The 10 worst defensive records in a single Premier League season

Conceding goals is the quickest way out of the Premier League. Title contenders at the top of the Premier League winners odds are usually built from the back, and the clubs below show what happens without that base. These are the 10 seasons in which a side conceded the most league goals, with ties split by goal difference.

1. Sheffield United 2023-24: 104 conceded

Sheffield United became the first club to concede 100 goals in a 38-game Premier League season and finished on 104. The run began with an 8-0 home defeat by Newcastle in September. They also let in a record 57 goals at home and became the first side to lose to all 19 opponents in one season.

2. Swindon Town 1993-94: 100 conceded

Swindon’s only top-flight season came in a 42-game league. They did not win until 24 November 1993 and finished bottom with four clean sheets. A 7-1 defeat at Newcastle in March 1994 was the heaviest of the season. Swindon were the first top-division team in 30 years to concede 100 league goals.

3. Ipswich Town 1994-95: 93 conceded

Ipswich lost 29 of their 42 games and kept three clean sheets. The low point came at Old Trafford on 4 March 1995, when Manchester United won 9-0 and Andy Cole scored five. John Lyall left in December, and George Burley could not stop them finishing bottom.

4. Derby County 2007-08: 89 conceded

Derby won once, scored 20 and finished with 11 points, still the lowest total in Premier League history. Billy Davies left in November and Paul Jewell could not halt the slide. They were relegated on 29 March 2008, the first Premier League club to go down in March.

5. Southampton 2024-25: 86 conceded

Southampton lost 30 of their 38 games and finished with 12 points. Russell Martin was sacked after a 5-0 home defeat by Tottenham in December, and Ivan Juric lasted less than four months. Relegation was confirmed on 6 April 2025 with seven games left, the earliest in Premier League history.

6. Fulham 2013-14: 85 conceded

Fulham went through three managers in Martin Jol, Rene Meulensteen and Felix Magath. None could fix the defence. They won nine games, lost 24 and finished 19th with a goal difference of -45. That ended a 13-season stay in the top flight.

7. Luton Town 2023-24: 85 conceded

Luton were back in the top flight for the first time since 1991-92 and lost 24 of their 38 games. They matched Fulham’s total but scored 52, which left them with a better goal difference of -33. Rob Edwards’ side finished 18th in a season that set a then Premier League record of 1,246 goals.

8. Norwich City 2021-22: 84 conceded

Norwich scored 23 and conceded 84, finishing bottom on 22 points. Daniel Farke was sacked in November 2021 and replaced by Dean Smith, but they won five league games all season. Teemu Pukki scored 11 of their 23 league goals.

9. Ipswich Town 2024-25: 82 conceded

Ipswich returned after 22 years away and lost 6-0 at home to Manchester City in January 2025. A 3-0 defeat at Newcastle on 26 April sealed relegation. Their goal difference of -46 is the worst of the four clubs to concede 82.

10. Barnsley 1997-98: 82 conceded

Barnsley’s first top-flight season in their 102-year history included a 7-0 defeat at Manchester United and 6-0 losses to Chelsea and West Ham. They won 10 games but still finished 19th. Wolves in 2011-12 and Burnley in 2009-10 also conceded 82 with better goal differences.

Every one of them went down

All 10 clubs were relegated, and so were Wolves and Burnley. Leicester conceded 80 in 2024-25 and went down too. Defensive numbers are worth checking before placing a football bet on the bottom of the table, because no Premier League side has survived after conceding 82 or more.