Liverpool FC First Division / Premier League Record

There was a time when Liverpool were the most successful team in the country by some distance. Prior to the arrival of Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, the Red Devils had the same number of league titles and European Cups as Aston Villa.

At the same time, Liverpool had won the league so often that it looked as though they would never be caught, leading to the famous banner reading ‘Come Back When You Have Won 18’ being displayed at Anfield in 1994. They did, of course, winning 20 titles before the Scot decided to retire and hand over the reigns to David Moyes, seemingly in order to protect his own legacy.

The Reds, though, are still more successful than Manchester United thanks to the combination of major trophies that they’ve won. Chief amongst those are the league titles, which are spread out across the First Division and the Premier League. It is fair to say that when it comes to league titles, Liverpool are one of the most impressive clubs in the history of the English game.

Looking at Liverpool in the English top-flight

Taking a Closer Look at Liverpool’s Title-Winning Seasons

Across the history of the English top-flight, Liverpool won the First Division 18 times and the Premier League once. With that in mind, it is little wonder that supporters of the club consider it almost a right for the Reds to be involved in title fights each and every season.

With that in mind, here is a closer look at each of the occasions when the club has won the English title:

1900-1901

Liverpool’s first ever top-flight title came at the end of the just the ninth season that the club had existed. In spite of the fact that the Reds were knocked out of the FA Cup in just the second round, losing to Notts County, they won 19 games and drew seven, losing the other eight in the 34 game campaign. Scoring 59 goals and conceding 35, the club finished with a Goals Average of 1.686, which would’ve been used to separated teams had they finished level on points.

The season saw Liverpool end up two points clear of Sunderland, in spite of the fact that they lost one of the two games that they played against them. Even though it was more than 100 years ago, Reds will no doubt be disappointed to learn that the side drew one and lost the other of the two games that they played against Everton. Sam Raybould finished as the top scorer with 17 goals for Tom Watson’s side.

1905-1906

Five years later and the Reds picked up the club’s second top-flight title, still with Tom Watson at the helm. The FA Cup had seen an even more depressing result than in the previous title winning season, simply on account of the fact that they lost in the semi-final stage to the eventual winners Everton. Details on the league campaign are few and far between, but Joe Hewitt finished as the top scorer thanks to the 23 times that he found the back of the net.

It was a more comfortable win than it had been half a decade earlier, finishing four points clear of Preston North End. Liverpool also ended the season with the best Goal Average of the top five sides, scoring 79 and conceding 46 to have a Goal Average of 1.717. Over the course of the 38 game season, the Reds won 23, drew 5 and lost 10 matches.

1921-1922

Having finished fourth for two seasons running, the Reds were well-placed to attack the top-flight in the 1921-1922 campaign. A second round exit from the FA Cup gave the club more time to focus on league matches, with manager David Ashworth doing what he could to get the best out of his players. One of those who excelled was Harry Chambers, scoring 19 times in the league.

When the season came to a close, with it still being the era of two points for a win, it was an ultimately quite comfortable title win for the Reds. They finished up on 57 points, six clear of Tottenham Hotspur in second. Having scored 63 times and conceded 36, the Reds won 22 games, drew 13 and lost 7. The had a Goal Average of 1.750, which was once again the best in the top five.

1922-1923

Getting knocked out of the third round of the FA Cup will have been a bit of a disappointment for Liverpool, who wouldn’t win the competition for another 40 years, but defending the title for the first time in the club’s history wasn’t something to be sniffed at. David Ashworth was still the man in charge, aided by Matt McQueen, whilst Harry Chambers finished as the club’s top scorer once again with 22 league goals.

In total, Liverpool scored 70 times across the campaign, conceding 31 for a huge Goal Average of 2.258, which no other side got anywhere close to. The Reds ended up on 60 points, thanks to the 26 wins and 8 draws managed alongside 8 losses. It put them six points clear of Sunderland, the next best team in the First Division.

1946-1947

In a season when Burnley knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage thanks to a replay, the Reds were able to pick up their fifth top-flight title. This was arguably the sweetest so far, given the fact that they won it by a point from Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the league, Jack Balmer and Albert Stubbins scored 24 goals apiece to finish as the club’s top scorers.

Three teams in the top five finished with a better Goal Average than Liverpool’s 1.615, having scored 84 and conceded 52, but it was the 25 wins and seven draws that helped them across the line. They lost to Manchester United at Old Trafford but beat them at home, with a 5-1 loss to Wolves at Anfield meaning that they season came down to the last game of the season in Wolverhampton. Liverpool won 2-1 and took the title as a result.

1963-1964

In the two decades that separated Liverpool’s fifth and sixth titles, practically everything changed. Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield when the Reds were wallowing in the Second Division, taking them back into the top-flight and working to turn the ground into a ‘Bastion of Invincibility’. They were knocked out of the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage, but Roger Hunt scored 31 league goals as Liverpool scored 92 times, conceding 45.

