The Premier League is a ruthless beast, something Wolves are finding out the hard way after extending their long-standing winless run in the top flight.Â
Rob Edwards’ men avoided defeat against Manchester United in their final game of 2025, but they are yet to win a game at the midway point of the campaign. Relegation already looms large for the beleaguered club.
Wanderers’ last Premier League win came all the way back in April of last season – but how does their miserable run compare to the very worst in the division’s history? Let’s find out.
The longest winless runs in Premier League history:
=6. West Brom – 20
27 August 2017 to 2 January 2018
West Brom got off to a flier in the 2017/18 campaign, winning their opening two games, but couldn’t buy a win for the next five months. They beat Brighton 2-0 in January, but it wasn’t enough to inspire a mid-season revival. The Baggies were relegated on 31 points.
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=6. Sheffield United – 20
16 July 2020 to 2 January 2021
Sheffield United enjoyed an incredible year in the top flight after gaining promotion, finishing ninth in the table in 2020. But the season concluded with three successive defeats, a sign of things to come.
The Blades set a new Premier League record the following season as it took them until gameweek 18 to secure their first win, beating Newcastle United in January 2021. They added another six victories before inevitably being relegated.
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=6. Norwich City – 20
7 March 2020 to 31 October 2021
Norwich City lost their final ten games of the 2019/20 season to become the first team to be relegated five times from the Premier League.
The Canaries made an instant return from the Championship, but it wasn’t a happy one. They failed to win any of their first ten matches, a run that included hefty defeats to Chelsea and Manchester City.
A 2-1 win over Brentford prevented them from equalling a club record in the Premier League. Speaking of which…
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=5. Norwich City – 21
1 April 1995 to 13 November 2004
Poor Norwich. It’s bad enough they’re on this list twice, but their supporters were made to wait nearly a decade between Premier League wins in the late nineties and early noughties.
The Canaries suffered relegation in 1995 after failing to win any of their last eight games, and they didn’t return for another nine years. It took them until November to get their first win, ending their 21-game winless streak by beating Southampton. Relegation beckoned by season’s end.
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4. Southampton – 22
12 March 2023 to 2 November 2024
Relegation was Southampton’s fate at the end of the 2022/23 campaign after going 13 games without a win. Weirdly, that run included 3-3 draws with Arsenal and Spurs, and a 4-4 with Liverpool.
upon returning to the Premier League, they managed just one point from their opening nine games, losing the other eight. Their 20-month winless streak eventually ended with victory over Everton as they just about managed to avoid breaking Derby County’s points record.
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3. Wolves – 23
2 May 2025 – Present (Ongoing)
Wolves have lost 18 and drawn four games since they last tasted victory in the top flight, when they beat Leicester City in April.
The Midlands outfit find themselves 15 points adrift of safety after drawing just three of their opening 19 games this season, the longest ever winless start to a Premier League season. Given how poorly they are performing, this run could go on and on, even to the point where they take spot before the campaign ends.
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2. Sunderland – 26
12 December 2002 to 17 September 2005
Sunderland were absolutely abysmal in 2002/03, ending the campaign with 19 points. They somehow beat Liverpool in December, but failed to win again that term, losing their final 15 matches.
The Black Cats returned to the top tier a couple of years later, setting a new Premier League record as their losing streak stretched to 20 games. Their 26-game winless run was broken with a win over Middlesbrough, one of only three victories that season as they finished up with a then-record 15 points.
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1. Derby County – 32
22 September 2007 to 11 May 2008 (Ongoing)
That record would be broken just a couple of years later by the worst team to ever play in the Premier League, as Derby County accumulated a dismal 11 points in 2007/08.
The Rams beat Newcastle in September before going the rest of the campaign without getting another. It’s the fewest wins any team has ever attained in a single season.
They are still waiting to end this run, having never returned to the Premier League since then.
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