It may still be early days in the English Premier League (EPL), but Five wins in as many games by the defending champions, Liverpool Football Club, seem to suggest that are unstoppable in the drive towards retaining their crown at the end of the 2025/2026 season.
The early kick-off win in the derby against Everton on Saturday was their fifth in the season and serves as the third time in their history that the Reds have won their opening Five EPL matches.
Following Arne Slot’s debut season achievement in lifting the trophy last season, Liverpool entered the new season with clear intent to retain the trophy and in style, too. They already have the momentum going for them.
With a spending spree of nearly £500 million, the Reds acquired the services of Giorgi Mamardeshinli from Valencia for £29m, Giovani Leoni from Parma for £26m, Miles Kerkez from Bournemouth for £40m and Jerry Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for £30m. Others are Hugo Ekitike from Eintranch Frankfort for £79m, Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m and British record transfer, Aleksander Isak from Newcastle United for £125m. Football pundits agree that Liverpool are making no pretences about their intentions for the new season with the investment that they have made.
However, as records show over the years, a fast start does not necessarily guarantee a trophy in May when the season ends.
Since the Premier League started, there have been eight other occasions of teams opening with five straight wins. Of those, only Chelsea, in 2005/2006 and 2009/2010, went on to be crowned champions.
In 1994/1995, Newcastle United made it six wins in six and ended up in sixth place at the end of the season. Arsenal in 2004/2005, indeed, they were the defending champions from the previous season, they ended as runners up. Manchester United won their first five games in 2011/2012 but ended up 2nd, while Manchester City in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017, but ended up fourth and third respectively.
Meanwhile, Chelsea, on Saturday at Old Trafford, failed to erase their awful record of not defeating Manchester United, as they lost 1-2 in a game both teams played with ten men.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Manchester was shown a straight red card, forcing the team to play with ten as against United’s eleven men all through the first half.
United capitalised with Bruno Fernando’s scoring with would be his 100th goal for the team. Casemiro later on scored the second for United before being sent of after a second yellow card in the added time of the first half.
Challobah gave Chelsea a glimmer of hope from a thumping header in the late stages of the second half and in spite spirited pressure from Chelsea, United held on for their second victory of the campaign and ended Chelsea’s unbeaten run.
