Chelsea looked unbeatable during their 13-game winning streak in the Premier League, and it seemed inevitable that they would clinch a record-equaling 14th consecutive victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
Spurs, however, crushed their hopes with a dominant 2-0 win that ironically did their bitter North London rivals a favour, as Arsenal’s record of 14 consecutive Premier League wins remained intact.
Here, we take a look at six other occasions in football when a team was stopped just short of breaking a record.
Real Madrid 1-1 Villarreal, September 2016
Real Madrid were bidding for a record-breaking 17th consecutive La Liga win when they faced Villarreal earlier this season at the Bernabeu. Los Blancos fell behind in the first half when Sergio Ramos conceded a penalty, and though the captain made amends by scoring an equaliser, Villarreal held out for a draw.
Real Madrid share the record with Pep Guardiola’s 2010-11 Barcelona side.
Valencia 2-1 Real Madrid, January 2015
Not too long before their La Liga winning streak, Real Madrid were in the midst of an even more historic run, amassing 23 straight wins in all competitions during the 2014-15 season.
Valencia stopped Carlo Ancelotti’s side in its tracks, however, earning a 2-1 win at the Mestalla. Madrid fell just short of Brazilian side Coritiba’s record streak of 24.
Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal, October 2004
The infamous Battle of the Buffet. Arsenal arrived at Old Trafford on a 49-match unbeaten streak, but Manchester United secured victory to prevent Arsenal from getting to 50.
Wayne Rooney earned United a controversial penalty in the 73rd minute before scoring later to seal the win. After the game, an Arsenal player, allegedly threw a pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson in the tunnel.
Chelsea pip Manchester United to Premier League title, May 2010
Manchester United and Chelsea were in the midst of an epic title tussle in the 2009-10 season, with the Red Devils looking to become the first team in England to win four straight top-flight titles.
The battle boiled down to a late-season encounter at Old Trafford, which Chelsea won 2-1 thanks to a Didier Drogba goal that looked suspiciously offside. On the final day of the season, when a slip-up would have handed United the title, Chelsea hammered Wigan 8-0.
Real Madrid 3-4 Schalke, March 2015
With a 2-0 win in the away leg, it seemed inevitable that Real Madrid would make light work of Schalke at home and win a record 11th straight Champions League game.
The German side had other ideas, however, and came agonizingly close to dumping Madrid out of the competition. A 4-3 Schalke win meant Real Madrid scraped through on aggregate and failed to break Bayern Munich’s consecutive wins record.
Bologna 0-0 Juventus, February 2016
Juventus have been achieving record after record in the Serie A recently, but this was one they couldn’t break. The Turin side travelled to Bologna last season having won 15 straight games in the Serie A, with Inter Milan’s record of 17 in their sights.
However, an obdurate Bologna side kept Juventus at bay in a goalless draw, and even threatened a bigger shock, squandering a few chances that would have given them the win.
