What if Chelsea had made the top four?

Fourth, with the FA Cup on top. Antonio Conte was sacked 55 days after Wembley all the same. Would the Champions League have changed that?

On 19 May 2018 Eden Hazard's penalty beat United in the FA Cup final. In our table that is the fourth-placed side beating the champions at Wembley. In most places, that is a good season.

Chelsea were not most places. When Conte was sacked on 13 July, Sky reported that the club cited “alienation of several players and a complete breakdown in communication with the club’s board”. His public frustration over transfers, and the text that told Diego Costa he was not in his plans, were already part of the story. Maurizio Sarri, the former Napoli coach, was appointed the next day.

Fourth would have taken one complaint off the table. It would not have unsent a text message.

Over to you. Fourth and the FA Cup: is that a season Chelsea sack a manager for?

The case

2017/18 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, Tottenham 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. 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

Find your club.

Where every club finishes without City.

  • 1st: Manchester UnitedChampions. 81 → 78 pts (real finish 2nd, up 1)

    The three points from the Etihad derby come off. 78 is still enough.

    Games against City

    • 10 Dec 2017 · HomeLost 1–20 pts
    • 7 Apr 2018 · AwayWon 3–2−3 pts
    Real finish
    2nd · 81 pts
    Without City
    1st · 78 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W24 D6 L6 · GD +40
  • 2nd: Tottenham HotspurUp one place. 77 → 77 pts (real finish 3rd, up 1)

    Beaten 4–1 away and 3–1 at home by City, so no points come off. 77 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Games against City

    • 16 Dec 2017 · AwayLost 1–40 pts
    • 14 Apr 2018 · HomeLost 1–30 pts
    Real finish
    3rd · 77 pts
    Without City
    2nd · 77 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W23 D8 L5 · GD +43
  • 3rd: LiverpoolUp one place. 75 → 72 pts (real finish 4th, up 1)

    Liverpool lose the 3 points they took off City. 72 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Games against City

    • 9 Sep 2017 · AwayLost 0–50 pts
    • 14 Jan 2018 · HomeWon 4–3−3 pts
    Real finish
    4th · 75 pts
    Without City
    3rd · 72 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W20 D12 L4 · GD +50
  • 4th: ChelseaInto the top four. 70 → 70 pts (real finish 5th, up 1)

    Beaten 1–0 twice by City, so no points come off. 70 points, 4th, and the Champions League instead of the Europa League.

    Games against City

    • 30 Sep 2017 · HomeLost 0–10 pts
    • 4 Mar 2018 · AwayLost 0–10 pts
    Real finish
    5th · 70 pts
    Without City
    4th · 70 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W21 D7 L8 · GD +26
  • 5th: ArsenalUp one place. 63 → 63 pts (real finish 6th, up 1)

    Beaten 3–1 away and 3–0 at home by City, so no points come off. 63 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Games against City

    • 5 Nov 2017 · AwayLost 1–30 pts
    • 1 Mar 2018 · HomeLost 0–30 pts
    Real finish
    6th · 63 pts
    Without City
    5th · 63 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W19 D6 L11 · GD +28
  • 6th: BurnleyUp one place. 54 → 53 pts (real finish 7th, up 1)

    Burnley lose the 1 point they took off City. 53 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Games against City

    • 21 Oct 2017 · AwayLost 0–30 pts
    • 3 Feb 2018 · HomeDrew 1–1−1 pt
    Real finish
    7th · 54 pts
    Without City
    6th · 53 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W14 D11 L11 · GD 0
  • 7th: EvertonUp one place. 49 → 48 pts (real finish 8th, up 1)

    The 1–1 at the Etihad in August, the night Wayne Rooney scored his 200th Premier League goal, comes off. 48 points: 7th, not 8th.

    Games against City

    • 21 Aug 2017 · AwayDrew 1–1−1 pt
    • 31 Mar 2018 · HomeLost 1–30 pts
    Real finish
    8th · 49 pts
    Without City
    7th · 48 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W13 D9 L14 · GD −12
  • 8th: Leicester CityUp one place. 47 → 47 pts (real finish 9th, up 1)

    Beaten 2–0 at home and 5–1 away by City, so no points come off. 47 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Games against City

    • 18 Nov 2017 · HomeLost 0–20 pts
    • 10 Feb 2018 · AwayLost 1–50 pts
    Real finish
    9th · 47 pts
    Without City
    8th · 47 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W12 D11 L13 · GD +2
  • 9th: Newcastle UnitedUp one place. 44 → 44 pts (real finish 10th, up 1)

    Beaten 1–0 at home and 3–1 away by City, so no points come off. 44 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Level on 44 points with Bournemouth; ahead on goal difference (−5 v −11).

