This page shows the ELO score history of the selected club - mapping their best and worst sides of all time, and their most unlikely victories and defeats based on their ELO score.
Inspired by ClubELO.com, the ELO rating system is a method of calculating and comparing the relative strengths of teams in competition. For every match played, the ELO scores of the two teams are considered, and adjusted for other factors (such as home advantage), to calculate the likelihood of the match result. When the actual result of the game is known, the ELO score is adjusted accordingly, comparing the expected outcome of the game with the actual outcome - so a victory over Manchester United will be worth more points than one over Supermarine. The resulting ELO score can be used to compare the strengths of teams over time, and to project future results based on the current form of all teams.
Sunderland
ELO Score History
A historical overview of Sunderland's ELO scores.
Best Teams in History
A list of the top 15 Sunderland sides in history, based on their ELO score.
| Year | Date Recorded | ELO Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1893 | Saturday February 4th, 1893 | 4,239.38 |
| 1892 | Saturday October 22nd, 1892 | 4,229.04 |
| 1895 | Saturday September 7th, 1895 | 4,209.81 |
| 1894 | Wednesday December 26th, 1894 | 4,200.26 |
| 1913 | Saturday November 15th, 1913 | 4,194.14 |
| 1914 | Thursday January 1st, 1914 | 4,169.22 |
| 1935 | Saturday December 28th, 1935 | 4,166.02 |
| 1902 | Saturday February 1st, 1902 | 4,158.48 |
| 1936 | Saturday January 4th, 1936 | 4,146.66 |
| 1896 | Saturday January 4th, 1896 | 4,144.92 |
| 1903 | Saturday April 4th, 1903 | 4,137.81 |
| 1901 | Saturday October 19th, 1901 | 4,135.56 |
| 1891 | Saturday December 26th, 1891 | 4,129.22 |
| 1904 | Saturday November 19th, 1904 | 4,111.68 |
| 1950 | Saturday April 8th, 1950 | 4,110.45 |
Worst Teams in History
A list of the worst 15 Sunderland sides in history, based on their ELO score.
| Year | Date Recorded | ELO Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Saturday November 27th, 1993 | 3,696.11 |
| 2022 | Tuesday February 22nd, 2022 | 3,702.99 |
| 1987 | Saturday September 26th, 1987 | 3,705.44 |
| 1960 | Saturday April 2nd, 1960 | 3,713.55 |
| 2018 | Saturday March 17th, 2018 | 3,717.28 |
| 2019 | Thursday December 26th, 2019 | 3,724.29 |
| 1992 | Sunday November 15th, 1992 | 3,730.43 |
| 1994 | Saturday January 1st, 1994 | 3,733.89 |
| 2020 | Wednesday January 1st, 2020 | 3,734.73 |
| 1986 | Monday March 31st, 1986 | 3,734.99 |
Significant Victories
A list of the twenty most significant victories in Sunderland history, based on the ELO points difference between the two teams.
| Match | Win % | Score | ELO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Arsenal (4,266) vs. Sunderland (3,916) Wednesday November 6th, 2002 |
8.38% | 2-3 | +9.2 |
|
Chelsea (4,268) vs. Sunderland (3,930) Saturday April 19th, 2014 |
10.17% | 1-2 | +18.0 |
|
Sunderland (3,914) vs. Manchester City (4,245) Sunday November 10th, 2013 |
15.77% | 1-0 | +16.8 |
|
Sunderland (3,970) vs. Manchester City (4,289) Sunday January 1st, 2012 |
17.11% | 1-0 | +16.6 |
|
Sunderland (3,917) vs. Chelsea (4,231) Tuesday December 17th, 2013 |
17.24% | 2-1 | +16.6 |
|
Chelsea (4,310) vs. Sunderland (3,999) Sunday November 14th, 2010 |
11.42% | 0-3 | +31.0 |
|
Sunderland (3,947) vs. Liverpool (4,251) Saturday October 17th, 2009 |
18.31% | 1-0 | +16.3 |
|
Sunderland (3,946) vs. Arsenal (4,242) Saturday November 21st, 2009 |
19.08% | 1-0 | +16.2 |
|
