Top 10 longest unbeaten runs in major European football Leagues following Liverpool’s 37th match without losing after 1-0 win over Tottenham.
Liverpool are on an insane run lately. They recently crossed the year mark without a loss in the Premier League after beating Sheffield United in their first match of 2020. Their 1-0 win over Tottenham last night has now handed them the record of the best start in the English Top Flight after registering 61 points of a possible 63 and extending their unbeaten run to 37 games.
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An unbeaten season is not out of the realm of possibility for the Reds. However, they are not the first side to enjoy such a rich vein of form. In fact, there have been 10 other sides in the top 5 European leagues itself that have either equalled or surpassed them. Let us now look at the Top 10 longest unbeaten runs in major European football Leagues.
#10 A.C. Perugia Calcio (37) 1978/79
Perugia were Italy’s first ever invincibles. They went through the entire 1978/79 season without losing a game. What makes this feat even more remarkable was the fact that this was only their 4th season in their country’s top tier.
Off the 30 games they played in that season, they won 11 and drew a staggering 19! Unfortunately, the large number of stalemates they played would ultimately cost them the title and they finished 2nd behind AC Milan.
The side showed extreme defensive prowess and discipline conceding merely 16 goals while not picking a single card in the entire season. Unfortunately, their failings in front of the goal would come back to haunt them. Regardless, the financially strapped side managed to etch their name in history following their extraordinary season.
#9) Real Sociedad (38) 1979/80
Yet another team on this list that failed to crown their unbeaten run with a league title. Real Sociedad began their run with six unbeaten games in the 78/79 season. They carried their streak into the next season and 32 more games.
At the time, the Spanish League had 18 teams. Unfortunately, due to the number of draws played by La Real, their loss in the 33rd game allowed Real Madrid to overtake them in the points table and eventually win the League.
In all, of their 38-match unbeaten run, Real Sociedad won 22 and drew 16 matches. The side would go on to register their only 2 La Liga titles by winning the Spanish Top Tier in the next two seasons. This record would stand as Spain’s longest unbeaten run for 38 long years.
#8) ACF Fiorentina (40) 1955/56
Fiorentina won their first Scudetto (Italian Championship) in the 1955/56 season. They were so dominant that the side won the league with a 12-point lead over AC Milan at 2nd place. The side were so close to completing an unbeaten season. However, they were beaten in the final game of the season losing 1-3.
In all, the side registered a 40-match unbeaten run that would not be surpassed for another 36 years in the Italian league. Following this remarkable run, the side established among the elites of Italy with 4 consecutive 2nd place finishes.
#7) Chelsea FC (40) 2004/05
Jose Mourinho announced himself to the Premier League in the most remarkable of ways. He took over a cash injected Chelsea side and was tasked with winning the Premier League over the more established Arsenal and Manchester United.
His first loss came at the hands of Manchester City in the October of 2004. However, that would be the last time his side would lose a game for the next 12 months and 3 weeks. As a result, the Blues won their first ever Premier League.
Their unbeaten run finally came to an end with a loss to Manchester United in the 2005/06 campaign. Regardless, Mourinho engineered a second consecutive Premier League title to firmly establish Chelsea as a top Premier League contender for the seasons since.
#6) Nottingham Forest (42) 1977/78
On 26th November, when Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion played a goalless draw, no one imagined that a year long unbeaten run had been set in motion. Forest went on to record an astonishing 42 consecutive league matches without defeat.
The side would go 26 games without losing in the 77/78 season and captured the title with 4 games to spare. They carried their form into the next season and played 16 more games without losing before succumbing to a 2-0 loss to Liverpool at the Anfield.
Off their 42 games, Forest recorded 21 wins and 21 draws. Their record would stand for 26 years before they would finally be overtaken.
#5) Barcelona (43) 2017/18
No side in the La Liga has ever gone through an entire season without losing a game. However, Barcelona came extremely close to being the first side to do so after avoiding a loss in 36 games before succumbing to a 5-4 loss to Levante in the Penultimate league match of the season.
This was their first league defeat since going down 2-0 to Malaga on April 8, 2017. They would then engineer a 43-match unbeaten run in the La Liga and eventually surpassed Real Sociedad, the previous record holders, who also ironically lost their penultimate match.
In the end though, the loss had no bearing on who would go on to win the La Liga. By the time Barcelona suffered their first loss of the season, they were already 12 points ahead of Atletico Madrid who were on second place.
#4) Juventus (49) 2011/12
Juventus became the third Italian side to go the entire season of the Serie A without losing a match back in 2011/12. This was their first Serie A title in 9 years and would set off a run of consecutive title wins that still runs to this day.
Juventus would go on to become the Italian side with the second longest run without a loss. However, their streak ended with one short of half a century after a loss to Inter Milan. Regardless, the side would go on to become the most dominant side of the last decade.
#3) Arsenal (49) 2003/04
Perhaps the most famous of these lists, Arsenal became the first team in the Premier League to go an entire season without losing a game. Arsene Wenger’s side saw off challenges from Manchester United and the cash infused Chelsea to create history.
The side is renowned for its attack, led by Thierry Henry. However, the side was just as efficient at the back, conceding a mere 26 goals in the entire season. Such was the dominance of Gunners, that Arsene Wenger was being hailed, and rightfully so, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s first true equal.
Arsenal’s run finally came to an end after a controversial loss to Manchester United in the following season. Unfortunately for the North London club, this loss would eventually signal the end of their Era. Despite still being a big club, the side have never challenged for the Premier League since.
#2) Bayern Munich (53) 2012/14
Bayern Munich became the first and only side to go past the 50-match unbeaten mark in this millennium when they registered 53 games without suffering a loss between 2012 and 2014. Unfortunately, despite their run lasting longer than all but one side, they failed to go an entire season unbeaten.
Their run started on October 2012. They would not lose another match for the rest of the season. They also managed to see 2013 through without losing a single game. However, a surprise defeat to Augsburg on 5th April 2014 saw their run come to an end.
Regardless, this was one of the most dominant displays of football ever seen in the modern era of football; One that will be spoken of for several years to come in the echelons of German football.
#1) AC Milan (58) 1991/93
The AC Milan side from 1991 to 1993 is widely regarded as one of the best sides in the world and for good reason. The side would go 58 games without suffering a defeat. In the process, they became the second Italian side to complete an unbeaten campaign in the league.
This achievement is made even more remarkable considering, the Serie A, back then was by far the most competitive league at the time with several teams such as Napoli, Sampdoria, Fiorentina and Juventus stacked with World Class talent.
They continued their winning run in the season after before finally being stopped. However, they would only lose two times in the entire league to win the league on the trot.
This concludes the list of the top 10 longest unbeaten runs in major European football Leagues.
Despite Liverpool’s achievements in the last few seasons, they still have mountains to climb in order to fare well against the greatest sides in the past.
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