Arsenal’s 2023-24 campaign remains one of the strongest second-place finishes in Premier League history. Mikel Arteta’s side collected 89 points and scored 91 goals, but Manchester City finished two points clear.
The defensive platform was built around Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, while Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard drove an attack that kept the title race alive until the final weeks. Arsenal’s points total was the club’s best in the Premier League era apart from the Invincibles’ unbeaten season.
The frustration was not underperformance. It was the standard set by City.
Tottenham’s 2016-17 team finished seven points behind Chelsea despite losing only once fewer than the champions, conceding fewer goals and scoring more.
That side collected a club-record 86 points, with Harry Kane leading the scoring and Christian Eriksen supplying creativity. Yet the draws prevented Mauricio Pochettino’s team from turning superiority in several key areas into silverware.
It was a campaign defined by consistency without the decisive edge required to overtake Chelsea’s 93-point total.
Liverpool’s 2008-09 challenge under Rafael Benitez followed a similar pattern. They lost only two matches, two fewer than Manchester United, and scored more goals than the eventual champions.
Their 4-1 victory at Old Trafford demonstrated the level of the team, with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres forming a dangerous partnership and Xabi Alonso controlling midfield. But draws proved costly, allowing United to finish four points ahead.
The next title race will bring the same question into focus: can an excellent team turn narrow losses and dropped points into the extra victories that separate runners-up from champions?