Manchester City's landmark guilty verdict on 114 of 115 financial charges has reignited debate about points deductions in English football's top flight. Yet for all the Premier League's near-35-year history, clubs have faced this ultimate sanction only a handful of times.

Middlesbrough, 1996/97 — 3 points

The Premier League's first-ever points deduction fell on Middlesbrough during the 1996/97 season. The club cancelled a fixture against Blackburn Rovers without authorisation, citing a flu outbreak in their squad, and were docked three points as a result.

The timing proved devastating. Despite reaching the finals of both domestic cup competitions that campaign, Middlesbrough were relegated with 39 points — three fewer than the number that would have kept them up at Coventry City's expense.

Portsmouth, 2009/10 — 9 points

Portsmouth hold the unenviable record of the heaviest points deduction in Premier League history. After becoming the first top-flight club to enter financial administration in 2008/09, Pompey were stripped of nine points — a penalty that still stands as the competition's largest.

Much like Middlesbrough before them, Portsmouth also made it to an FA Cup final that same season, yet finished rooted to the foot of the table, having occupied bottom position from the second matchday onwards.

Everton, 2023/24 — 8 points

Everton's brush with Premier League financial regulations in 2023/24 became the most complex points-deduction case the competition had seen. The club were initially docked 10 points in November 2023 after being found guilty of breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) — a record at the time.

Following a successful appeal, that deduction was reduced to six points. Then, in April 2024, Everton were found guilty of a second separate rule breach and received an additional two-point deduction — making them the first club in English top-flight history to suffer two points deductions in a single season. Despite the turbulence, Sean Dyche's side finished clear of the drop, reaching 40 points.

Nottingham Forest, 2023/24 — 4 points

After winning promotion to the Premier League in 2022, Nottingham Forest embarked on a remarkable spending spree — investing well over £200 million on more than 40 players across roughly 18 months. In doing so, Pierre van Hooijdonk's long-standing record as the club's most expensive signing was broken twice, with Morgan Gibbs-White's arrival in August 2022 the most notable.

The Premier League acted in January 2024, deducting four points from Forest after finding them guilty of breaching PSR. The club's appeal was unsuccessful, but the Garibaldi ultimately survived relegation and went on to qualify for European football — ensuring few at the City Ground look back on that frenzied transfer window with regret.

What comes next for Manchester City?

With Manchester City now found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges brought against them — including multiple breaches of PSR — the prospect of a points deduction looms over the Etihad. History shows the Premier League is willing to act; the scale of City's case, however, is unlike anything the competition has previously confronted.