Friday 7 February 2020 12:57, UK
Manchester City can become the first side in Premier League history to clinch the title with six games to spare if they beat Manchester United on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
Pep Guardiola's side are 16 points clear of their local rivals ahead of the Etihad Stadium encounter, putting them on the brink of an historic success.
But which other sides have won the title with the most games to spare? Here, we recall the earliest title wins in Premier League history.
Manchester United 2000/01
Manchester United remain the only team to have won the Premier League with five games to spare, but there was little fanfare to greet the achievement back in 2001. A 4-2 win over Coventry City proved to be the decisive step, but the title was only confirmed when Middlesbrough beat second-placed Arsenal later in the day.
Old Trafford was practically deserted by that point, but the title had already become a formality, and with a Champions League quarter-final showdown against Bayern Munich to come a few days later, captain Roy Keane summed up United's attitude to it. "I'm not really bothered to be honest - we're just thinking about Wednesday," he said afterwards.
Manchester United 1999/00
In the 1999/00 campaign, Manchester United became the first team to win the Premier League title with four games to spare. They did it with a 3-1 win away to Southampton, despite the heavy blow of being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid just a few days earlier.
Sir Alex Ferguson described United's team as the best they had ever had after the game, and they went on to win their final four games of the campaign, totting up a points total of 91 and finishing the season 18 clear of second-placed Arsenal. It remains the biggest title-winning margin in Premier League history.
Arsenal 2003/04
Arsenal's Invincibles were the next side to win the Premier League title at the same juncture, famously clinching the 2003/04 crown - which remains their last - at the home of arch-rivals Tottenham. They were denied victory by Robbie Keane's late penalty, but results elsewhere ensured the 2-2 draw was enough.
Arsenal's players celebrated wildly at White Hart Lane, but to their credit they also managed to keep their focus in the remaining games of the campaign, finishing the season unbeaten with draws against Birmingham and Portsmouth and narrow wins over Fulham and Leicester.
Manchester United 2012/13
Sir Alex Ferguson's final Premier League triumph at Manchester United was clinched in record-equalling time. The Red Devils blew the competition away in 2012/13, wrapping up the title with a 3-0 win at home to Aston Villa after second-placed Manchester City had been beaten 3-1 by Tottenham a day earlier.
Robin van Persie was the hero on the day, scoring a stunning hat-trick which took him closer to the Golden Boot, with Ferguson delighting at the manner of United's success. "I am very happy but it is weird," he said. "I had to wait so long for my first title. It is a great feeling. It is a fantastic team and fantastic players. It is a championship for every single one of them."
Chelsea 2004/05
Jose Mourinho's first season in England culminated in Chelsea winning their first title in 50 years with three games of the campaign to spare. The Blues were relentless that year, with summer signings Didier Drogba, Richardo Carvalho, Petr Cech and Arjen Robben helping them on their way to an historic success.
They clinched the Premier League trophy with a 2-0 win at Bolton in which Frank Lampard scored both goals, going on to finish the campaign with a record-breaking total of 95 points - putting them 12 clear of their nearest competitor and guaranteeing their place in the history books.
Chelsea 2014/15
Ten years later, Chelsea sealed the 2014/15 title at the same stage as Eden Hazard's goal clinched a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. The Blues dropped points in two of their final three games - drawing with Liverpool and losing to West Brom, but with a 3-1 win over Sunderland on the final day, they finished the season with an eight-point cushion on Manchester City.
"If I say it's very special, people will say I say that because I'm here," said Mourinho. "But the reality is that if somebody can speak about the difference between the leagues and what it takes to be champion in different leagues, if somebody is in a good position to say that, it's myself, because I was in different places. Here is really special, and it's really difficult."