    Games against City

    • 27 Dec 2017 · HomeLost 0–10 pts
    • 20 Jan 2018 · AwayLost 1–30 pts
    Real finish
    10th · 44 pts
    Without City
    9th · 44 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W12 D8 L16 · GD −5
  • 10th: AFC BournemouthUp two places. 44 → 44 pts (real finish 12th, up 2)

    Beaten 2–1 at home and 4–0 away by City, so no points come off. 44 points: 10th, not 12th.

    Level on 44 points with Newcastle; behind on goal difference (−11 v −5).

    Games against City

    • 26 Aug 2017 · HomeLost 1–20 pts
    • 23 Dec 2017 · AwayLost 0–40 pts
    Real finish
    12th · 44 pts
    Without City
    10th · 44 pts
    Movement
    Up 2
    Record (36 games)
    W11 D11 L14 · GD −11
  • 11th: Crystal PalacePassed by Bournemouth. 44 → 43 pts (real finish 11th, no change)

    The New Year's Eve 0–0 that ended City's 18-game league winning run comes off. Palace drop to 43, a point behind Bournemouth: one of only two clubs not to climb.

    Games against City

    • 23 Sep 2017 · AwayLost 0–50 pts
    • 31 Dec 2017 · HomeDrew 0–0−1 pt
    Real finish
    11th · 44 pts
    Without City
    11th · 43 pts
    Movement
    No change
    Record (36 games)
    W11 D10 L15 · GD −5
  • 12th: West Ham UnitedUp one place. 42 → 42 pts (real finish 13th, up 1)

    Beaten 2–1 away and 4–1 at home by City, so no points come off. 42 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Games against City

    • 3 Dec 2017 · AwayLost 1–20 pts
    • 29 Apr 2018 · HomeLost 1–40 pts
    Real finish
    13th · 42 pts
    Without City
    12th · 42 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W10 D12 L14 · GD −16
  • 13th: WatfordUp one place. 41 → 41 pts (real finish 14th, up 1)

    Beaten 6–0 at home and 3–1 away by City, so no points come off. 41 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Games against City

    • 16 Sep 2017 · HomeLost 0–60 pts
    • 2 Jan 2018 · AwayLost 1–30 pts
    Real finish
    14th · 41 pts
    Without City
    13th · 41 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W11 D8 L17 · GD −12
  • 14th: Brighton & Hove AlbionUp one place. 40 → 40 pts (real finish 15th, up 1)

    Beaten 2–0 at home and 3–1 away by City, so no points come off. 40 points. The one place gained is City's.

    Games against City

    • 12 Aug 2017 · HomeLost 0–20 pts
    • 9 May 2018 · AwayLost 1–30 pts
    Real finish
    15th · 40 pts
    Without City
    14th · 40 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W9 D13 L14 · GD −16
  • 15th: SouthamptonUp two places. 36 → 36 pts (real finish 17th, up 2)

    Beaten 2–1 away and 1–0 at home by City, so no points come off. 36 points: 15th, not 17th.

    Level on 36 points with Huddersfield; ahead on goal difference (−17 v −29).

    Games against City

    • 29 Nov 2017 · AwayLost 1–20 pts
    • 13 May 2018 · HomeLost 0–10 pts
    Real finish
    17th · 36 pts
    Without City
    15th · 36 pts
    Movement
    Up 2
    Record (36 games)
    W7 D15 L14 · GD −17
  • 16th: Huddersfield TownPassed by Southampton. 37 → 36 pts (real finish 16th, no change)

    The 0–0 at the Etihad on 6 May, the day City were handed the trophy, comes off. 36 points, and 16th is still safe.

    Level on 36 points with Southampton; behind on goal difference (−29 v −17).

    Games against City

    • 26 Nov 2017 · HomeLost 1–20 pts
    • 6 May 2018 · AwayDrew 0–0−1 pt
    Real finish
    16th · 37 pts
    Without City
    16th · 36 pts
    Movement
    No change
    Record (36 games)
    W9 D9 L18 · GD −29
  • 17th: Swansea CityStill relegated. 33 → 33 pts (real finish 18th, up 1)

    Beaten 4–0 at home and 5–0 away by City, so no points come off. 33 points, 17th of 19.

