The Run In: Best-ever teams and goalscorers in final seven matches

We look at the clubs and players who have performed best during the final weeks of past Premier League seasons Football writer Ben Bloom looks at the best teams and goalscorers over the final weeks of the season in Premier League history. The final international break of the season is behind us and The Run In can begin in the Premier League, with seven Matchweeks remaining for the 2025/26 season. Almost all clubs have seven games to play - with the exception of Manchester City and Crystal Palace, who have eight - as the season rapidly heads towards its climax on Sunday 24 May. So who will last the course best and finish their campaign strongest? We have delved into the archive and run the numbers from each club’s final seven matches of every season over the course of Premier League history, to see who have a tradition of success in this crucial time of a season. PL teams' points per game (PPG) in final seven matches of all PL seasons Team PPG P W D L Brentford 1.93 28 16 6 6 Liverpool 1.89 231 128 52 51 Man Utd 1.89 231 129 49 53 Arsenal 1.87 231 125 57 49 Man City 1.86 196 110 34 52 Chelsea 1.79 231 118 59 54 Everton 1.42 231 88 64 79 Spurs 1.40 231 89 57 85 Leeds 1.40 105 38 33 34 Newcastle 1.39 210 77 61 72 Aston Villa 1.38 210 76 62 72 Crystal Palace 1.33 112 41 26 45 Nott'm Forest 1.30 56 19 16 21 Fulham 1.27 126 45 25 56 West Ham 1.26 203 68 51 84 Brighton 1.21 56 17 17 22 Burnley 1.10 63 19 12 32 Bournemouth 1.09 56 17 10 29 Sunderland 1.05 112 31 25 56 Wolves 1.04 77 20 20 37 Scroll across on mobile to see the full table Given all they have achieved in the Premier League, it is hardly surprising to see the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea riding high near the top of the all-time table for the most average points across the final seven matches of a season. But in terms of average points per game (PPG) during The Run In, it is the perhaps unlikely name of Brentford topping the chart. The west London side have completed only four Premier League campaigns but they have averaged 1.93 points per game in their 28 "Run In" fixtures to date. They have won more than half of those matches (16). This bodes well for Keith Andrews' team in the club's fifth Premier League season as they bid for a first European qualification. Brentford are currently sitting in seventh place, only three points behind Liverpool in fifth spot, which is set to be enough to earn a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. Who are the best teams over the past 10 years? Having claimed six Premier League titles over the past 10 years, Man City naturally occupy top spot as the best-performing team of the decade over the final seven matches, far surpassing all other clubs. Brentford are again the unexpected high-flying team, while Man Utd's relative drop from their all-time points average of 1.89 points per match to 1.5 reflects the difficulties they have endured over recent years. At the other end of the table sit Fulham, who have found points harder to come by towards the business end of the season over the past decade. Average points for MW32-38 from 2015/16 to 2024/25 Team Ave. points PPG Man City 17.1 2.44 Liverpool 14.9 2.13 Brentford 13.5 1.93 Arsenal 13.4 1.91 Chelsea 12.4 1.77 Newcastle 11.0 1.57 Man Utd 10.5 1.50 Spurs 10.5 1.50 Everton 10.4 1.49 Crystal Palace 9.8 1.40 Aston Villa 9.1 1.30 West Ham 9.0 1.29 Nott'm Forest 8.7 1.24 Brighton 8.5 1.21 Bournemouth 8.1 1.16 Burnley 8.0 1.14 Leeds 8.0 1.14 Sunderland 8.0 1.14 Wolves 7.6 1.09 Fulham 6.4 0.91 Best-ever run-ins In the 33 completed Premier League seasons, there have been seven instances of teams achieving the perfect "Run In". Five of those came from clubs that ended the campaign as Premier League champions. However, Liverpool did not claim the title in either season (2005/06 and 2018/19) in which they won all of their final seven matches. Indeed, they lost out to Man City by just one point in a thrilling climax to the 2018/19 title race, when both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola’s sides finished their schedules with seven straight victories. Clubs who have won all of final seven matches Season Team Pos. GF GA 1992/93 Man Utd 1st 16 4 1999/00 Man Utd 1st 21 9 2001/02 Arsenal 1st 16 4 2005/06 Liverpool 3rd 15 4 2018/19 Liverpool 2nd 19 4 2018/19 Man City 1st 14 2 2023/24 Man City 1st 25 3 Scroll across on mobile to see the full table The Run In can also prove crucial to clubs lower down the table. No team have climbed a greater number of places than Liverpool did in the inaugural Premier League season, when they earned 13 points from their final seven matches to rise from 13th place to fifth. In one of the most notable rises, Sunderland moved up six places from the foot of the table to end the 2013/14 season in 14th spot, courtesy of four successive wins during their final seven matches. That was one of four instances when a team in danger of being relegated put in a run that earned them mid-table security. Biggest position rises in final seven matches Team Season Places From To Liverpool 1992/93 8 13th 5th Blackburn 2001/02 7 17th 10th Sunderland 2013/14 6 20th 14th Bournemouth 2016/17 6 15th 9th Crystal Palace 2017/18 6 17th 11th Scroll across on mobile to see the full table When looking at players who thrive at the business end of the season, a few names have stood out. There have been eight instances of players scoring at least nine goals across their clubs' final seven Premier League matches, with Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mark Viduka and Harry Kane being the only men to have netted a double-figure tally during The Run In. Van Nistelrooy's 10 goals helped Man Utd win the 2002/03 title, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s team dropping just two points during The Run In that season. Coming in the same campaign, Viduka’s 10-goal tally was even more remarkable, as those strikes helped Leeds avoid relegation by five points. The most recent instance was from Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored nine goals in a seven-match run of six wins and a draw under Oliver Glasner to ease the Eagles' relegation fears in 2023/24. Most goals scored in final seven matches Player Club Goals Season Ruud van Nistelrooy Man Utd 10 2002/03 Mark Viduka Leeds 10 2002/03 Harry Kane Spurs 10 2016/17 Les Ferdinand QPR 9 1992/93 Kevin Campbell Everton 9 1998/99 Frank Lampard Chelsea 9 2009/10 Sergio Aguero Man City 9 2014/15 Jean-Philippe Mateta Crystal Palace 9 2023/24 Scroll across on mobile to see the full table More on The Run In