Three Times Premier League Champions Lost Two Games in a Row as Sorry Liverpool Lose Again

Liverpool'ss 2025/26 Premier League season was supposed to be the next step in the building of a dynasty. After romping to the title by a mighty ten points last term, the Reds headed into the new campaign as the overwhelming favorites to retain their crown. The arrivals of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, smashing the British transfer record not once but twice, saw the already short odds slashed even further.

And it looked as though the bookies' predictions were accurate. Arne Slot's side raced out of the blocks, winning all five of their opening games of the season, including beating title rivals Arsenal at home and European hopefuls Newcastle away in the process. However, shock back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Chelsea have brought the champions crashing back down to earth, while online sports betting sites have since lost faith.

The latest Bovada sports betting odds now make Arsenal the odds-on 9/10 frontrunners to win the title for the first time in 22 years, while the Reds have since been pushed out to 2/1. But the good news for the Anfield faithful is that plenty of Premier League champions have managed to successfully navigate back-to-back defeats before going on to claim the title. Here are three of them.

Manchester City 2023/24

Manchester City headed into the 2023/24 season as the reigning three-time champions, and the bookies expected them to make it an unprecedented four titles on the bounce come the end of the season. But a bid for a fourth straight crown hit a roadblock in back-to-back defeats early in the campaign.

After beginning the season with six straight victories, the Blues headed to Wolverhampton Wanderers for what was supposed to be a routine victory. What transpired was anything but. The champions fell behind after just 13 minutes through a Ruben Dias own goal, and while they would strike back after the break courtesy of Julian Alvarez, barely two minutes later, Hwang Hee-chan gave the hosts the lead again. It was a lead they wouldn't surrender, with City eventually losing 2-1.

Just eight days on from that disappointing day at Molineux, Pep Guardiola's unstoppable winning machine was stopped in its tracks for the second straight matchday. The Blues headed to face Arsenal at the Emirates in a clash between the two main title protagonists, and it was the Gunners who would have their redemption for the previous season's disastrous title implosion. Gabriel Martinelli would score the only goal of the game, handing Mikel Arteta's side a huge advantage in the title race.

As City always seems to do, though, they regrouped and came back stronger. By the end of matchday 15, Arsenal were six points clear, but the Blues came roaring back in the second half of the campaign. Guardiola's men wouldn't lose a single game from December 10th onwards, winning nine straight at the end of the season to claim the title on the final day.

 

Chelsea 2016/17

After a disastrous 2015/16 season, which saw Chelsea finish way down in tenth place, their worst finish in 20 years, the West Londoners turned to Antonio Conte. The maverick Italian brought with him his iconic 3-5-2 formation, but things wouldn't gel straight away. The Blues won their first three games of the campaign, but then would go three without a win, drawing away at Swansea before suffering back-to-back defeats.

The first of those came in a home clash with Liverpool, when first-half goals from Dejan Lovren and captain Jordan Henderson handed the visitors a shock 2-0 lead. While Diego Costa would pull one back after the break, the hosts were unable to level the scores and succumbed to a disappointing 2-1 defeat. A week later, Chelsea suffered a disastrous first-half collapse once more, conceding three goals away at Arsenal and ultimately losing 3-0.

Then, however, Conte's tactics would begin to come to the fore. With Victor Moses revitalized on one flank and Marcos Alonso on the other, the Blues continually found a way to get talismanic striker Diego Costa through one goal while ensuring their own defense was unbreachable. Chelsea won 13 games in a row following that loss at the Emirates, conceding just four goals in the process. That built up an insurmountable lead in the title race, with Conte's men eventually finishing seven points clear of Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester United 2010/11

Back in 2010/11, Manchester United were attempting to reclaim their throne after surrendering the title to Chelsea the year before. Heading into the campaign's latter stages, they were four points clear of second-placed Arsenal. Then, disaster struck.

The Red Devils endured difficult back-to-back away games, first at Chelsea and then at Liverpool. They lost both, with the Blues winning 2-1 as second-half goals from David Luiz and Frank Lampard canceled out Wayne Rooney's opener. A week later, more pain was to come as a Dirk Kuyt hat trick consigned them to a 3-1 defeat away at their archrivals at Anfield.

Luckily, though, the Gunners were unable to take advantage. They would win just twice in their final 11 fixtures, dropping them to fourth in the table while United ultimately soared home, finishing nine points clear of Chelsea.