Genuine shocks against the reigning Premier League champions from a newly promoted side are rare, which is exactly what makes them so memorable when they happen. Anyone checking Arsenal vs Coventry odds for this year’s opener will know that beating the champions on paper is one thing, but doing it on the pitch as a newcomer is another challenge entirely.

Two results stand out above the rest as clear cases of a promoted club beating the actual defending champions, while a handful of other shocks against the league’s biggest clubs deserve a mention too, even if the opponent wasn’t technically the reigning title holder at the time. Here are five of the moments that defined giant killing in the competition.

Top image: Brian Minkoff- London Pixels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Burnley 1-0 Manchester United, August 2009

Burnley’s first top flight home match in 33 years brought reigning champions Manchester United to Turf Moor, and Robbie Blake’s thunderous 19th minute volley proved enough to win it. United, chasing a fourth successive title, could not find a way through Owen Coyle’s side all afternoon.

📈 Burnley won their first ever Premier League home game against Man Utd 1-0 in August 2009. However, they’re winless in eight against them since then (D2 L6), scoring just one goal in the process. [via BBC]

— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) January 7, 2026

Burnley eventually finished 18th and were relegated back to the Championship at the end of that season.

Norwich City 3-2 Manchester City, September 2019

Daniel Farke’s newly promoted Norwich produced one of the most eye-catching results of the decade, coming from behind to beat reigning champions Manchester City 3-2 at Carrow Road. Kenny McLean, Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki were the scorers in a Norwich side assembled for a fraction of City’s outlay.

@norwichcityfc Norwich City STUN the champions 🤯 | Norwich City 3-2 Manchester City | 2019/20 Highlights #NorwichCity #NCFC #PremierLeague #ManCity ♬ original sound – Norwich City FC

For those checking top 4 finish odds each season, City’s slip that day was a reminder that even the strongest squads can be caught off guard. Norwich finished bottom of the table that season and were relegated, but the result remains one of the biggest upsets the competition has produced.

Hull City 2-1 Arsenal, September 2008

Hull were not facing the reigning champions that day, as Manchester United held the title at the time, but a win at the Emirates Stadium against one of the division’s traditional heavyweights remains one of the most celebrated results in the club’s history.

Geovanni and Daniel Cousin scored in the space of four second half minutes to turn the game around after Arsenal had led through Cesc Fabregas. Hull finished 17th that season, narrowly avoiding relegation.

Leicester City 5-3 Manchester United, September 2014

Leicester were not playing the champions of that season either, since Manchester City held the title at the time, but coming back from 3-1 down to beat a Manchester United side featuring Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria remains a landmark result from their promotion season.

 

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Leonardo Ulloa was central to the comeback. Leicester survived that season in 14th place, a foundation that eventually led to their own title win two years later.

West Bromwich Albion 3-2 Arsenal, September 2010

Arsenal were not the reigning champions in 2010 either, with Chelsea having won the title the previous season, but West Brom’s win at the Emirates remains a regularly cited shock. Peter Odemwingie, Gonzalo Jara and Jerome Thomas scored as newly promoted Albion came from behind to win. They finished the season in a comfortable 11th place.

✔️ Three goals
✔️ Three points

An excellent afternoon at the Emirates Stadium on this day in 𝟤𝟢𝟣𝟢. 👌 pic.twitter.com/EqQ8OAH73p

— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) September 25, 2025

While only two of these results came against the club that genuinely held the title at kick off, all five stand as reminders that a promoted side with the right day can trouble even the biggest names in English football, whatever the odds suggested beforehand.