# Premier League and WSL · Football Level 4: Intermediate

Football · Level 4: Intermediate · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/football/level-4/premier-league-and-wsl/)

Premier League and WSL in Football (Level 4: Intermediate) on Insporta: 100 sourced facts behind 10 tests. Covers: origins and history; and more.

English Premier League history from 1992 breakaway: Man United's dynasty (13 PL titles), Man City's 4-in-a-row (2020/21-2023/24), Liverpool's 20th top-flight title (2024/25 under Arne Slot), Alan Shearer as all-time top scorer, iconic moments (Agüero 93:20, Wenger's Invincibles, Leicester 2016). Integrated WSL coverage (Chelsea dominance under Emma Hayes then Sonia Bompastor).

## Test 1: Origins and history

- The Premier League was founded on 20 February 1992 when First Division clubs broke away from the Football League, launching in the 1992-93 season. (Source: Premier League history)
- Manchester United won the first Premier League title in 1992-93 under Sir Alex Ferguson — their first English top-flight title in 26 years. (Source: Premier League history)
- The First Division clubs left the Football League so they could sell broadcasting rights on their own. (Source: Premier League history)
- The 1992-93 PL had 22 teams. Reduced to 20 teams from the 1995-96 season onwards. (Source: Premier League history)
- The Women's Super League (WSL) was founded in 2010-11 as England's top women's football league, replacing the Women's Premier League. (Source: WSL history)
- Twelve that season. The league expanded to fourteen clubs from 2026-27. (Source: WSL history)
- The WSL became a fully professional league from the 2018-19 season — one of the earliest fully-professional women's leagues in the world. (Source: WSL history)
- The PL currently has 20 teams (since 1995-96). Each team plays 38 matches (19 home + 19 away). (Source: Premier League history)
- Six or seven in a typical season, among them Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham and Crystal Palace. (Source: Premier League history)
- Each PL team plays 38 matches — 19 home + 19 away. Total: 380 matches per season. (Source: Premier League history)

## Test 2: Champions and dynasties

- Liverpool won the 2024-25 PL under Arne Slot in his first season, equalling Manchester United's 20 English top-flight titles. (Source: Premier League history)
- Manchester City won 4 straight PL titles under Pep Guardiola (2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24) — the first club to win four in a row in the English top flight. (Source: Premier League history)
- Thirteen, all under Sir Alex Ferguson, from 1993 to 2013. (Source: Premier League records)
- 2012, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. City did not add to them in 2024-25 or 2025-26. (Source: Premier League records)
- Chelsea: 5 PL titles (2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017) — during Mourinho and Antonio Conte eras. (Source: Premier League records)
- Liverpool: 2 PL titles (2019/20 under Klopp, 2024/25 under Slot). Their 20th English top-flight title overall. (Source: Premier League records)
- 1998, 2002 and 2004 under Arsene Wenger, then 2025-26 under Mikel Arteta with 85 points, twenty-two years after the Invincibles. (Source: Premier League records)
- Eight titles, seven of them under Emma Hayes and the eighth under Sonia Bompastor in 2024-25. (Source: WSL records)
- Chelsea took the 2024-25 WSL title in Bompastor's debut campaign in charge, following Hayes's move to the United States national team. (Source: WSL history)
- Arsenal won the 2018-19 WSL — the first fully-professional season. Chelsea then dominated the next several seasons. (Source: WSL history)

## Test 3: Top scorers and records

- 260 goals for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle. Harry Kane stopped at 213 when he left for Bayern in 2023. (Source: Premier League records)
- One hundred and eighty-three for United, and 208 in the competition across his spells with Everton and United. (Source: Premier League records)
- Mohamed Salah won the 2024-25 Golden Boot with 29 goals — plus 18 assists, winning Player of Season + Playmaker + Golden Boot all in one season (first ever). (Source: Premier League records)
- Thirty-six in 2022-23, in a thirty-eight-match season. The previous record of thirty-four was set by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, both when the season ran to forty-two games. (Source: Premier League records)
- Sergio Agüero scored 184 PL goals for Man City — the club's all-time record. His iconic '93:20' goal won the 2012 title. (Source: Premier League records)
- The fastest hundred the competition has seen. Alan Shearer had held the record at 124. (Source: Premier League records)
- James Milner passed Gareth Barry's 653 in February 2026 with Brighton and retired that June on 658. Ryan Giggs is third with 632, all for Manchester United. (Source: Premier League records)
- Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands, Arsenal) is the WSL's all-time top scorer with 79+ goals — including 22 in a single season (2018-19). (Source: WSL records)
- Player of the Season, the Golden Boot with twenty-nine goals, and the Playmaker award with eighteen assists, in the same campaign. (Source: Premier League awards)
- 162, a record. Kevin De Bruyne, the nearest challenger for years, left for Napoli in 2025. (Source: Premier League records)

