Quickest promoted teams to reach 40 points: Sunderland 3rd from past 10 seasons | OneFootball

Sunderland reached the 40-point threshold in their first season back in the Premier League with their 1-0 win over Leeds United on Tuesday night.

40 points is usually regarded as the rough benchmark for survival, even though it would have taken a mere 26 points to stay up last season, when all three promoted teams went straight back down for the second season in a row.

Sunderland now look set to be the club that ends that streak. They sit 11th in the table after their midweek win over Leeds, putting them 15 points clear of 18th-placed West Ham (who have played a game less).

With nine games left in their season, Sunderland can start to look forward to a second year back in the Premier League. But how does their record of reaching 40 points compare to other promoted teams from recent years?

We’ve looked at the last 10 Premier League seasons and ranked the promoted teams to reach 40 points by how quickly they got there.

2019/20: Sheffield United – 27 games

The most recent Premier League newcomers to get to 40 points quicker than Sunderland 25/26 were Sheffield United back in the 2019/20 season.

Chris Wilder’s side defied the odds to not only stay up, but finish in the top half, despite it being more than a decade since the club were last in the top flight.

Wilder’s 3-5-2 formation with overlapping centre-backs caught some established Premier League clubs off guard. Over the first half of the season, there was a win over Arsenal and draws with Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United. By Christmas, the Blades were fifth in the league.

The 40-point barrier was smashed after 27 games thanks to a draw with Brighton and they went on to finish on 54 points.

2018/19: Wolves – 27 games

The season before, Wolves took the Premier League by storm, securing the highest finish by a promoted club (seventh) since 2000/01.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side had already cruised to the Championship title in 2017/18 with a final tally of 99 points. Then, they added the likes of Raul Jimenez, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio to a squad that already had stars like Ruben Neves and the late Diogo Jota.

Despite not winning any of their first three games after promotion, Wolves soon settled into life in the top flight and claimed the scalps of Chelsea and Tottenham that December.

Their 40th point was obtained with a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in February, thanks to Jimenez equalising with a penalty. After that, they still went on to beat Arsenal and Man Utd in April, before finishing on 57 points and qualifying for the Europa League.

2025/26: Sunderland – 29 games

Back in the big time after an eight-year absence, half of which was spent down in League One, Sunderland could have feared their return to the top flight would be a brief one given the fates of Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton the season before.

But the Black Cats went on an intense recruitment drive, breaking their club transfer record twice to make Enzo Le Fee’s stay permanent and then to sign Habib Diarra. They also got themselves a new captain in the shape of Granit Xhaka.

Things started in the best way possible for Regis Le Bris’ side, who beat West Ham 3-0 on the opening day. By the 11th matchday, after drawing 2-2 with Arsenal, they were in the top four. They only slipped out of the top half after their last game of January.

Ahead of their clash with Leeds, Sunderland were on a spell of four games without a win, but a Diarra penalty got them back among the wins and onto the milestone of 40 points, the first promoted team to do so in three years.

2020/21: Leeds United – 30 games

Leeds themselves previously enjoyed a thrilling first season back in the Premier League after their long-awaited return to the top flight, having also gone down a path that took them to League One for a few years.

After winning the Championship in Marcelo Bielsa’s second season in charge, Leeds went toe to toe with defending Premier League champions Liverpool on the opening day, ultimately falling to a 4-3 defeat at Anfield.

But wins over Fulham and Sheffield United followed, before a draw with Manchester City. Leeds were up and running.

It was doing the double over the Blades with a 2-1 win in April that saw Leeds get over the 40-point benchmark. They only lost once from their remaining eight games, taking points off Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd and Spurs to finish ninth on 59 points.

2022/23: Fulham – 31 games

Having bounced straight back up from the Championship under the guidance of Marco Silva, Fulham solidified their squad by adding the likes of Joao Palhinha, Bernd Leno and Willian.

Kicking off with a draw at home to Liverpool, Fulham picked up their first win three games in by beating Brentford and even enjoyed a four-match winning streak straight after the Qatar World Cup.

Their form wasn’t all on an upwards trajectory, though, and they suffered a four-match losing run between March and April. But by ending it with a win away at Everton, they surpassed 40 points.

Their final position was 10th with 52 points and they have remained a steady mid-table outfit since.

2017/18: Newcastle United – 33 games

With Rafael Benitez at the helm, Newcastle managed to climb straight back up to the Premier League ahead of the 2017/18 season.

Despite starting the season with back-to-back defeats – and even losing eight from nine between November and December – a more stable second half of the season saw them earn a 10th-place finish on 44 points.

They surpassed 40 points with a win over Arsenal in April, which was the culmination of a four-match winning spell. The Magpies have remained in the Premier League ever since.

2021/22: Brentford – 34 games

Complete newcomers to the Premier League in 2021, Brentford set out strongly with a 2-0 win over Arsenal.

Although they suffered a slump over the winter, Thomas Frank’s side preserved their top-flight status and finished 13th on 46 points.

Their 40th was earned with a 0-0 draw at home to Frank’s future employers Tottenham in their fifth from last game of the season.

2017/18: Brighton – 36 games

Runners up to Newcastle by one point in the 2016/17 Championship, Brighton earned Premier League status for the first time in their history and they haven’t let go of it since.

They finished exactly on 40 points in their first Premier League season, with a win over Man Utd getting them there with two games to spare.

The Seagulls have surpassed that point tally in every season since and even got to play in the Europa League in 2023/24.

2016/17: Burnley – 36 games

Following an immediate comeback to the Premier League in 2016, Burnley also finished on 40 points. In their case, a draw against West Brom in their 36th game got them there.

Their points tally was seven better than the one they’d been relegated with in 2015 and survival set them up for a further four uninterrupted years in the top tier.

Sean Dyche’s side also made it to the Europa League for the 2018/19 season after finishing seventh in their second season back in the Premier League.