If Chelsea defeats Manchester United on Friday night, giving the Red Devils their eighth consecutive Premier League loss, it could set off a historic low in English football.
Ruben Amorim’s side has already secured their worst-ever Premier League finish in terms of points, with just 39 from 36 games – at least 13 points lower than their previous low since the league’s inception in 1992.
A defeat at Stamford Bridge would only exacerbate the crisis, potentially pushing United into territory they thought unimaginable just over a decade before.
While finishing 16th is bad enough, the gap to rivals Liverpool only makes matters worse. The same club that once claimed to have “knocked Liverpool off their f***ing perch” may now be staring at an unforgivable points gap.
Liverpool currently leads the table with 89 points, 44 ahead of United, who, with 39, is just short of the traditional 40-point threshold for Premier League safety.
Though mathematically safe due to an unusually low number of promoted teams this season, United will be desperate to avoid further humiliation, especially as their Merseyside neighbours approach another historic milestone.
Man Utd Set For Unwanted Record If They Lose To Chelsea
The gap between themselves and Liverpool could be 40+ points by the end of the season
Liverpool have shattered the myth that Man United ever knocked them off their perch, having won their 20th English league title and twice as many Champions League trophies as their former rivals.
Under Arne Slot’s steady leadership in his first season, the Reds have reestablished themselves as the most successful team in English football. But, thanks to United’s stunning fall from grace, Liverpool have not only reclaimed their throne, but they have also exposed another long-held myth.
Ryan Giggs famously claimed that United would never stoop to the depths Liverpool experienced during their 30-year title drought, referring to the club’s so-called “wilderness years.” However, the prophecy now rings hollow.
If United loses or draws against Chelsea on Friday, they will finish at least 40 points behind Liverpool, the largest points difference between the two clubs in history.
According to journalist Dominic King of Sportbible, even when both clubs were relegated from the old First Division, the gap between them was never this wide.
While United is now on the verge of relegation, Liverpool’s consistency remains impressive, as they have never finished lower than eighth in the Premier League since their promotion in 1961/62.
United may have mocked Liverpool’s wilderness, but their own home now appears lost in the woods. Before the turn of the year, their new manager, Amorim, declared the current squad to be the worst in the club’s history, and recent results have done little to reverse that.
However, if the club wins the Europa League against Tottenham next week, many of their blushes will be spared thanks to a backdoor entry into the Champions League next season, as they did last season when they won the FA Cup to gift themselves some European football.
