Gerrard: late, late winner

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Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back for the new season and will be here offering you statistical gems for the remainder of the campaign.

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Tyler's starting stat - Pompey in a pickle

I was at Fratton Park on Monday night to see Manchester United pick up their first win of the season, thanks to Darren Fletcher's bundled winner. The goal gave United only their second Premier League win at Portsmouth in six attempts. They have only prized seven points down there, with two wins and a draw - last year they draw 1-1 and back in 2005-06, they won 3-1. The defeat also left Harry Redknapp and Pompey in a bit of a pickle, because they have now lost their last six Premier League games which includes the final four of last season. They have not actually won a league game in seven attempts and in that six-game losing streak, have only managed one goal - John Utaka's consolation strike in a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City in April.

SPURS' STUMBLING STARTS
Hi Martin - another false dawn down at the Lane? I can't see Spurs getting anything at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, which will leave us pointless after three matches. I know we're not exactly the best starters but I was wondering would that be our worst start in Premier League history? Brian Morris
MARTIN SAYS: Tottenham have never been pointless after three games in Premier League history, so defeat at Stamford Bridge would result in their worst ever start to a Premier League season. Previously their worst was the 1995/96 season when they picked up just one point from their opening three games. Looking on the bright side, there have been three seasons in Premier League history when Tottenham have lost their opening two fixtures (in 1997/98, 1998/99 and 2007/08), but on each occasion Spurs have gone on to win their third match. So maybe the omens are good for them on Super Sunday. Or maybe not because they have not won a league game at Stamford Bridge since 1989-90! Of their 16 Premier League games at Chelsea, they have draw six and lost 10.

NEW BOYS' JOY
Dear Martin. It's good to see that Hull and Stoke have already won games after coming up from the Championship, I'm glad the promoted sides are holding their own. If West Brom manage to win next weekend that'll be three wins in three weeks. Will that be some sort of record? Paul MacDougal
MARTIN SAYS: Even if West Brom manage to beat Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday, it will not match the best start to a season for the promoted sides, Paul. In the first ever Premier League season the three promoted teams - Ipswich, Middlesbrough and Blackburn - had all recorded victories after just two rounds of games. That feat was repeated in 1997-98 when Bolton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace all recorded one win each from their first two fixtures. Despite that early success, all three were still relegated! Tony Mowbray's side needn't feel too much pressure to pick up their first three points because they are still a long, long way from being the slowest team out of the blocks following promotion. Back in 1993-94 it took Swindon 16 games before breaking their duck with a 1-0 win over QPR. More recently Norwich didn't win until their 14th game in 2004-05 while it took Watford 11 attempts to register three points in 2006-07. Derby County of course, only won one game all of last season, but that came in September when they beat Newcastle in their sixth game.

ALWAYS PACKING OUR BAGGIES
Hi Martin, just a question about WBA, can you tell me the last time they started the season with a home game? I can't remember one in the Premier League. Mal Atkins, Kingswinford, West Midlands
MARTIN SAYS: That is an interesting question Mal. A quick flick back through the record books shows that while West Brom have enjoyed home advantage on the opening day of the Championship season, they have NEVER been at home as the Premier League has got underway. This season of course, they went to Arsenal and lost; back in 2005 they drew 0-0 at Manchester City and the season before picked up a point with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn. There first Premier League game was in 2002 when they went to Old Trafford and were beaten by a solitary goal. In both leagues though Mal, you only have to go back to 2006 to see the last time the Baggies started their season at The Hawthorns, a 2-0 Championship win over now-Premier League rivals Hull City.

ONE HULL OF A START
Hi Martin, As you know the mighty Tigers that are Hull City are now two games unbeaten. But my Question is: What is the longest a newly-promoted team has gone without being beaten from the start of the premier league season? Lee Puckering
MARTIN SAYS: I heard someone point out that Hull are the only unbeaten side in Premier League history, Lee, which is factually correct after their win over Fulham and draw at Blackburn. But they have some way to go before the can start reaching for the record books, because Nottingham Forest went 11 games unbeaten at the start of 1994-95 season before going on to finish third. Ipswich Town went eight unbeaten in 1992-93 and Blackburn went seven unbeaten in the same season - the first of, course, in the Premier League. Nobody has come close in more recent times.

CHOCKER WITH CHAMPIONS
Hi Martin. Which European nation has had the most amount of different teams represent them in the Champion's League since it began its current format in 1992? Liam McGrath, Waterford
MARTIN SAYS: By that I take it you mean the Champions League proper stages and not the qualifying competitions as well, Liam. If so, I can tell you that up to and including last season's competition, there have been 29 countries represented by 101 clubs in the competition in its current format. Leading the way are Spain, who have had 12 clubs involved, then comes Germany and France with nine apiece and Italy with eight. England has seen seven different Champions League competitors, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.

STEVIE SAVES THE DAY
Hi Martin, I was relieved to see Steve Gerrard give Liverpool two wins in two with that late goal against Middlesbrough. It is my opinion that he does this quite a lot? Is this true and if so, do we always win when he scores later? I would very much like to know the outcome. Robert Kufuor, Nigeria
MARTIN SAYS: If my memory serves me correct, this is the first overseas question we have had this season, so I will gladly answer it, Robert - with a little help from the very good people at Opta. Gerrard's last-minute winner over Middlesbrough was his seventh 'late' goal out of a total of 56 he has scored in the Premier League (these stats are for Premier League games only). Of those seven strikes, Saturday's was his second in the final minute, or injury time, and was the fourth time he has won the game for Liverpool in the closing stages. The three occasions his strike wasn't decisive, Liverpool were already 2-0 to the good and ended up winning 3-0. Of course, there was also that famous strike against Olympiakos in the group stages of the Champions League in 2005. That "beauty" as my co-commentator Andy Gray called it, came on 86 minutes and gave them a 3-1 win, which meant that having needed to win by two clear goals, Liverpool went through. And the rest, of course, we know about! But here are Gerrard's late goals in the Premier League...

JAVIER THE GOLDEN BOY
Martin, Javier Mascherano has now won two Olympic gold medals. Does this make him the first player in Premier League history to do so? Tom Jarrod
MARTIN SAYS: Well Tom, in a word yes! Mascherano was part of the side that retained its Olympic title making him the only Premier League player to have won the tournament twice. He is also just the second footballer to win a gold medal whilst at a Premier League club. The first was Lauren in 2000 who went all the way with Cameroon, just a few weeks after making his Arsenal debut. In all, there have been 17 players have both played in the Premier League and won an Olympic gold. Here they are in full: Javier Mascherano (Argentina 2004 & 2008); Carlos Tevez, Gabriel Heinze, Fabrico Coloccini, Andres D'Alessandro, Luciano Figueroa (Argentina 2004); Lauren, Patrick Mboma, Geremi, Pierre Wome (Cameroon 2000); Daniel Amokachi, Celestine Babayaro, Nwankwo Kanu, Jay-Jay Okocha, Taribo West (Nigeria 1996); Albert Ferrer (Spain 1992); Dmitry Kharin (USSR 1988)