Top 10 Premier League Comebacks of All-Time
In the last few years, we've seen some legendary comebacks take place in elite-level football. From Tottenham Hotspur's incredible late surge against Ajax in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2019, to Manchester City's late 3-goal turnaround against Aston Villa to pluck the Premier League title from Liverpool's grasp in 2021/22, we've become used to seeing top sides snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
The English Premier League, with its high stakes and incredible drama, has set the stage for some of the most triumphant turnarounds in football. And right now, statistics show that comebacks are happening more often than ever. In this article we'll explain why that is, before working our way through the top 10 Premier League comebacks of all time and exploring what was so special about these famous games.
Why Have There Been So Many Comebacks In The Premier League This Season?
On 23rd October, we published an article exploring the prevalence of comeback wins in the Premier League during the 2024/25 season. At the time, 17 of the 80 matches played in the league had resulted in a comeback win, a proportion of 21.25%, and since then several more games have finished like that, including Liverpool's 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield on Saturday 2 November and Fulham's late showing against Brentford the same weekend.
2024/25 looks set to break the record for the highest percentage of comeback wins across a whole Premier League season (currently this stands at 16.6%, recorded for the 2023/24 campaign). These two details show that this is a growing trend, and there are a number of factors that could be behind this shift.
Firstly, fixture congestion and the increased physical load and fatigue faced by players could mean it's more common for teams to capitulate to late surges from opponents. The increased importance of substitutes, and the capacity that the league's best teams have for bringing on world-class players in the latter stages of games, is another key consideration.
On top of that, the increased amounts of stoppage time being added to Premier League games, and matches in other top competitions around the world, has had a notable effect. The combination of these factors means that comebacks in the English top flight are more common than ever.
The Top 10 Premier League League Comebacks of All Time
Some jaw-dropping comebacks have been completed by Premier League teams since the competition was first formed in 1992. Here are 10 of the very best of the PL era.
#10. Southampton 2-3 Leicester City, 2024/25
Call it recency bias, but given how many comebacks there have been in the Premier League already this season, we felt a 2024/25 effort should make it onto the list.
It took newly-promoted Southampton 10 matches to record their first victory of the campaign, but they were desperately close to grabbing three points a couple of weeks earlier, when fellow Premier League newbies Leicester City came back from 2-0 down with 30 minutes to go to win 3-2, with a dramatic last-gasp winner in the 98th minute from Prem stalwart Jordan Ayew.
This is the one and only time Leicester have come from two goals behind to win a Premier League match.
#9. Newcastle 4-3 Leicester City, 1996/97
Back in the 1990s, Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United team were known for their scintillating football and end-to-end games, with the nickname 'The Entertainers' sticking as Shearer, Ginola, Beardsley and co. came extremely close to beating Manchester United to the Premier League title in 1996/97.
Along the way, they secured this breathtaking victory at home to mid-table Leicester City, who after 76 minutes were commanding the game with a 3-1 lead thanks to goals from Matt Elliot, Steve Claridge and Emile Heskey.
A dramatic close to proceedings saw England and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer smash in an incredible quickfire hat-trick, bagging three goals in just 15 minutes to clutch victory from the jaws of defeat for his beloved boyhood club.
#8. West Ham United 3-4 Wimbledon, 1998/99
Ian Wright is most famous for his glorious spell at Arsenal in the early-mid 1990s, but by the end of the millennium he was knocking in goals in east London for West Ham United, and he got an early brace in this match, following up John Hartson's opener to give the Hammers a 3-0 lead after just 27 minutes.
Remarkably, Wimbledon were able to turn this deficit around. Marcus Gayle got one back just before the break, before Jason Euell pulled the Dons level on 77 minutes after scoring a double. The away side should've been down and out by half time, but amazingly they now had all the momentum.
Still, it took something special to win it; a beautiful 50-yard switch from Efan Ekoku was then hooked back into the box, where he nodded in a well-timed header to secure a Wimbledon victory against all the odds.
#7. Bournemouth 4-3 Liverpool, 2016/17
For most of their history, Bournemouth were a lower-league side, but in recent years the south coast club have made a significant mark on the top flight, and been involved in some excellent end-to-end games. One of these came in December 2016, when they found themselves 3-1 down to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool with two-thirds of the game played and the result looking wrapped up.