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That gave them a Goal Average of 2.044, the best in the division. They ended the campaign with 57 points, four clear of Manchester United and five above Everton. The beat the Blues at Anfield but lost at Goodison Park, defeating United both home and away. The league title came about in spite of two defeats and a draw in the final three games of the season.

1965-1966

Having finally won the FA Cup for the first time in the intervening season, Liverpool got back to title winning ways in 1966. It was the club’s seventh, which tied Arsenal’s record. Once again Roger Hunt finished as the top scorer with 29 league goals, playing in the famous all red kit for the first time from the start of the season. The FA Cup witnessed another third round defeat for the competition’s defending champions.

It was European adventure that got Scouse hearts pumping, reaching the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup at Hampden Park. Shankly had hoped to win a European trophy in his native Scotland, but a 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund put paid to that. League-wise, it was a six point cushion between the Reds on 61 points and Leeds United and Burnley both on 55. Liverpool netted 79 times and conceded 34, winning 26 times and drawing 9.

1972-1973

Bill Shankly had one more league title in him before he decided to step down as Liverpool manager. Having not won any trophies for seven years, the Reds did the double by picking up the UEFA Cup alongside the First Division trophy. Having come close the previous year but finished third, missing out on the title by a point to Derby County, Shankly’s Reds won 25 and drew 10, losing just 7, to finish on 60 points.

That put them three points clear of Arsenal, with the club’s Goal Average of 1.714 also superior to every other team in the top five. That was thanks to 72 goals scored, with Kevin Keegan and John Toshack scoring 13 of them each, whilst the defence conceded 42 times. The season began with back-to-back 2-0 wins against Man City and Man United, whilst Liverpool also did the double over Everton during the course of the season.

1975-1976

Bob Paisley had stepped up to take over as manager the previous season, but chose his second campaign to emulate his predecessor by also winning a First Division and UEFA Cup double. It would prove to be the start of the most successful spell in English football history, thanks in no small part to John Toshack scoring 16 of the 66 goals that the Reds managed, conceding 31. The league was a tight affair that saw Liverpool finish on 60 points compared to the 59 of Queens Park Rangers.

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Winning 23, drawing 14 and losing a mere five times was enough to see the Reds pick up the title. An opening day defeat to QPR could’ve seen things go differently, but a win and a draw against Manchester United and the same results against Everton handed the club enough to get over the line. It looked like that might not be the case when Liverpool went 1-0 down to Wolves on the final day, but three goals towards the end of the second-half sealed the title win.

1976-1977

Having enjoyed a double the season before, Paisley did the same thing again but with an even more prestigious European trophy this time around. The European Cup was added to the First Division title, which Liverpool won by a single point from Manchester City. The Reds finished on 57 whilst City got 56, which would be a similar scenario in the reverse nearly 50 years later.

The Reds found the back of the net 62 times on their way to winning 23 matches, losing 8 and drawing 11. Of those 62 goals, 12 of them were scored by Kevin Keegan, who departed the club for Hamburg at the end of the campaign. It was another season in which Liverpool drew one game and one the other in their two matches against Manchester United, doing the same thing against Everton.

1978-1979

The 1978-1979 season was a record breaking one for Liverpool, with the club amassing more points than anyone had managed previously. Kevin Keegan’s absence was not felt thanks to the arrival of Kenny Dalglish, who netted 21 times in the league as the Reds scored 85 times and only conceded 16. It meant that the won 30 times, drawing 8 and losing 4 as they posted a total of 68 points.

Nottingham Forest were in second with 60 points, losing to Liverpool once and managing a draw against them at home. Everton, meanwhile, got a rare win alongside a draw at Anfield to take the bragging points around Liverpool. Manchester United were beaten at both Anfield and Old Trafford, however, as the Reds took the title back off Brian Clough’s Forest side.

1979-1980

The Reds won back-to-back titles again, this time also making it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and League Cup. It was another season in which Manchester United missed out because of Liverpool’s superiority, as Paisley’s men won the title with 60 points, two clear of the Red Devils with 58. Liverpool scored 81 times and conceded 30, thanks in no small part to David Johnson’s 21 goals in the league.

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A 2-2 home draw with Everton left the Anfield faithful feeling slightly disappointed, but a win over United a few weeks later made up for it, as well as eventually proving to be decisive in the title battle. The Reds did get a win over the Blues at Goodison Park, which made it all the sweeter and also made United’s Old Trafford win all but irrelevant in the title fight. Even a final day loss to Middlesbrough didn’t stop the Reds winning it.

