There’s some good festive news for Aston Villa fans though!
Liverpool fans must be wondering whether being top of the league at Christmas is a good omen. They may look upon the fact that three of the last four teams to have led the way on December 25 have gone on to lift the title as a positive sign but it is two exceptions to the rule - Manchester United and Chelsea - who have benefitted from a Yuletide advantage in those campaigns.
There have been nine seasons where a club other than Manchester United and Chelsea have topped the table at Christmas and on eight of those occasions that team have failed to win the league. The only exception was Blackburn in 1994-95 when they kept hold of the top spot from late November all the way through to the end of the season.
As our table below shows, the last time Liverpool were top at Christmas, they ended up finishing fourth. It also shows that on four of the nine occasions the team has finished the season in third and on three occasions fourth or lower, while just twice have they ended the season in second:
Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bad Omen, Big Four, Blackburn, Chelsea, Christmas Day, Everton, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle, Norwich, Premier League, Top at Christmas, Yuletide
Posted: December 24th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment 
