On 29 September, it was 25 years since Manchester United came from three goals down to win at White Hart Lane. United were chasing a fourth straight title that season and Arsenal beat them to it, a reminder that the Premier League winner betting odds are settled over 38 games rather than one afternoon. That night still has a rival for the league’s greatest fightback. Only five teams have won a Premier League game from three goals down, and one more recovered from four down to draw.
Tottenham 3-5 Manchester United, September 2001
Tottenham led 3-0 at half time on 29 September 2001. Dean Richards headed in on his debut after 15 minutes, Les Ferdinand added a second and Christian Ziege scored the third just before the break.
Sir Alex Ferguson sent on Mikael Silvestre and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at half time. Andy Cole headed in within a minute of the restart, and Laurent Blanc scored from a David Beckham corner on 58 minutes. Ruud van Nistelrooy levelled on 72, Juan Sebastian Veron put United ahead three minutes later and Beckham made it 5-3 on 87.
United became the first Premier League side to win after trailing 3-0 at half time. Ferguson never revealed what he told his players at the break, and when pressed on it he replied “why am I always asked that?”
Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal, February 2011
Arsenal were 4-0 up at St James’ Park after 26 minutes on 5 February 2011. Theo Walcott scored in the first minute, Johan Djourou in the third and Robin van Persie twice more.
The game turned five minutes into the second half, when Abou Diaby was sent off for pushing Kevin Nolan. Joey Barton scored a penalty on 68 minutes and Leon Best added another goal on 75. Barton converted a second penalty on 83 minutes, and Cheick Tiote equalised on 87.
Newcastle remain the only Premier League team to come back from four goals down. They did not win, but no other side has recovered a bigger deficit.
The other wins from three goals down
Leeds United were the first. Derby County led 3-0 at Elland Road after 33 minutes on 8 November 1997, and Lee Bowyer won it 4-3 in the 90th minute.
Wimbledon followed on 9 September 1998. West Ham United led 3-0 at Upton Park within 27 minutes, with Ian Wright scoring twice, before Wimbledon hit back to win 4-3.
Wolverhampton Wanderers did it on 25 October 2003. Leicester City led 3-0 at Molineux after 35 minutes, and Wolves scored four times in the second half, two of them from Colin Cameron.
Nobody managed it again for more than 20 years, until Bournemouth beat Luton Town 4-3 on 13 March 2024. The fixture was a replay, because the original game in December had been abandoned when Luton captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest. Luton led 3-0 at half time before Dominic Solanke, Illia Zabarnyi and Antoine Semenyo, with two goals, turned it round.
Burnley came close in 2026
Brentford led 3-0 at Turf Moor after 34 minutes on 28 February 2026, and Scott Parker’s Burnley were level by the hour mark. Mikkel Damsgaard then won it 4-3 for Brentford in the 93rd minute. Burnley, who were in the bottom three, thought they had another equaliser when Ashley Barnes volleyed in, but a video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled it out for handball.
So which comeback is the biggest?
Newcastle’s is the biggest deficit ever recovered in the Premier League. United’s is the biggest turnaround that ended in a win, because they scored five times in one half to do it. Every other side to win from three down scored four.
Two men from the most recent of those wins meet at Anfield on 11 October. Andoni Iraola managed Bournemouth against Luton and now manages Liverpool, while Semenyo plays for Manchester City. Anyone reading the football odds for that game should know how rare a lost three-goal lead is. It has led to defeat only five times in Premier League history.
