It’s widely accepted that Sir Alex Ferguson achieved his greatest goal of ‘knocking Liverpool off their perch’ but was that just in the league alone?
The legendary manager won a record 13 Premier League titles while gazumping their rivals in the north west, moving from 18-7 down in the record books to 20-18 up before his 2013 departure.
Ferguson retired in 2013 with an astonishing 13 titles to his name, but did he put United at the top of the rankings?
Since then, though, there’s been a rebirth, with Liverpool taking one back in 2019/20, while United’s decade stint in the wilderness has allowed others to catch up.
United have won just four major trophies in the eleven years since Ferguson’s departure, while ‘noisy neighbours’ Manchester City have been dominating.
Chelsea and Arsenal have also been picking up plenty of silverware too, while there’s even been a Premier League and FA Cup for Leicester.
But where do all those teams rank when it comes to the most decorated English sides? Well talkSPORT is here to find out…
Blackburn are perhaps best known as the pub quiz answer for Premier League champions with their 1995 title under Kenny Dalglish, but that wasn’t a one off.
Before the rebranding of the top flight, 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-straight FA Cups from 1884 to 1886, and added another pair in 1891 and 1928.
Currently stuck in the Championship, Blackburn still have had more recent success than many, winning the League Cup in 2002 by beating Tottenham in the final.
Newcastle are able to bat away some of the criticism some new-monied teams face due to the size of their fanbase and their history, but it’s been a while since they landed a trophy.
That’s not for the want of trying, though, with them twice runners-up in the league and FA Cup in the 90s, they went close again last season, losing the League Cup final to Manchester United.
However, it’s been a while since their last major honour, the Fairs Cup in 1969, with their league and cup success even further back than that.
Younger football fans may not be aware, but Everton were a footballing powerhouse before the turn of the century. It’s not been the easiest of times since their last trophy win in 1995, but before that silverware was somewhat of a formality.
Only three teams have more league titles than the Toffees nine, with their last two in the ‘80s, while they also took a Cup Winners Cup on top of their six FA Cups.
Everton were one of England’s regular winners before the turn of the century
7th – Tottenham – 17 major honours
8x FA Cup, 4x League Cup, 2x league champions, 2x UEFA Cup/Europa League, 1x Cup Winners Cup
Possibly the most common stick used to beat any English side is the ‘no trophies’ one directed at Spurs, whose last silverware came with the 2008 League Cup.
The London side have gone close since for the highest of honours, finishing runners-up in both the Premier League and Champions League in recent years, however, they remained trophyless during the Harry Kane era.
Despite going close in a number of competitions, Spurs haven’t done so in the FA Cup, which used to be one of their favourite competitions, with only Arsenal and Manchester United boasting more wins than their eight.
There’s also the topic of European success, with Spurs following up a 1963 Cup Winners Cup victory with two UEFA Cup triumphs.
Spurs last trophy was in 2008, and they haven’t managed to add to it since
Spurs last trophy was in 2008, and they haven’t managed to add to it since
6th – Aston Villa – 20 major honours
7x league champions, 7x FA Cup, 5x League Cup, 1x Champions League/European Cup
Everyone’s been surprised by Aston Villa’s ascent into the top four under Unai Emery, but history suggests they deserve to be there as much as anyone.
One of only six English Champions League winners, Villa fans can proudly boast about their 1982 success, but much more on top of that.
Winning the Premier League and FA Cup a combined 14 times, it shows how good Villa were before the turn of the century that their last major honour was all the way back in 1996.
Not many teams can call themselves champions of Europe, but Villa can
5th – Chelsea – 25 major honours
8x FA Cup, 6x league champions, 5x League Cup, 2x Champions League/European Cup, 2x UEFA Cup/Europa League, 2x Cup Winners Cup
Chelsea fans have to deal with regular jibes about their history starting with Roman Abramovich’s purchase of the club in 2004, but if that were true they wouldn’t be anywhere near as high on this list.
While it’s true much of their success has come in recent years, particularly their four European titles, they won seven of their honours before being financially boosted.
In fact, the Blues have had only four trophyless campaigns since 2004, and even with their struggles this season, it’s hard to imagine they won’t get back to winning ways soon.
Chelsea were a winning machine under Jose Mourinho
4th – Manchester City – 26 major honours
9x league champions, 8x League Cup, 7x FA Cup, 1x Champions League, 1x Cup Winners Cup
Much like Chelsea fans, City supporters can nod to an illustrious history whenever they get any jokes about recent success, with their first European title coming in 1970.
They also had eight other honours before their 2011 Abu Dhabi takeover, but things have taken off ever since.
That’s with particular thanks to Pep Guardiola’s 12 titles, with the Spaniard landing an historic treble last season, and it looks almost certain he will add to that this term.
3rd – Arsenal – 31 major honours
14x FA Cup, 13x league champions, 2x League Cup, 1x Cup Winners Cup, 1x Fairs Cup
Kicking off the podium is Arsenal on a huge 31 honours, but their list is interestingly far more concise.
That’s because the Gunners have been dominant in both the league and FA Cup, with no club bettering their 14 lifts of the latter trophy.
Arsene Wenger took seven of those FA Cup wins and three league triumphs, but even with the club out-of-sorts after the legendary Frenchman’s departure, they still maintained their Wembley form.
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 honours to their name.
Arsenal won the FA Cup with Arteta and are looking to go even further now
Arsenal won the FA Cup with Arteta and are looking to go even further now
2nd – Manchester United – 43 major honours
20x league champions, 12x FA Cup, 6x League Cup, 3x Champions League/European Cup, 1x UEFA Cup/Europa League, 1x Cup Winners Cup
In the runners-up spot is Manchester United, despite their record 20 league titles one side remains ahead of them. Ferguson’s legacy lives on with an unparalleled 25 trophies at Old Trafford, but it’s not just about the iconic Scot.
United were at the very top of football in the 1950s, and incredibly recovered from the horror of the Munich air disaster to win more leagues and a European Cup in the 1960s.
That incredible legacy set the club up as one of the biggest sports teams in the world, allowing Ferguson to continue the club’s tradition of dominating domestically.
1st – Liverpool – 46 major honours
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 side, they’ve also won more Champions Leagues or European Cups than any of their English rivals.
Jurgen Klopp has been a huge part of fighting back against United’s Ferguson era, and there may well be more to come this season with Liverpool in with a chance of a quadruple.
There’s also the tantalising aspect of adding a Europa League to their collection of three UEFA Cups, and completing the full set for Klopp before he rides off into the sunset in the summer.
Klopp extended Liverpool’s lead at Wembley and there will be three more opportunities before he says goodbye
Liverpool and United are well out ahead, but things could soon change