Sunderland (3,885) vs. Manchester United (4,178) Saturday March 8th, 1997 |
21.24% | 2-1 | +15.8 |
|
Chelsea (4,224) vs. Sunderland (3,933) Saturday October 25th, 2025 |
13.07% | 1-2 | +17.4 |
|
Sunderland (3,941) vs. Manchester United (4,231) Tuesday January 7th, 2014 |
19.28% | 2-1 | +16.1 |
|
Sunderland (3,828) vs. Everton (4,114) Wednesday January 10th, 1979 |
26.05% | 2-1 | +14.8 |
|
Sunderland (3,993) vs. Manchester City (4,278) Wednesday December 26th, 2012 |
19.89% | 1-0 | +16.0 |
|
Sunderland (3,725) vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (4,004) Sunday May 6th, 2018 |
20.06% | 3-0 | +28.0 |
|
Sunderland (3,905) vs. Liverpool (4,178) Sunday December 15th, 2002 |
23.27% | 2-1 | +15.3 |
|
Leeds United (3,995) vs. Sunderland (3,729) Wednesday October 6th, 1993 |
12.50% | 1-2 | +8.8 |
|
Sunderland (3,706) vs. Leeds United (3,969) Tuesday September 21st, 1993 |
25.09% | 2-1 | +7.5 |
|
Liverpool (4,158) vs. Sunderland (3,898) Saturday October 1st, 1983 |
11.65% | 0-1 | +17.7 |
|
Sunderland (3,877) vs. Brentford (4,131) Saturday August 30th, 2025 |
22.36% | 2-1 | +15.5 |
|
Arsenal (4,134) vs. Sunderland (3,882) Saturday April 7th, 1973 |
18.94% | 1-2 | +16.2 |
Significant Defeats
A list of the twenty most significant defeats in Sunderland history, based on the ELO points difference between the two teams.
| Match | Win % | Score | ELO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yeovil Town (3,333) vs. Sunderland (3,979) Saturday January 29th, 1949 |
95.89% | 2-1 | -19.2 |
|
Sunderland (3,921) vs. Stockport County (3,438) Wednesday September 3rd, 1980 |
96.61% | 1-2 | -19.3 |
|
Port Vale (3,670) vs. Sunderland (4,137) Monday January 13th, 1936 |
87.31% | 2-0 | -26.2 |
|
Norwich City (3,619) vs. Sunderland (4,056) Saturday January 14th, 1911 |
85.72% | 3-1 | -25.7 |
|
Sunderland (4,037) vs. Notts County (3,682) Saturday January 8th, 2011 |
90.91% | 1-2 | -9.1 |
|
New Brompton (3,592) vs. Sunderland (3,943) Saturday January 11th, 1908 |
78.41% | 3-1 | -23.5 |
|
Bury (3,425) vs. Sunderland (3,772) Tuesday August 22nd, 2006 |
84.57% | 2-0 | -12.7 |
|
Swindon Town (3,473) vs. Sunderland (3,806) Tuesday October 8th, 1985 |
80.17% | 3-1 | -24.1 |
|
Sunderland (3,781) vs. Mansfield Town (3,450) Saturday November 7th, 2020 |
89.40% | 0-1 | -8.9 |
|
Sunderland (4,166) vs. Aston Villa (3,848) Wednesday January 1st, 1936 |
93.05% | 1-3 | -27.9 |
|
York City (3,435) vs. Sunderland (3,751) Saturday March 26th, 1988 |
78.75% | 2-1 | -15.7 |
|
Tottenham Hotspur (3,689) vs. Sunderland (4,005) Saturday February 11th, 1899 |
74.41% | 2-1 | -14.9 |
|
Lincoln City (3,541) vs. Sunderland (3,824) Wednesday September 9th, 1970 |
73.64% | 2-1 | -14.7 |
|
Sunderland (3,758) vs. Mansfield Town (3,477) Saturday November 6th, 2021 |
86.31% | 0-1 | -8.6 |
|
Bradford City (3,688) vs. Sunderland (3,968) Sunday February 15th, 2015 |
79.82% | 2-0 | -18.0 |
|
Notts County (3,846) vs. Sunderland (4,120) Saturday March 1st, 1913 |
70.72% | 2-1 | -14.1 |
|
The Wednesday (3,967) vs. Sunderland (4,229) Saturday October 29th, 1892 |
69.90% | 3-2 | -14.0 |
|
Bristol Rovers (3,531) vs. Sunderland (3,793) Wednesday February 24th, 1988 |
72.97% | 4-0 | -27.4 |
|
Sunderland (3,901) vs. Blackburn Rovers (3,639) Monday April 16th, 1979 |
89.21% | 0-1 | -17.8 |
|
Sunderland (4,175) vs. Sheffield United (3,914) Saturday October 4th, 1913 |
89.99% | 1-2 | -18.0 |
Opponents
A complete listing of Sunderland's fortunes against all opponents that they have played ten or more matches against - ranked from most to least successful, based on the average ELO points gained or lost in each match.
