Wolves finally broke their duck this weekend after beating West Ham to record their first Premier League win of the season.
The struggling side had to wait until January 3rd to claim their first three points of the Premier League campaign, an unwanted record. Their win over West Ham has injected some belief into a sorry season, that has Wolves 12 points from safety as things stand.
It’s been a torrid run of form for the division’s bottom side, but where does it rank in the longest waits for a win at the start of a Premier League campaign?
The longest winless runs at the start of a Premier League season..
Everton – 12 games (1994/95)
Back in 1994/95, Everton failed to win any of their first 12 Premier League fixtures, though somehow managed to survive despite four teams being relegated, as the division dropped from 22 to 20 teams.
The appointment of Joe Royle as manager in November was the catalyst. The Liverpudlian guided the club to five clean sheets in his first five fixtures and away from danger to eventually secure a 15th place finish.
Their turnaround started with a 2-0 win over Liverpool in the Merseyside derby and ended with FA Cup success as Manchester United were beaten at Wembley, the club’s last major trophy.
Derby County – 13 games (2000/01)
Remarkably another team who endured a long winless run to begin the season, only to comfortably survive relegation to the second tier.
Derby County failed to win in the first third of the 2000/01 season, though remained in touching distance of the sides above them after securing seven draws.
Jim Smith’s side finally registered their first win of the season on November 18, beating Bradford 2-0, before back-to-back wins in December lifted the Rams away from trouble.
The Midlands outfit finished just one place outside the drop zone, though a huge eight points clear of relegated Manchester City.
Norwich – 13 games (2004/05)
Norwich’s 2004/05 side also struggled to turn draws into wins, with eight of the Canaries’ first 13 games ending in stalemates following promotion to the Premier League.
After 13 top-flight fixtures Norwich eventually sealed a first three points of the season, beating Southampton 2-1 at Carrow Road to spark hope of a revival.
It proved a false dawn, however, as Norwich won just once more in their next 11 fixtures, with the Canaries condemned to a swift return to the Championship.
Newcastle – 14 games (2021/22)
Newcastle started the 2021/22 season in terrible form, failing to win in their first 14 games. The Magpies eventually claimed their first win with a 1-0 success against Burnley, courtesy of Callum Wilson’s goal, but failed to win again in their next five.
Backed by the club’s new Saudi owners, Newcastle made some smart signings in January to turn their season around. Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes all arrived, sparking an upturn that saw Newcastle power clear of relegation worries.
The Magpies won 12 times in their final 18 games of the season to end the campaign 11th. In the process, Newcastle became the first team to fail to win their opening 14 games and survive relegation.
Swindon – 15 games (1993/94)
Millennials may find it hard to believe, but Swindon Town were once a Premier League outfit for a short, short time.
Having secured a place in English football’s top flight for the first time in their history, Swindon’s preparations were hampered by the loss of player-manager Glenn Hoddle to Chelsea.
Replacement John Gorman struggled to reestablish the club’s winning mentality at the top level, as they failed to win in their first 15 fixtures before a 1-0 win over QPR in November.
Swindon secured just four more wins in the league, finishing bottom of the division and 13 points adrift of safety, conceding a whopping 100 goals in the process.
Queens Park Rangers – 16 (2012/13)
Queens Park Rangers, despite an expensive assemble of recruits, managed to go 16 fixtures without securing three points in 2012.
It would take until the festive period for Harry Redknapp’s side to record a win, Adel Taarabt’s double securing a first win in December as London rivals Fulham were beaten 2-1 at Loftus Road.
The arrival of Mark Hughes as Redknapp’s replacement did little to boost their fortunes and it proved to be one of just four wins during a miserable season for the club. QPR finished bottom of the division with just 25 points.
Sheffield United – 17 (2020/21)
Sheffield United endured the then worst-ever start to a Premier League season in 2020/21, failing to win across their opening 17 fixtures of the season.
Chris Wilder’s side had performed above all expectations to secure a ninth-place finish the previous season, challenging for European football for much of the campaign upon their return to the Premier League.
The Blades endured one of the worst cases of second season syndrome in the division’s history, however, with their 17-game winless run including 15 defeats and just two draws.
Sheffield United are the first English top-flight team with no wins from their first 17 games since Bolton in 1902-03 😳 pic.twitter.com/aiWJEXkz3p
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 2, 2021
Wilder’s side secured their first win with a 1-0 victory over Newcastle on January 12, sparking a brief upturn in results as the club won three times in five fixtures.
It was not enough to save Sheffield United from relegation or Wilder’s job, as a second slump saw the manager sacked and the Blades return to the Championship.
Wolves – 19 (2025/26)
Wolves became the first team in Premier League history to complete the entire first half of a campaign without a win this season.
Vitor Pereira was sacked as head coach after the club’s poor start, though replacement Rob Edwards failed to inspire an immediate turnaround. After 19 games, Wolves had just two points, with fears the club were on course to break Derby County’s infamous 11-point Premier League record low haul.
The winless run comes to an end for @Wolves 🙌 pic.twitter.com/k6FHa8MAL0
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 3, 2026
Recent performances have improved, with narrow losses at Arsenal and Liverpool followed by a battling draw with Manchester United. Finally, a first win was recorded, with West Ham thrashed 3-0 at Molineux on Saturday. Goals from Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan and Mateus Mane secured a long-awaited win, the club’s first in the Premier League since April 2025.
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