What is the most successful club in England? Liverpool and Manchester United lead Premier League teams with the most trophies

It is widely believed that Sir Alex Ferguson achieved his greatest goal: “to knock Liverpool off their perch”, but was it only in the league?

The legendary manager won a record 13 Premier League titles while outscoring his north-west rivals, going from 18-7 in the record books to 20-18 before his departure in 2013.

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Since then, however, there has been a renaissance, with Liverpool taking one back in 2019/20, while United’s decade-long spell in the wild has allowed others to catch up.

United have won just four major trophies in the eleven years since Ferguson left, while Manchester City, their “noisy neighbor”, dominates.

Chelsea and Arsenal have also collected plenty of silverware, while there has even been a Premier League and FA Cup for Leicester.

But where do all these teams rank among the most successful English teams? Well, talkSPORT is here to find out…

10th – Blackburn Rovers – 10 major honors

6x FA Cup, 3x league champions, 1x League Cup

Blackburn are perhaps best known as the answer to the pub quiz for Premier League champions with their 1995 title under Kenny Dalglish, but this was not an isolated case.

Before the top flight’s name change, Rovers already had two titles to their name, in 1912 and 1914.

Achieving much of their success around the turn of the century, they also racked up three consecutive FA Cups from 1884 to 1886, and added another pair in 1891 and 1928.

Currently stuck in the Championship, Blackburn have enjoyed more recent success than many, winning the League Cup in 2002 by beating Tottenham in the final.

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9th – Newcastle United – 11 major honors

6x FA Cup, 4x League Champions, 1x Fairs Cup

Newcastle are able to fend off some of the criticism some newly funded teams face due to the size of their fanbase and history, but it’s been a while since they last lifted a trophy.

It’s not for lack of trying, however, having twice finished as runners-up in the Championship and FA Cup in the 90s, they came even closer last season, losing the League Cup final to Manchester United.

However, it has been a long time since their last major honour, the Fairs Cup in 1969, with their league and cup successes even older than that.

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8th – Everton – 15 major honors

9x League Champions, 5x FA Cup, 1x Cup Winners’ Cup

Young football fans may not know it, but Everton were a football powerhouse before the turn of the century. It hasn’t been the easiest time since their last trophy win in 1995, but before that, silverware was something of a formality.

Only three teams have more league titles than the Toffees nine, the last two of which came in the 1980s, while they have also won a Cup Winners’ Cup in addition to their six FA Cups.

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7th – Tottenham – 17 major honors

8x FA Cup, 4x League Cup, 2x Champions League, 2x UEFA Cup/Europa League, 1x Cup Winners’ Cup

Perhaps the most common stick used to beat an English team is the ‘no trophies’ stick aimed at Spurs, whose last trophy came with the 2008 League Cup.

The London side have since moved closer to top honours, finishing runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League in recent years, but remained trophyless during the Harry Kane era.

Although they have come close in a number of competitions, Spurs have failed to do so in the FA Cup, which was once one of their favorite competitions, with only Arsenal and Manchester United posting more wins than their eight.

There is also the theme of European success, with Spurs following up a Cup Winners’ Cup victory in 1963 with two UEFA Cup triumphs.

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6th – Aston Villa – 20 major honors

7x League Champions, 7x FA Cup, 5x League Cup, 1x Champions League/European Cup

Everyone has been surprised by Aston Villa’s rise to the top four under Unai Emery, but history suggests they deserve to be there as much as anyone.

One of six English Champions League winners, Villa fans can be proud of their 1982 success, but so much more.

Winning the Premier League and FA Cup 14 times in total shows just how good Villa were before the turn of the century, with their last major honor coming in 1996.

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5th – Chelsea – 25 major distinctions

8x FA Cup, 6x Champions League, 5x League Cup, 2x Champions League/European Cup, 2x UEFA Cup/Europa League, 2x Cup Winners’ Cup

Chelsea fans have to deal with regular mockery over their history, starting with Roman Abramovich’s purchase of the club in 2004, but if that were true they wouldn’t be so high on this list.

While it is true that much of their success has come in recent years, particularly their four European titles, they won seven of their honors before being given a financial boost.

In fact, the Blues have only gone four trophyless campaigns since 2004, and even with their struggles this season, it’s hard to imagine they won’t return to winning ways soon.

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4th – Manchester City – 26 major distinctions

9x League Champions, 8x League Cup, 7x FA Cup, 1x Champions League, 1x Cup Winners’ Cup

Much like Chelsea fans, City supporters can wink at an illustrious history whenever they hear jokes about their recent successes, with their first European title in 1970.

They also won eight other honors before their takeover in Abu Dhabi in 2011, but things have taken off since then.

That’s thanks in part to Pep Guardiola’s 12 titles, with the Spaniard completing a historic treble last season, and it seems almost certain he will add to that this season.

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3rd – Arsenal – 31 major distinctions

14x FA Cup, 13x Champions League, 2x League Cup, 1x Cup Winners’ Cup, 1x Fairs Cup

Arsenal start the podium with 31 honours, but their list is curiously much more concise.

That’s because the Gunners have dominated both the league and the FA Cup, with no club bettering their 14 lifts of the latter trophy.

Arsene Wenger claimed seven of those FA Cup victories and three league triumphs, but even with the club in poor shape following the legendary Frenchman’s departure, they still maintained their form at Wembley.

The only thing missing from Arsenal’s trophy cabinet is the top tier of European football with the Champions League, but they still have two major continental honors under their belt.

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2nd – Manchester United – 43 major honors

20x League Champions, 12x FA Cup, 6x League Cup, 3x Champions League/European Cup, 1x UEFA Cup/Europa League, 1x Cup Winners’ Cup

In second place is Manchester United, despite their record 20 league titles, one team remains ahead of them. Ferguson’s legacy lives on with an unrivaled 25 trophies at Old Trafford, but it’s not just about the iconic Scot.

United were at the pinnacle of football in the 1950s and incredibly recovered from the horror of the Munich air disaster to win more championships and a European Cup in the 1960s.

This incredible legacy has made the club one of the greatest sporting teams in the world, allowing Ferguson to continue the club’s tradition of dominance at a national level.

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1st – Liverpool – 46 major honors

19x League Champions, 10x League Cup, 8x FA Cup, 6x Champions League/European Cup, 3x UEFA Cup/Europa League

A League Cup success at Wembley makes Liverpool England’s most recent champions, but also explains part of their record success.

Not only have the Reds won more League Cups than any other team, but they have also won more Champions Leagues or European Cups than any of their English rivals.

Jurgen Klopp played an important role in tackling United’s Ferguson era, and he managed to win one more trophy in his final season at the club.

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