    Level on 33 points with Stoke; ahead on goal difference (−19 v −26).

    Games against City

    • 13 Dec 2017 · HomeLost 0–40 pts
    • 22 Apr 2018 · AwayLost 0–50 pts
    Real finish
    18th · 33 pts
    Without City
    17th · 33 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W8 D9 L19 · GD −19
  • 18th: Stoke CityStill relegated. 33 → 33 pts (real finish 19th, up 1)

    Beaten 7–2 away and 2–0 at home by City, so no points come off. 33 points, 18th of 19.

    Level on 33 points with Swansea; behind on goal difference (−26 v −19).

    Games against City

    • 14 Oct 2017 · AwayLost 2–70 pts
    • 12 Mar 2018 · HomeLost 0–20 pts
    Real finish
    19th · 33 pts
    Without City
    18th · 33 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W7 D12 L17 · GD −26
  • 19th: West Bromwich AlbionStill relegated. 31 → 31 pts (real finish 20th, up 1)

    Beaten 3–2 at home and 3–0 away by City, so no points come off. 31 points, 19th of 19.

    Games against City

    • 28 Oct 2017 · HomeLost 2–30 pts
    • 31 Jan 2018 · AwayLost 0–30 pts
    Real finish
    20th · 31 pts
    Without City
    19th · 31 pts
    Movement
    Up 1
    Record (36 games)
    W6 D13 L17 · GD −21

Reference · The 38 games

Only six clubs took a league point off City all season.

In the league City won 32, drew 4 and lost 2. Those six results were worth 10 points, and they are the only points that come off anyone's total.

13

of 19 clubs lose no points at all

6

of City's 38 league games cost them points

All 38 games, in date order
  1. 12 Aug 2017Brighton 0–2 Man CityCity win
  2. 21 Aug 2017Man City 1–1 EvertonEverton −1
  3. 26 Aug 2017Bournemouth 1–2 Man CityCity win
  4. 9 Sep 2017Man City 5–0 LiverpoolCity win
  5. 16 Sep 2017Watford 0–6 Man CityCity win
  6. 23 Sep 2017Man City 5–0 PalaceCity win
  7. 30 Sep 2017Chelsea 0–1 Man CityCity win
  8. 14 Oct 2017Man City 7–2 StokeCity win
  9. 21 Oct 2017Man City 3–0 BurnleyCity win
  10. 28 Oct 2017West Brom 2–3 Man CityCity win
  11. 5 Nov 2017Man City 3–1 ArsenalCity win
  12. 18 Nov 2017Leicester 0–2 Man CityCity win
  13. 26 Nov 2017Huddersfield 1–2 Man CityCity win
  14. 29 Nov 2017Man City 2–1 SouthamptonCity win
  15. 3 Dec 2017Man City 2–1 West HamCity win
  16. 10 Dec 2017Man Utd 1–2 Man CityCity win
  17. 13 Dec 2017Swansea 0–4 Man CityCity win
  18. 16 Dec 2017Man City 4–1 SpursCity win
  19. 23 Dec 2017Man City 4–0 BournemouthCity win
  20. 27 Dec 2017Newcastle 0–1 Man CityCity win
  21. 31 Dec 2017Palace 0–0 Man CityPalace −1
  22. 2 Jan 2018Man City 3–1 WatfordCity win
  23. 14 Jan 2018Liverpool 4–3 Man CityLiverpool −3
  24. 20 Jan 2018Man City 3–1 NewcastleCity win
  25. 31 Jan 2018Man City 3–0 West BromCity win
  26. 3 Feb 2018Burnley 1–1 Man CityBurnley −1
  27. 10 Feb 2018Man City 5–1 LeicesterCity win
  28. 1 Mar 2018Arsenal 0–3 Man CityCity win
  29. 4 Mar 2018Man City 1–0 ChelseaCity win
  30. 12 Mar 2018Stoke 0–2 Man CityCity win
  31. 31 Mar 2018Everton 1–3 Man CityCity win
  32. 7 Apr 2018Man City 2–3 Man UtdMan Utd −3
  33. 14 Apr 2018Spurs 1–3 Man CityCity win
  34. 22 Apr 2018Man City 5–0 SwanseaCity win
  35. 29 Apr 2018West Ham 1–4 Man CityCity win
  36. 6 May 2018Man City 0–0 HuddersfieldHuddersfield −1
  37. 9 May 2018Man City 3–1 BrightonCity win
  38. 13 May 2018Southampton 0–1 Man CityCity win