The teams that failed to win the Premier League when top at Christmas

For the second successive campaign, Arsenal sit atop the tree by a single point and will be hoping their resolute first half of the season will continue into 2024.

While historically the leaders by the end of the year stand a good chance of going all the way, being at the top over the festive season does not guarantee summer honours.

And there are plenty of examples of teams that were on the end of this - we look at each case and which side won the title instead:

Norwich (1992/93)

Norwich were the table-toppers in the Premier League's inaugural campaign to the surprise of many given they had narrowly staved off relegation the season before.

A perfect November set the Canaries up well for the festive period, but they would then embark on a six-game winless run which dented their hopes down the line.

A horrid April which saw three defeats in four all but sealed the deal as Manchester United claimed title honours 12 points ahead of Norwich, who finished third also behind Aston Villa.

Newcastle (1995/96)

Kevin Keegan's Newcastle were rampant to start the 1995/96 season winning 14 games before Christmas and tasting defeat just twice.

They led Manchester United by 10 points and extended it to 12 after a strong January, but that was the best it got as the Magpies went on to lose five of their next eight games.

Unfortunately for them, the dip came alongside United's turnaround which allowed the Red Devils to pip Newcastle to the title by four points.

Liverpool (1996/97)

A season later and another opponent would be challenging Manchester United at the top and it would be Liverpool's turn at the top.

Newcastle and Arsenal were also there providing a challenge and a patchy record for the Reds would damage their final position.

United emerged as champions while Roy Evans' men finished seven points off.

Manchester United (1997/98)

Sir Alex Ferguson's side really picked up heading into December and despite a post-New Year stumble, United still had the upper hand.

But a couple of draws along with a storming run by Arsenal - in their first season under Arsene Wenger - saw their challenge stutter.

The Gunners won 10 games in a row to wrap the title up with two games to spare and one point ahead of United.

Aston Villa (1998/99)

Aston Villa put together an impressive 12-game unbeaten run to start the 1998/99 campaign before suffering just two defeats ahead of Christmas.

But the Villans' season capitulated in the second half of the season, where they embarked on an eight-game stretch without a win.

That opened the door for Manchester United and Arsenal to take charge with the former claiming the title in what ended up being a treble-winning campaign.

Leeds (1999/2000)

Leeds were establishing themselves as quite the force under manager David O'Leary with the Whites racking up the wins in the first half of the season.

They looked the real deal but a patchy January would be an early warning sign that going all the way wouldn't be easy.

Leeds later went on a four-game losing run while Manchester United surged, romping to the title on the back of 11 wins in a row.

Newcastle (2001/02)

This would be the second time Newcastle would fail to win the Premier League after topping the table at Christmas.

Sir Bobby Robson assembled a superb squad and looked a threat given how they started the season.

But later defeats to Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool would prove detrimental as the Magpies would slide down to fourth.

With 13 wins all the way to the end, Arsenal would go all the way to claim honours.

Arsenal (2002/03)

Defending champions Arsenal looked to be good value to defend their crown having opened up an early lead at the top.

But an incredible turnaround by Manchester United at the turn of the year saw them go unbeaten and eventually edge out the Gunners by the end.

The Red Devils ended the season five points clear of Arsenal at the summit.

Manchester United (2003/04)

Now this season would turn out to be pretty iconic in terms of Premier League history.

Manchester United topped the pile at Christmas courtesy of a strong December, but it was Arsenal that took the spoils and you can put it down to them going the whole campaign unbeaten.

Dubbed 'The Invincibles', Arsenal won the title by 11 points ahead of second-placed Chelsea, who overtook United.

Arsenal (2007/08)

Arsenal were hugely impressive through large parts of the 2007/08 season and them putting a lot of wins on the board ensured they were top at Christmas and into February.

But there would be a critical turning point in the Gunners' season with a horror injury to Eduardo at Birmingham starting a five-game winless run.

That allowed the chasing Manchester United and Chelsea to reel them in, which in turn created a title race for the ages.

United pipped all three sides to the title with 87 points just two ahead of Chelsea and four ahead of Arsenal, with both London clubs losing just three games all season.

Liverpool (2008/09)

Things were going smoothly for Liverpool and Rafael Benitez after winning eight of their first 10 fixtures and registering an unbeaten December.

They suffered just two defeats all season and despite an end-of-season run yielding 10 wins in 11 games, the Reds still managed to fall just short behind Manchester United.

It was the draws that did the damage for Liverpool as they finished four points off top spot.

Liverpool (2013/14)

Deploying a formidable front line containing Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and a young Raheem Sterling, this looked like it would be Liverpool's year.

Brendan Rodgers' team led at Christmas but it was in the second half of the season where they really picked up, only losing one game.

However that one defeat, which was to Chelsea, would go down in Premier League folklore as a key moment in Liverpool's shortcomings.

Then a dramatic 3-3 collapse at Crystal Palace the following game sealed their fate, with Manchester City nipping ahead of them to the title by just two points.

Liverpool (2018/19)

Liverpool would renew their tilt with Manchester City five seasons later and this campaign would be gut-wrenching for the Reds.

Liverpool had been unbeaten all the way through until Christmas before receiving a first taste of defeat, which was to City in their first game of 2019.

Jurgen Klopp's side didn't let that faze them and despite winning all of their last nine games and setting a club-record 97 points, they were beaten to the title on the final day.

City put together a mammoth 14 wins in a row to end the campaign which was enough to usurp Liverpool by an agonising one point.

Liverpool (2020/21)

After ending their league title drought the season prior, Liverpool looked good value to retain their crown straight away.

They were four points clear at Christmas ahead of Manchester City, but that would be the best it got as injuries ravaged their squad at the turn of the year.

Results dipped and Liverpool ultimately limped home in third place with City barrelling their way to top spot once again.

Arsenal (2022/23)

A menacing-looking Arsenal side headed by Mikel Arteta were making some noise to start 2022/23 with the Gunners racking up plenty of points before the Christmas period.

They had lost just one game before the New Year and didn't look like faltering any time soon having also built a decently-sized lead over chasing Manchester City.

However, the City machine would eventually capitalise on a poor set of Arsenal results during the run-in to win yet another league title.

The Gunners spent 248 days atop the table without winning the title - a new Premier League record.