## Test 4: Iconic moments

- On 13 May 2012, taking the title from Manchester United on goal difference with the last kick of the season. (Source: Premier League history)
- Leicester City won the 2015-16 PL as 5000-1 shot underdogs at start of season, under Claudio Ranieri. Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez key. (Source: Premier League history)
- Arsenal went unbeaten through the 2003-04 PL — 26 wins, 12 draws, 0 losses. Wenger's tactical masterpiece with Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira. (Source: Premier League history)
- Sealed inside ten days in May, the league on the final Sunday, the FA Cup the next Saturday and Europe the Wednesday after. (Source: Premier League history)
- A late winner for Everton against Arsenal on 19 October 2002, five days before his seventeenth birthday. (Source: Premier League history)
- Liverpool beat Newcastle 4-3 at Anfield on 3 April 1996, Stan Collymore scoring the winner in the 90th minute; the match is widely considered one of the greatest in Premier League history. (Source: Premier League history)
- Owen scored in the ninety-sixth minute at Old Trafford on 20 September 2009, the latest winner the fixture had produced. (Source: Premier League history)
- Kevin Keegan's outburst on live television in April, saying he would love it if his side beat them, is remembered as the moment it slipped. (Source: Premier League history)
- Six goals and four assists for Arsenal in an 11-1 win over Bristol City in December 2019, the biggest win the league has recorded. (Source: WSL records)
- Chelsea won the shoot-out in the Allianz Arena, having equalised through Drogba with two minutes left. (Source: Premier League history)

## Test 5: Managers

- Sir Alex Ferguson managed Man United 1986-2013, winning 13 PL titles + 2 CLs + numerous FA Cups. Retired 2013 aged 71. (Source: Premier League history)
- Pep Guardiola arrived at Man City in 2016 and won 6 PL titles by 2023-24, including 4 consecutive from 2020/21. (Source: Premier League history)
- José Mourinho arrived at Chelsea in 2004 and won 2 straight PL titles (2004-05, 2005-06). Also returned 2013-2015 for another PL title. (Source: Premier League history)
- Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2024 and won the title in his first season. (Source: Premier League history)
- Arsène Wenger managed Arsenal 1996-2018, winning 3 PL titles including the unbeaten 2003-04 season. (Source: Premier League history)
- Claudio Ranieri (Italian, 64) led Leicester to their historic 2015-16 title — 5000-1 shot at season start. (Source: Premier League history)
- Klopp managed Liverpool 2015-2024. Won 2019-20 PL (30-year gap since last title) with 99 points. Also 2019 CL. (Source: Premier League history)
- Sonia Bompastor (Lyon legend) took over Chelsea after Emma Hayes left for USA in mid-2024. Won 2024/25 WSL in her first season. (Source: WSL history)
- Seven between 2015 and 2024, alongside five FA Cups, before she left to manage the United States. (Source: WSL history)
- Mikel Arteta (Spanish, ex-Arsenal player) has managed Arsenal since Dec 2019. Reached 2025-26 CL final (lost to PSG on pens). (Source: Premier League history)

## Test 6: Iconic players

- A club record, across two spells. He won four Golden Boots in the process. (Source: Premier League history)
- Thierry Henry scored 175 PL goals for Arsenal — the club's PL top scorer. 4 Golden Boots. Voted greatest PL Arsenal player. (Source: Premier League history)
- Mohamed Salah has led Liverpool's attack since 2017, with more than 190 Premier League goals for the club. (Source: Premier League history)
- Roy Keane was United's captain through the 1998-99 treble season, though a suspension kept him out of the Champions League final. He was the side's combative midfield leader. (Source: Premier League history)
- Kevin De Bruyne was City's playmaker from 2015, winning multiple Premier League Playmaker awards, before leaving for Serie A in 2025. (Source: Premier League history)
- Didier Drogba scored the equaliser and the winning penalty in the 2012 CL final vs Bayern. Chelsea legend. (Source: Premier League history)
- Vieira captained the side from 2002 until he left for Juventus in 2005. Adams had lifted the trophy in 1998 and 2002. (Source: Premier League history)
- Sam Kerr (Australia) — Chelsea's iconic goalscorer through the Emma Hayes era. Multiple WSL titles and Golden Boots. (Source: WSL history)
- Erling Haaland joined Man City in 2022, immediately breaking records (36 goals in 2022-23). Won 2 PL titles + 1 CL. (Source: Premier League history)
- Fourth on the competition's all-time list, from a total of 193 including his earlier spell at Chelsea; he left Liverpool at the end of 2025-26. (Source: Premier League history)

