The 10 Lowest Points Tallies In Premier League History
Hall of Shame Seasons
The celebration at Molineux on Friday evening was not merely for a 2-0 victory over a top-four opponent, but for a statistical exorcism. By defeating Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers moved to 13 points for the Premier League season. In doing so, they ensured that whatever happens in the remaining weeks of the 2025-26 campaign, they will not be remembered as the worst team in the history of the competition. They have officially cleared the 11-point hurdle that has stood as the benchmark for futility for nearly two decades.
For months, the ghost of the 2007-08 season has loomed over the club. The win against Villa, powered by goals from João and Rodrigo Gomes, provides the squad with the cold comfort of knowing their name will not replace the current occupant of the number one spot on the list of the league’s lowest point earners.
1. Derby County (2007–08)
This campaign remains the gold standard for top-flight struggles. The Rams managed just 11 points across 38 games, winning only once all season. It was a year defined by systemic failure, and until yesterday, Wolves were tracking dangerously close to that same trajectory.
2. Sunderland (2005–06)
Collecting just 15 points, this Black Cats side was characterized by a chronic inability to score. They suffered through a record-breaking losing streak that season, setting a bleak tone for their subsequent years as a “yo-yo” club.
3. Huddersfield Town (2018–19)
The Terriers finished their second Premier League season with 16 points. While their debut season was a fairytale of survival, their sophomore effort saw the tactical novelty of their high-press approach thoroughly solved by the rest of the division.
4. Sheffield United (2023–24)
Also finishing with 16 points, the Blades’ campaign highlighted the vast chasm between the Championship and the elite tier. They finished with a historically poor goal difference that solidified their place in this hall of shame.
5. Aston Villa (2015–16)
Surprisingly, the very team Wolves defeated yesterday also holds a spot in this unwanted history. The Villa squad of a decade ago finished with just 17 points, a season of internal strife that served as the rock-bottom catalyst for the eventual rebuilding project under Unai Emery.
6. Sunderland (2002–03)
This iteration of the club managed 19 points, setting a record for the lowest total at the time. It was a season of terminal decline that saw multiple managerial changes fail to spark any form of resurgence.
7. Portsmouth (2009–10)
Matching the 19-point mark, Portsmouth’s situation was unique. Their tally was crippled by a nine-point deduction for financial administration; without that penalty, they would have comfortably cleared this list with 28 points.
8. Norwich City (2019–20)
The Canaries finished with 21 points during a season where they were often praised for their attractive football but ultimately found the Premier League’s physical and clinical demands insurmountable.
9. Sunderland (2016–17)
A third entry for the Black Cats, this team managed 24 points. It marked the end of a long cycle of “great escapes,” as the club finally succumbed to a relegation that led them all the way down to League One.
10. Watford (1999–00)
Completing the list with 24 points, Graham Taylor’s side struggled to adapt to the top flight after a rapid ascent through the divisions. They remained rooted to the bottom for the vast majority of the campaign.
While Wolves have successfully avoided the historic ignominy of Derby County, their work is far from finished. With 13 points and the season still in progress, they are still mathematically likely to finish within this top ten list by the time the final whistle blows in May. To climb out of the basement entirely and surpass the totals of Norwich or Watford, they will need to maintain the grit shown against Villa. However, for a club that spent the winter being compared to the absolute worst of all time, the three points at Molineux represent a significant shift from “worst ever” to merely “relegated.”