1981-1982

After a season off from winning the title, Liverpool returned to winning ways by pairing the First Division with a League Cup win. Ian Rush was the club’s top scorer in the league thanks to 17 goals out of the 80 that the Reds scored, all whilst conceding 32. They ended up on 87 points, which put them four clear of Ipswich Town in second.

Things didn’t start well, losing two and drawing two of the first five matches, including a defeat to the Tractor Boys who would challenge them for the title. A home loss to Manchester United was only made slightly better by defeating Everton a few weeks later. Liverpool beat them both in a 16-game period towards the end of the season when they drew three and won 13.

1982-1983

Bob Paisley’s final season in charge of Liverpool would prove to be another double winning one. The Reds defeated Manchester United in the League Cup final to pick up that silverware, finishing 11 points clear of Watford in second place to take home the First Division title in comfortable fashion. That was thanks to 24 wins and 10 draws, losing 8 times as they scored 87 goals and conceded 37.

It was, unsurprisingly, Ian Rush who got the lion’s share of the goals, netting 24 times in the league. It took until October for Liverpool to lose a game, but the beat Everton at Goodison and drew twice with Man United before the season was out. Paisley’s decision to retire meant that he left with six league titles, three European Cups, three League Cups a UEFA Cup and a European Super Cup. The best ever.

1983-1984

Stepping into Bob Paisley’s shoes was never going to be easy, but Joe Fagan continued the line of successful managers when he won the club’s third title in succession. The Reds did so whilst also becoming the first English club to win three trophies in the same season, adding the League Cup and the European Cup to the First Division title, putting 80 points on the board compared to Southampton’s 77.

With 22 wins, 14 draws and six defeats, Liverpool set records thanks to the 73 goals scored and 32 conceded. You won’t be surprised to learn that Ian Rush was the top scorer in the league, netting 32 times and getting 47 in all competitions. The Reds beat Everton at Anfield and drew at Goodison Park, losing to United at Old Trafford and drawing at home.

1985-1986

Liverpool were still reeling from the consequences of the Heysel Stadium disaster that had occurred the season before, seeing 39 people die and English clubs banned from Europe. It also saw Joe Fagan resign, with Kenny Dalgish stepping up to the plate as player-manager. He made some big changes to the team, which took time to bed-in and for a while it seemed as though the title would be a stretch too far.

Instead, the Scot ended up doing the double during his first season in charge, also winning the FA Cup. It was neighbours Everton that proved Liverpool’s closest rival in the league, finishing two points shy of the 88 that the Reds put on the board. A win against them at Goodison Park proved to be the difference, albeit cancelled out when they won at Anfield. Of the 89 league goals Liverpool scored, Ian Rush netted 22 of them.

1987-1988

The Liverpool squad in the 1987-1988 season is considered to be one of the best that’s ever played the game. In some ways, that was part of the reason the FA Cup final defeat to Wimbledon proved to be such a shock. The Reds also had to manage without Ian Rush, who had departed for Juventus prior to the start of the season. The 26 league goals provided by John Aldridge meant that the Welshman’s absence was barely noticed.

Liverpool ended the campaign with 26 wins, 12 draws and just 2 defeats, handing them 90 points compared the 81 of second place Manchester United. The club didn’t lose a game until March, with the sting coming in the fact that that was at Goodison Park against Everton. Even so, it was a brilliant run that including home wins against the Blues and Arsenal alongside a draw with Manchester United.

1989-1990

Between 1972 and 1991, Liverpool came first or second every single season apart from the 1980-1981 campaign; a remarkable record that set the benchmark for future football clubs. In spite of this outrageous period of dominance, the 1989-1990 title was to prove to be Liverpool’s last for 30 years. Kenny Dalglish’s side won the First Division with 79 points, nine clear of Aston Villa in second, winning 23, drawing 10 and losing 5 on the way.

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The Reds scored 78 times in the league, 22 of which came from the boot of John Barnes. The season also saw an incredible 9-0 win over Crystal Palace at Anfield, which is considered by many to be one of the club’s best ever performances. Add in the fact that they did the double over Everton and defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford and you can see why many considered it to be an excellent season on Merseyside.

2019-2020

As hard as it might seem to believe, Liverpool went 30 years without winning the top-flight title, albeit with a few close misses in between. In terms of those close misses, it was Jürgen Klopp who came closer than any, ending the previous season on 97 points and winning the Champions League but missing out on the Premier League title by a single point; a feat he would repeat a few years later.

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Klopp became a hero to Liverpool supporters when he won the club’s sixth European Cup and then followed that up with the first title of the Premier League era. Not only did he do that, but he managed it whilst winning 26 of the first 27 games of the campaign, which is dominance like no other team has managed. Although some might call it a ‘Covid’ title, if only games in front of supporters counted for Liverpool and every game played by other teams counted for them, the Reds would still have won the title.