## Test 7: Rivalries and derbies

- Ilkay Gundogan scored twice, the first inside a minute, on the way to City's treble. United won the 2024 final between them by the same score. (Source: Premier League history)
- Merseyside Derby — Liverpool vs Everton, both from Liverpool city. Historic rivalry from the 1890s. (Source: Premier League history)
- The North London Derby — Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur. Both clubs from North London. Fierce PL rivalry. (Source: Premier League history)
- City won at Old Trafford on 23 October 2011, the match in which Mario Balotelli revealed the shirt reading 'Why Always Me?'. (Source: Premier League history)
- In April 2014 at Anfield, letting Demba Ba through for the opening goal in a 2-0 defeat that turned the title towards Manchester City. (Source: Premier League history)
- Nine goals at White Hart Lane on 13 November 2004. Thierry Henry scored one of them, not the hat-trick the fixture is often remembered for. (Source: Premier League history)
- Man City 6-3 vs Man United at the Etihad in Oct 2022 — Haaland and Foden both scored hat-tricks. Historic derby. (Source: Premier League history)
- Unlike the North London or Merseyside derbies, the fixture is intense without having acquired a title of its own. (Source: Premier League history)
- Liverpool lost only once all season and still finished second. City won their last fourteen league matches. (Source: Premier League history)
- City in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Liverpool in 2024-25, before Arsenal took the title themselves in 2025-26. (Source: Premier League history)

## Test 8: Individual awards

- The Golden Boot goes to the season's top scorer. Alan Shearer won three, in 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97, and Mohamed Salah has since won four. (Source: Premier League awards)
- Eighteen assists alongside twenty-nine goals, which made him the first player to take that, the Golden Boot and Player of the Season together. (Source: Premier League awards)
- Raya at Arsenal and Sels at Nottingham Forest finished level, the Forest total a large part of why the club reached Europe. (Source: Premier League awards)
- 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97, the first of them in a forty-two-match season. Harry Kane also has three; Salah has four. (Source: Premier League awards)
- Owen was eighteen when he shared the 1997-98 award with Chris Sutton and Dion Dublin. Haaland was twenty-two when he scored his record thirty-six. (Source: Premier League records)
- Awarded by the league since 2019-20, separately from the Football Writers' and the players' union awards, which often go to different people. (Source: WSL awards)
- The PFA award is voted by the players themselves, the Football Writers' award by journalists, and the Premier League's own award by a panel and a public vote. (Source: Premier League awards)
- Guardiola's first PL Manager of Season was 2017-18 after Man City won the title with 100 points — a record. (Source: Premier League awards)
- The award is capped at twenty-three, which ruled Isak out despite his twenty-three goals that season. (Source: Premier League awards)
- Caldentey took the league award in her first season at Arsenal. Russo won the Golden Boot and the Football Writers' award the same year. (Source: WSL awards)

## Test 9: Recent seasons

- A 5-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield on 27 April settled it, with Salah, Van Dijk and Gakpo among the scorers. (Source: Premier League history)
- Liverpool ran away with the 2024-25 title with 84 points. Arsenal finished 2nd with 74 — 10-point gap. Huge gap. (Source: Premier League history)
- Seventh place under Nuno Espirito Santo, their first European campaign in almost thirty years. (Source: Premier League history)
- Their lowest points total under Pep Guardiola, ending a run of four consecutive titles. (Source: Premier League history)
- Their fourth title in a row, the first time any club had done that in the English top flight. They finished third a year later. (Source: Premier League history)
- Mikel Arteta led Arsenal's 2022-23 title challenge. They led PL for most of the season but Man City overtook them. (Source: Premier League history)
- Behind Manchester City twice and Liverpool once, before winning the title themselves in 2025-26. (Source: Premier League history)
- Nottingham Forest beat Brighton 7-0 at the City Ground (1 Feb 2025) — the biggest home win of the season. (Source: Premier League history)
- Chelsea finished 4th in 2024-25 PL — automatic CL qualification. Enzo Maresca's first season as manager. (Source: Premier League history)
- Eighty-four points from thirty-eight matches, including a run of twenty-six games unbeaten between October and April. (Source: Premier League history)

## Test 10: Promotion, relegation and the money

- The bottom three go down to the Championship and three come up, so a fifth of the division can change in a summer. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- The top two go up directly; the clubs finishing third to sixth contest a play-off whose final is often called the richest match in football. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- A relegated club keeps a declining share of Premier League broadcast money for up to three seasons, to soften a fall in income that would otherwise be immediate. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- The second season running that all three promoted clubs went straight back down, after Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton in 2023-24. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- About half is shared equally, a quarter by finishing position and a quarter by how often a club is shown, which is why the gap between first and twentieth is narrower in England than in Spain or Italy. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- The top clubs broke away precisely so they could negotiate broadcasting rights on their own and keep the proceeds rather than share them across the Football League. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- Twenty-four clubs, forty-six matches each, and one of the best-attended second divisions in world football. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- The second tier, renamed WSL 2 in 2025, sits below it with promotion and relegation between the two. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- Everton and Nottingham Forest were both docked points for profitability and sustainability breaches in 2023-24, the first such penalties in the competition. (Source: Football history and competition records)
- Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham have never been relegated from it. (Source: Football history and competition records)

Sources: FIFA / UEFA / CONMEBOL / CAF / national FA official records

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