Big Six Relegation History: Spurs Avoid the Drop to Maintain Premier League Status Quo

Spurs had a dreadful campaign in 2025/26, only narrowly avoiding relegation by two points. This was the second season in a row that they finished in 17th position. Should the North London side finish in the bottom three next season and find themselves in the Championship, could they really merit inclusion in the big six?

For the time being, however, the “big six” are generally accepted as being: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs. Tottenham’s plight over the last two seasons (and the wider implications for who should be included in English football’s elite) illustrates an interesting point, though.

Over the years, there have been various “big X” groupings. And no doubt there will be more to come, with Newcastle likely to be regulars at the top end of the table in the years ahead. The current big six excludes one of the Premier League’s ever-presents, Everton, and includes another side, Man City, who are not among that elite group.

That illustrates another aspect we will consider in this feature: when we look at whether members of the big six have been relegated, do we mean from the Premier League, or from the top tier of English football?

Which of the Current Big Six Have Suffered PL Relegation?

We have answered this to a degree already by noting that most of the big six have competed in every single Premier League season since the top flight rebranded in 1992/93. For the sake of clarity, none of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United or Spurs (at least not yet!) have ever suffered the ignominy of demotion from the Premier League.

Man City, who were among the founder members of the EPL, and competed in the first edition of the competition in 1992/93 (finishing ninth), have. In fact, for all their dominance over the past decade or so, City have been relegated from the Premier League twice. What’s more, the first time they went down, they slumped as far as the third tier before bouncing back up.

Man City’s Two Relegations from the Premier League

Man City first dropped out of the EPL following the 1995/96 campaign. They lost twice as many games (18) as they won (nine) and mustered just 38 points. These days, that is often enough for survival, but back then, they finished 18th and were relegated from the PL after just four seasons in the new competition.

By the summer of 1998, they were down in the third tier but returned to the top flight in 2000 after back-to-back promotions. However, they made an instant return to the second tier (then called Division One) after losing 20 of their 38 Premier League games in the 2000/01 campaign. Just 34 points again saw them finish 18th. Since 2002/03, they have played every season in the top tier and look set to do so until 2046/47, when we believe their hearing for the 115 charges they face will be heard. Possibly.

All Big Six Have Been Relegated but the Gunners Lead the Way

The Football League dates back to 1888, after the 12 founding members – which included Everton and Aston Villa, but none of the current big six – met at the Royal Hotel in Manchester. They competed in a single division, with the second tier following in 1892. Chelsea were not founded until 1905, with Liverpool (1892) also being relatively late to the scene. Even so, all of the big six teams have well over 100 years of history, and as such, it should be little surprise that all of them have been relegated at some point.

Arsenal hold the record for the longest run of seasons in the top flight and also the fewest relegations from it. They trail Everton by some margin in terms of the record for overall campaigns played at the highest level of English football, but have not been relegated since way back in 1913.

The 1912/13 season saw them finish last in the old Division One, and they were truly woeful. They won just three of their 38 fixtures, and although they managed 12 draws, they scored a mere 26 goals and finished last. Their return to the top flight, after the First World War, was highly controversial, but that is another story.

What matters here is that 2025/26 saw the Gunners begin their 100th consecutive season mixing it with English football’s finest. The 1912/13 season is the only time in their history they have been relegated from the top flight, and that means they lead the way among their big six rivals on that metric.

Liverpool Relegated Multiple Times

Liverpool are possibly the most successful side in English football. However, they have been relegated from the top tier multiple times, though, as noted, never from the Premier League. In fact, the first time they reached the highest level of English football, they went straight back down.

In a 30-game season in 1894/95, Liverpool lost half of their matches and finished 16th out of 16 teams. In what now seems a strange system, they went down after losing a so-called test match against Bury, who had finished top of the second tier.

They went down a second time in 1904 after again finishing bottom (in 17th position), and again they lost half of their league fixtures. They then had a sustained spell in Division One, as it was, next tasting demotion after the 1953/54 campaign. They completed a hat-trick of bottom-place finishes too and tasted defeat in 23 of the 42 league games they played. That was their third, final (for now!) and most recent relegation.

Man United, Chelsea, Spurs and City Also Know all About Relegation

Indeed, like Liverpool, all the other members of the big six have been relegated from the top tier on several occasions. Manchester United joined Division One in 1892/93 and then joined Division Two, which is to say they were relegated, in 1893/94, finishing bottom of the table. They went down again in 1921/22, finishing bottom, with Bradford joining them in relegation.

Manchester United’s Top Flight Relegations

The 1930/31 campaign saw them relegated from Division One for a third time, and, like Liverpool, it was a treble of finishing bottom. However, the Red Devils were not done there and went down again in 1936/37 and yet again as recently as 1973/74, that being the last time they tasted demotion.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Top Flight Relegations

Like United, the other members of the big six have all been relegated almost too many times to count! Spurs were relegated in 1914/15, though they didn’t taste second-tier football until 1919/20 due to the war. The 1934/35 season saw them go down again, with their most recent relegation coming in 1976/77.

Chelsea’s Top Flight Relegations

Chelsea are the side whose most recent relegation is the next earliest. As said, the Blues are PL ever-presents, but dropped out of the old Division One in 1987/88. Before that they had a double taste of the drop in the 1970s, first going down in 1974/75, for two seasons, before two in the top flight ended with their demotion in 1978/79. They had also gone down in 1961/62, just for one season, enduring a longer spell in the old Division Two following relegation in 1923/24. The Blues’ very first taste of dropping down a division came shortly after they were founded, with the club finishing 19th of 20 teams in 1909/10.

Manchester City’s Top Flight Relegations

As for Man City, as said, they are unique among the big six, until Spurs join them (neutrals – and Gunners – can but hope!) in having been relegated from the Premier League. They have plenty of previous experience with the drop, though. They were bottom of the pile in 1901/02, second from bottom in 1908/09, a position they again filled (again being relegated) in 1925/26. It was more second-last de ja vu in 1937/38 and yet again in 1949/50, and, consistent as ever, they were 21st of 22 clubs in 1962/63.

Man City also went down twice more in the 1980s, in 1982/83 and 1986/87. Throw in their two PL relegations and, if you’re keeping up, that is a massive 10 times the Cityzens have been relegated from the top flight. Big six? You’re having a laugh!