Man United: Every Big Six club's worst Premier League finish after Red Devils plunge into relegation zone

Manchester United have struggled for much of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, but they appear to have reached a new low in the 2026-27 Premier League campaign. Although the Red Devils finished 15th in 2024-25 and were struggling again the following season before Ruben Amorim 's dismissal, Michael Carrick inspired a second-half revival that saw them finish third, earning him the permanent manager's job.

However, the former England midfielder has endured a difficult start to his first full campaign in charge, with just one win from their opening nine top-flight games and none in their last seven, leaving the 20-time league champions in a precarious position. Nottingham Forest's 3-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday had a knock-on effect on the Premier League table, pushing United down to 18th and into the relegation zone ahead of theirgameweek 10 clash with Aston Villalater on Sunday, marking their first time in the bottom three nine games into a season since 1986.

Things could get even worse if Crystal Palace avoid defeat at home to Liverpool and Sunderland beat Chelsea, as that combination would leave United bottom of the table before they even take to the pitch at Old Trafford. With the situation looking increasingly unusual for a club of United's stature, attention turns to the other heavyweights who have found themselves in trouble, and Sports Mole looks at the worst Premier League finish of every traditional top-six side, ranked from worst to best.

Before Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's takeover in 2008, City spent much of their time in mid-table and twice finished 18th in the Premier League era, suffering relegation on both occasions. The first came in 1995-96 under Alan Ball, whose side collected just two points from their opening 11 league games before finishing the campaign with 38 points, having won nine, drawn 11 and lost 18.

The outcome went down to the final day, when City came from 2-0 down against Liverpool at half time to draw 2-2, but they were still relegated on goal difference after Ball, believing a draw would be enough, had his players run down the clock. The Cityzens' second relegation came in 2000-01 under Joe Royle, following back-to-back promotions, with a 4-0 opening-day defeat to Charlton Athletic setting the tone for a difficult campaign and marquee signing George Weah leaving in October after just 11 appearances.

Relegation was confirmed with defeat at Ipswich Town, leading to Royle's dismissal, before Kevin Keegan took charge and guided City straight back up as Division One champions, although it remained their third relegation in six years, a period that had also seen them drop into the third tier in 1998. In 2024-25, Ange Postecoglou 's injury-hit side lost 22 of their 38 league games, becoming the first top-flight team to suffer that many defeats and still avoid relegation, finishing on 38 points.

Remarkably, the campaign still ended with the club lifting their first European trophy in 41 years, courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao, although Postecoglou was sacked just 16 days later. The following season brought even more turmoil, as Thomas Frank was dismissed in February 2026 after an eight-game winless run left Spurs 16th, before Igor Tudor lasted just 44 days prior to his own departure.

Roberto De Zerbi was then handed a long-term contract with relegation looming, and victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa gave Spurs renewed hope heading into the final day. A 1-0 home win over Everton took them to 41 points and kept them in 17th place, sending West Ham United down on 39 points despite their 3-0 victory over Leeds United.

Erik ten Hag was sacked in October 2024 after just nine league games, only months after signing a contract extension, with Ruud van Nistelrooy taking temporary charge before Amorim inherited a side sitting 12th in the table. Matters deteriorated further under the Portuguese coach, who admitted in January 2025 that his team might be the worst in the club's history, with United suffering 18 league defeats that season, their highest tally since being relegated in 1973-74.