Liverpool are top of the table at Christmas for the 21st time in English football history

Liverpool will celebrate Christmas Day top of the Premier League table. After a 6-3 win at Tottenham, with Southampton looking up at everyone else from bottom spot.

But who sits where and what can we read into it?

And how often do teams stay in the key slots if they occupy them before Boxing Day matches?

How do teams usually fare when they are top?

Exactly half the time – in 16 seasons out of 32 – the team top of the Premier League table on Christmas Day goes on to win the title.

Liverpool’s record though is much, much worse than that.

This is the seventh time the Reds have stood first on 25 December – but their only success since the top-flight’s 1992 rebrand was in 2019-20.

Liverpool have been in this position more than anyone else in English football history – 21 times, winning 11 of the previous 20.

On being top at Christmas, boss Arne Slot said: “It tells you we are a very good team.

“Still three games to go until halfway, https://ufabet999.app but we are a hard team to beat. If it was easy to win the league then every team would do it.”

Going back to the Premier League era, Arsenal led the table over Christmas for a fourth time last season – and, like the previous three occasions, failed to lift the trophy.

In contrast Chelsea and Manchester City – plus one-time winners Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City – have always won the title when they have led the pack at this stage.

On four occasions a team have been outside the top four at Christmas and won the title – including last season. Manchester City were fifth at the time – six points behind Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand, and finished champions for a fourth successive time.

The others to do so were Manchester United, having been fifth in 1996-97, Arsenal (sixth in 1997-98) and Pep Guardiola’s City again (eighth in 2020-21).