The promoted sides' promising start

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport football statistician

Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland have taken a combined 19 points from their opening five games, making it the best start to a Premier League season by the promoted sides since 2017-18.

Promoted sides' points after 5 games 2017-18 — 21 points 2018-19 — 14 points 2019-20 — 15 points 2020-21 — 10 points 2021-22 — 14 points 2022-23 — 16 points 2023-24 — 3 points 2024-25 — 7 points 2025-26 — 19 points

In fact, only four times in Premier League history have the promoted sides made a better start to a season.

Best-ever starts by promoted trios After 5 games of a Premier League season 1992-93 — Ipswich, M'boro, Blackburn — 25 points — 2 survived 2017-18 — Newcastle, Brighton, H'field — 21 points — 3 survived 2010-11 — Newcastle, WBA, Blackpool — 21 points — 2 survived 2001-02 — Fulham, Blackburn, Bolton — 20 points — 3 survived 2025-26 — Leeds, Burnley, Sunderland — 19 points — ? survived 1998-99 — Forest, M'boro, Charlton — 19 points — 1 survived

So why have this season's trio started so much better than Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton last campaign?

Because they've been much more successful at keeping Premier League opposition at bay, conceding six fewer goals and giving up 31 fewer chances between them.

Promotes sides after first give games

Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland haven't actually been much better in attack.

While they've scored four more goals than the promoted sides did at this stage last season, they've taken a similar number of shots and generated fewer expected goals between them, so there's still room for improvement going forward.

Related topics