Manchester City vs West Ham United (Premier League Match April 2018)

Lore & Background

The concept first emerged in the 1980s as the Big Five, comprising Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur. These clubs had the largest fan bases and associated financial power. They dominated TV coverage between around 1985 and 1991. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a duopoly formed between Manchester United and Arsenal due to their dominance in league titles. This Big Two was the dominant force of English football between 1997 and 2003. The term Big Four gained prominence in the early 2000s when Chelsea and Liverpool consistently finished in the league's top four, with the clubs dominating between 2004 and 2009. By the early 2010s, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were regularly competing at the top end of the table, leading to the informal expansion into the Big Six. The Big Six would dominate the Premier League from 2010 to 2022. As of 2026, the Premier League title was won by a Big Six club in every season since its foundation except in the 1994–95 and 2015–16 seasons which were won by Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City respectively. Of the Big Six, only Tottenham Hotspur have never won a Premier League title since its foundation.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hummed over the Etihad as the fourth official checked the board. Inside, the atmosphere was electric, a mix of tension and anticipation typical of a title-chasing campaign. The pitch was a canvas of vibrant green under the Manchester night sky. As players sprinted across the turf, the roar of the crowd swelled with every pass played forward, capturing the essence of modern football's relentless pace.

Reader's Guide

Since around 2023, the concept of the Big Six has been called into question. This discussion has been driven by the improved performances of teams outside of the Big Six, such as Newcastle United and Aston Villa, and by the poor form of Big Six clubs, particularly Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. However, there is no widespread consensus on what form a replacement for the Big Six would take, and the Big Six continue to feature as a concept across a broad range of sporting publications.

Did You Know?

• The Big Six clubs have typically accounted for at least half of the total annual revenue generated by Premier League clubs since 2004.
• Only Tottenham Hotspur among the Big Six have never won a Premier League title since its foundation.
• The Big Six dominated the Premier League from 2010 to 2022.