Eddie Howe's side were determined to show some fight, however; impact sub Ryan Fraser pulled a goal back before Steve Cook equalised on 78 minutes. Most Cherries fans would've been happy to take a point against Klopp's team, but a final attack saw defender Nathan Ake smash in a dramatic winner in the 93rd minute to rubber stamp one of the best comebacks in recent Premier League history.
#6. Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-3 Leicester City, 2003/04
Leicester have been in plenty of relegation scraps over the years, and the 2003/04 season was no exception. 3-0 up at half-time in this game at Molineux (thanks to a Les Ferdinand brace and a third goal from Riccardo Scimeca), the Foxes thought they'd secured a valuable three points, and understandably so.
However, in the second half the home crowd rallied superbly; a double from Colin Cameron was followed by a levelling header from Alex Rae, and the away side went into the final minutes just wanting to hang on. They couldn't — with minutes to play, Senegalese striker Henri Camara got ahead of his marker in the six-yard box and snuck the winner in from close range.
#5. Bournemouth 4-3 Luton Town, 2023/24
The Cherries certainly enjoy coming from behind at the Vitality. With their small, tightly packed home crowd behind them, Bournemouth mounted an extraordinary comeback to beat Rob Edwards' relegation-threatening Luton Town side in March 2024.
Andoni Iraola's team were 3-0 down to the Hatters at half-time, but a show of extreme quality and fightback from star players like Antoine Semenyo and Dominic Solanke saw them stun Luton by hauling them level before winning it in the 83rd minute. The victory made Bournemouth the first Premier League team in 21 years to overturn a three-goal deficit and go on to take all three points.
#4. Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester City, 2021/22
While Bournemouth's dramatic victories stand alone as incredible spectacles, this particular match is all about context. These days, we're all used to Manchester City turning around deficits and consistently taking home three points, but to pull a three-goal turnaround out of the bag on the final day of the season to win the Premier League title is a magnificent achievement. With 15 minutes to play, Pep Guardiola's side were 2-0 down at the Etihad, but a stunning late surge with a goal from Rodri and a double from super-sub Ilkay Gundogan meant they edged past Liverpool and managed to defend their Premier League title for the second year running.
#3. Newcastle United 4-4 Arsenal, 2010/11
Storming into a 4-0 lead in the first 45 minutes of a match is no mean feat. Processing that devastating start and then coming back from behind to score four second-half goals and snatch a draw is even more impressive. Early in the second period, a red card for Abou Diaby changed the complexion of the game, and Newcastle got their tails up.
With the home crowd behind them, they mounted an extraordinary comeback with two penalties converted by Joey Barton, a close-range strike from Leon Best, and a stunning long-distance volley from midfielder Cheick Tiote to draw things level in the 87th minute and complete one of the greatest-ever Premier League comebacks.
#2. Tottenham Hotspur 3-5 Manchester United, 2001/02
Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering Red Devils team were known for being able to come from behind and snatch crucial results even when they didn't deserve it. Still, their remarkable second-half performance in this game made them worthy victors; trailing by three at half-time, you can bet United's players received the famous 'hairblower' treatment from Fergie at the break, and they immediately turned it on when they came back out.
Andrew Cole and Laurent Blanc brought it back to 3-2 by the hour mark, before a relentless push forward in the final 15 minutes saw Ruud van Nistelrooy, Juan Sebastian Veron and David Beckham — who smashed in the fifth from just inside the penalty box — complete a stunning turnaround.
#1. Manchester City 3-2 QPR, 2011/12
This is up there with the most dramatic moments the Premier League has ever seen, and Martin Tyler's perfectly timed scream of 'AGUEROOOO!' probably remains the most famous line of commentary ever dished out in the modern EPL. 2-1 down and needing a win to secure their first ever Premier League title, Roberto Mancini's team were in all-out-attack mode in the dying moments of the game, and it took until the 92nd minute for Edin Dzeko to haul them level, before Aguero — the club's all-time leading goalscorer — buried his historic 94th-minute strike.
Check out our article on comebacks in the 2024/25 Premier League season if you want to read some more statistics about the increased prevalence of the comeback win in the English top-flight.
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