As the old saying goes, goals win you games but a good defence wins titles. That may never have been truer than with this list, where several of those included didn't even win the championship at the end of the season.
Still, they blew teams out of the water with their unstoppable attacking genius and we celebrate them...
9= Liverpool 2018/19: 89 goals
Liverpool pushed Manchester City all the way in the titanic title tussle of 2018/19, when Jurgen Klopp’s side amassed 98 points but still missed out on the prize.
Liverpool had a marginally better defensive record than City that year, but they weren’t quite as free-scoring in attack. Still, 89 goals in 38 matches isn’t to be sniffed at.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were thorns in the side of every team they faced. The forwards scored 22 times each, while Roberto Firmino chipped in with 12 strikes of his own.
One of the most memorable performances of the campaign came in a 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal in December. The Gunners just couldn’t live with Liverpool’s relentlessness, as the Reds stormed into a 4-1 lead in the first half.
9= Manchester United 2011/12: 89 goals
Manchester United came within minutes of winning the title, only to be pipped by their noisy neighbours at the last. Alex Ferguson could hardly fault his players’ efforts, though: only two non-title winners scored more goals than United managed in 2011/12.
Wayne Rooney was the star of the show, netting 27 goals for his best ever scoring season in the Premier League.
There were also significant contributions from Javier Hernandez (10) and Danny Welbeck (nine), but United wouldn’t have got anywhere near the title without Wazza.
Ferguson’s side scored in all but three games, drawing blanks in defeats by Newcastle, Wigan and Manchester City. What could have been…
8. Manchester City 2011/12: 93 goals
Manchester City only scored four more goals than Manchester United in 2011/12, but each of them was decisive as Roberto Mancini’s won the league on goal difference.
City came roaring out of the blocks: in the first 14 games of the season, they averaged 3.43 goals per match.
Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero led the charge. By the end of the campaign those two had scored 37 goals between them - more than Tony Pulis’ Stoke, who finished 14th. Mario Balotelli was another key contributor with 13.
The 6-1 win at Old Trafford in October ultimately proved decisive. Had City won that match 2-1 instead, the two Manchester clubs would have finished the season with identical records.
7. Manchester City 2018/19: 95 goals
Manchester City edged out Liverpool by a point in 2018/19, but they outscored their closest challengers by a bigger margin.
Pep Guardiola’s charges hit three different teams for six, racking up a half-dozen against Huddersfield, Southampton and Chelsea. Cardiff and Burnley both narrowly avoided that scoreline by one.
Sergio Aguero broke the 20-goal mark for the sixth (and final) time in his Premier League career, while Raheem Sterling grabbed 17 and Leroy Sane scraped into double figures with 10.
This City side could grind out wins when they needed to, with six 1-0 victories throughout the season. Yet it was apt that they sealed the title with a 4-1 thrashing of Brighton on the final day.
6. Manchester United 1999/00: 97 goals
A treble in 1998/99 makes that Manchester United’s greatest ever season, but in purely Premier League terms they were much better the following year: Alex Ferguson’s side picked up 12 more points and scored 17 more goals.
Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke maintained their excellent partnership up top, scoring 39 goals between them. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer started only 15 matches but still chipped in with 12 strikes.
United ended the season in blistering form, winning 11 games in a row and scoring 37 goals. The highlight was a 7-1 shellacking of a talented West Ham side in which Paul Scholes scored one of his two Premier League hat-tricks.
5. Liverpool 2013/14: 101 goals
The Liverpool of 2013/14 are the second-highest-scoring runners-up in Premier League history. Brendan Rodgers’ side certainly knew where the goal was. The problem was the type of defensive record more readily associated with mid-table sides.
There was little in the early weeks of the campaign to suggest Liverpool were poised to bring up a ton of goals. The Reds began with three consecutive 1-0 wins, Daniel Sturridge stepping up as the side’s marksman in the absence of the suspended Luis Suarez.
The Uruguayan made up for lost time on his return, ending the season with a remarkable tally of 31 goals in 33 games - all without taking a single penalty.
Sturridge scored 21 times and Steven Gerrard 13, but it wasn’t enough for Liverpool to win the title.
3= Manchester City 2013/14: 102 goals
While Liverpool’s mediocre defensive record was the main reason they didn’t win the title in 2013/14, it’s interesting to note they actually scored one goal fewer than Manchester City.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men weren’t exactly flat-track bullies. They scored 11 goals in two games against Tottenham and beat Arsenal 6-3 at the Etihad, with Fernandinho the unlikely star with a brace.
As was the case under Roberto Mancini in 2011/12, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko were key with a combined 33 goals.
The star man this season, though, was Yaya Toure, who became only the second midfielder (after Frank Lampard) to score 20 times in a Premier League campaign.
2. Chelsea 2009/10: 103 goals
Chelsea became the first Premier League team to reach triple figures for goals in 2009/10. Jose Mourinho’s title-winning sides at Stamford Bridge were more solid than spectacular, but Carlo Ancelotti threw off the shackles after his arrival from AC Milan.
With 28 games gone, both Arsenal and Manchester United had actually scored more goals than Chelsea.
Then the Blues went wild, finding the net 38 times in their final 10 matches, a run which included a 5-0 victory over Portsmouth, a 7-1 thrashing of Aston Villa and a 7-0 defeat of Stoke.
They wrapped up the title in fitting fashion, vanquishing Wigan 8-0 on the final day to finish a point clear of Manchester United.
1. Manchester City 2017/18: 106 goals
When Manchester United won the title in 1992/93, they scored 67 goals in 42 games. In 2017/18, Manchester City scored their 67th goal in the middle of January.
Pep Guardiola’s side were unstoppable this season. They set the tone with a devastating spell in September, demolishing Liverpool 5-0, Watford 6-0 and Crystal Palace 5-0 in consecutive matches.
City scored three or more goals in 21 games. They were prolific even in defeat, going down 4-3 to Liverpool at Anfield in a thrilling mid-season clash.
Take away the goals of their top scorer, Sergio Aguero, and City would still have notched 85 - almost enough for a place in this ranking. Their Premier League record will take some beating.
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