In all but four of the 31 seasons since its introduction, at least one newly promoted club filled one of the three Premier League relegation places, and in the 1997–98 season all three promoted clubs (Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Crystal Palace) were relegated.
Last season was the fourth time since 1992-93 that all three promoted sides (Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest) have avoided the drop - following 2001-02 (Blackburn, Bolton and Fulham), 2011-12 (QPR, Norwich and Swansea) and 2017-18 (Brighton, Huddersfield and Newcastle).
The highest finishes by promoted sides were Newcastle in 1993-94 and Nottingham Forest in 1994-95, who both finished third. The last team to finish in the top five was Ipswich in 2000-01.
Which clubs have never been relegated from the Premier League? Since the establishment of the Premier League as the successor-competition to the English First Division in 1992, only a small number of clubs can claim never to have been relegated from the league. They are: Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Everton and Chelsea. Those six clubs have been constants in the top division for decades. Brighton are a new addition to that number, but only by virtue of the fact that they have not been relegated since being promoted to the Premier League for the 2017-18 season. However, while the aforementioned teams have never been relegated from the competition that was born in 1992, each of them has endured relegation, though admittedly not for quite some time.| Club | Last top-flight relegation | In top league since |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 1912-13 | 1919-20 |
| Everton | 1950-51 | 1954-55 |
| Liverpool | 1953-54 | 1962-63 |
| Manchester United | 1973-74 | 1975-76 |
| Tottenham | 1976-77 | 1978-79 |
| Chelsea | 1987-88 | 1989-90 |
| Brighton* | 1982-83 | 2017-18 |
*Unlike the other clubs, who were part of the first Premier League season, Brighton have only been in the competition since 2017-18.
In terms of the pre-Premier League era, Arsenal have the strongest history in England's top division, having last been relegated in the 1912-13 season, when they (as Woolwich Arsenal) finished bottom of the league. The Gunners were promoted back into the First Division for the 1919-20 season and have remained a fixture in the league ever since, with their closest flirtation with the drop occurring during the 1970s. Everton follow Arsenal with the longest pedigree in the top flight, having last endured relegation in the 1950-51 campaign. They were promoted back in 1954, taking their place at the top table from 1954-55. Liverpool are next in the list of uninterrupted spells in England's top league, with the Reds being a part of the picture since the 1962-63 season. The Merseysiders had been relegated to the Second Division after finishing bottom of the First Division in 1953-54 and they spent eight seasons there until earning promotion in the 1961-62 season. Manchester United were last relegated from the top flight in the 1973-74 season, but they rebounded straight away and have been a part of the top table since the 1975-76 season. Like United, Tottenham have been a familiar entity in England's top league since the 1970s and their last relegation - in the 1976-77 season - was also a blip as they returned to the First Division from 1978-79 on. Chelsea were last relegated in 1987-88, having lost a relegation play-off tie with Middlesbrough, but they returned after one season after winning the Second Division in 1988-89. While it is Brighton's first spell in the Premier League, it is not the club's first stint in the top division, having spent four seasons in the First Division between 1979 until 1983. They were relegated to the Second Division after finishing bottom in the 1982-83 season.
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