Premier League has its sixth three-horse title race – here is what happened previous five times

Following Manchester City’s home win against Brentford in the Premier League on Tuesday evening, a thrilling three-team title race is ensuing. Liverpool, City and Arsenal currently make up the top three but are kept apart by just two points with 13 games remaining.

Liverpool, who take on Luton Town on Wednesday at Anfield, sit atop the table with 57 points. City now have 56 points and a resurgent Arsenal, victorious in their past five league matches in which they have scored a staggering 21 goals, have 55 points.

Here, Telegraph Sport takes a look at the five previous times the top flight has had a three-horse race for the title.

1992/93: Man Utd, Aston Villa and Norwich City

The Premier League’s inaugural season certainly conjured up an intriguing title race. Manchester United were seeking their first English crown in 26 years but had Aston Villa and surprise package Norwich standing in their way.

Norwich, who had finished a lowly 18th the year before, led the table for the first half of the season. But, by mid-February, both Villa and United had made up ground to overtake Mike Walker’s side with 13 games to go. From there, all three teams took turns at the top over the next few months.

However, once United pulled off a memorable 3-1 win at Norwich at the start of April, they finished the season with a flourish, claiming seven straight victories to seal the title with two matches to spare. Villa and Norwich finishing 10 and 12 points behind United respectively.

1998/99: Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea

Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson were in the throes of their tempestuous rivalry when reigning champions Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford to play out a 1-1 draw in February 1999. It left United top with 12 games remaining, but Arsenal were just four points behind with a game in hand.

This epic tussle between two titans of English football was made all the more exciting by Chelsea inserting themselves into the picture, Gianluca Vialli’s side sitting a point ahead of Arsenal with 13 matches left.

Ultimately, this campaign went to the wire, with United crowned champions courtesy of a dramatic 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the season to finish a point ahead of Arsenal, and four points ahead of Chelsea. Of course, this was just the start, with United eventually sealing a historic treble.

2001/02: Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd

An enthralling title race had emerged by mid-February 2002. Bobby Robson’s Newcastle United were proving the team to beat with 49 points from 25 games, a major improvement on the form that led to them to an 11th-place finish the season before.

Manchester United recovered from their terrible pre-Christmas form, which had them as low as ninth in December, to reassert their credentials, once Ferguson reversed his shock decision to retire at the season’s end.

Liverpool were also in contention, sitting two points behind United, despite missing manager Gérard Houllier since October with the Frenchman recovering from major heart surgery.

Arsenal were in second, after a frustrating 1-1 home draw with Southampton left them on 48 points. Yet, incredibly, those were the last points they would forfeit that campaign as the club stormed towards the Premier League title with 13 straight wins, finishing seven points clear of runners-up Liverpool as part of a league and FA Cup double, their second in four years. Newcastle, meanwhile, imploded and finished fourth.

2007/08: Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal

A young, plucky Arsenal side were flying high in the Premier League with 13 games left, fending off the looming presence of defending champions Manchester United.

Wenger’s youthful side looked impressive heading into February 2008, gaining 60 points from their first 25 games, two points ahead of United and six points ahead of Chelsea, who had caretaker manager Avram Grant at the helm.

However, Arsenal’s ill-fated 2-2 draw away at Birmingham City, a fixture marred by a horrific injury to striker Eduardo, prompted a collapse in form that resulted in just seven points from their next seven games, before they eventually finished in third place.

United and Chelsea, meanwhile, played out a riveting climax to the season. Ferguson’s side pipped Chelsea to the league on the final day by two points, before clinching their third European Cup in Moscow, once again at Chelsea’s expense.

2013/14: Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea

128 days. That was the number Arsenal had spent on top of the Premier League by early February 2014. However, once Liverpool ruthlessly dispatched them in a 5-1 annihilation at Anfield, their title hopes were emphatically blown to shreds.

What then ensued was arguably the most exhilarating three-team contest of them all between Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Chelsea manager José Mourinho quipped that his team was the “little horse” out of these three contenders, but they strode ahead of their counterparts, up until early April, where Liverpool, energised by an almighty avalanche of emotion and goals, propelled themselves in front with 11 straight league wins.

However, with just three matches left, Liverpool’s title challenge faltered. A fateful 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea, when Steven Gerrard famously slipped, proved decisive. Liverpool then surrendered a three-goal lead in a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace to leave Luis Suarez in tears, allowing Manchester City to charge in front by two points to capture the Premier League on the final day.