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Martin Tyler: Four goals on Saturday, Sunderland in the drop zone

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Martin Tyler brings you his latest teaser ahead of Tottenham’s game with Arsenal

Martin Tyler returns with the best stats and facts from the weekend's Premier League football...

What happened for the first time in Premier League history on Saturday? How many relegated teams bounce straight back? How long have Sunderland been in the relegation zone this season?

Read on for the answers and don't forget to try to answer Martin's tricky teaser...

Send your questions to Martin in one of the following ways...

Use the comments box at the bottom of this page.

Tweet @SkyFootball using the hashtag #TylersTeasers

Martin's Starting Stats

The north London derby threw up plenty of round numbers

Also See:

It was the 160th league meeting (Arsenal 64, Tottenham 51 and 45 draws)

It was the 180th meeting in all competitions (Arsenal 75, Tottenham 56 and 49 draws)

It was the 50th Premier League meeting (Arsenal 18, Tottenham 11 and 21 draws)

It was the 50th meeting with Arsene Wenger as manager (Arsenal 22, Tottenham 8 and 20 draws)

Arsenal have now won only one of the last nine meetings at White Hart Lane, losing four of the last six. Spurs had broken their Premier League points record of 72 and are now on 77 with four games to go.

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Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal

Harry Kane scored in the fifth Premier League game in a row against Arsenal and his goal made Spurs the highest scorers in the Premier League with 71 (equalled by Liverpool on Monday night).

Arsenal conceded their ninth Premier League penalty of the season. Only Hull, who conceded their 12th on Saturday, have conceded more.

Dele Alli scored his 49th career league goal including 22 for MK Dons. It was his first against Arsenal.

I was commentating with Alan Smith and while he didn't remember, his very last league game in January 1995 was a north London derby at White Hart Lane - his 464th appearance in total. Arsenal were beaten without scoring, as they were on Sunday.

A slow Saturday

There were only four goals in the Premier League on Saturday. Has this ever happened before? Also I noticed they were all scored by away teams. Ash (Stockport)

MARTIN SAYS: The four goals scored in Saturday's five games came from Josh King (for Bournemouth at Sunderland, Jamie Vardy (for Leicester at West Brom) and Burnley's Ashley Barnes and Andre Gray at Crystal Palace. The other two fixtures were goalless.

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See the goals from Saturday's games... all four of them!

We asked our friends at Opta to tell us if there had ever been a day with at least five Premier League fixtures which had seen fewer goals.

There is only one.

Back on Saturday November 24, 2001 there were SIX Premier League matches, but incredibly only three goals were scored. The results that day were:

  • Bolton 0-0 Fulham
  • Chelsea 0-0 Blackburn
  • Leicester 0-0 Everton
  • Newcastle 1-0 Derby
  • Southampton 1-0 Charlton
  • West Ham 0-1 Tottenham

So the only goals that day were scored by Les Ferdinand (Tottenham), Alan Shearer (Newcastle) and Marian Pahars (Southampton).

However, two of those goals were scored at home. Last weekend were no goals scored at home on a day with five Premier League games for the FIRST TIME EVER.

The previous low was November 3, 2002 - the other day when only four goals were scored in five Premier League games. However, on that day Gary Rowett scored at home for Charlton against Sunderland.

In the zone

Has a team ever spent more time inside the relegation zone than Sunderland have this season? Jim Hareo (Sunderland)

MARTIN SAYS: Sunderland's relegation was confirmed on Saturday and when the season ends on Sunday, May 21 they will have completed 261 days inside the relegation zone. During this 282-day season, they have only spent 21 days out of the bottom three.

That's the joint-fifth longest run of any team in Premier League history, along with West Ham (2010/11) and Swindon (1993/94).

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See the moment Sunderland were relegated

Four sides have spent longer in the bottom three during a Premier League season. Portsmouth (2009/10) were there for 264 days, Derby County (2007/08) were there for 268 days and QPR (2012/13) went down after 274 days in the drop zone.

However, the unwanted record belongs to the Sheffield Wednesday side of 1999/00 who went down after 278 days in the bottom three. They finished 19th that season on 31 points after picking up just one point in their first nine matches! There were only two days in that entire campaign where they weren't in the drop zone! Maybe their long wait for a return will end this year?

Teams to have spent more than 260 days in the relegation zone in one season:

SEASON Team Days in drop zone
Sheffield Wednesday 1999/00 278
QPR 2012/13 274
Derby 2007/08 268
Portsmouth 2009/10 264
Swindon 1993/94 261
West Ham 2010/11 261
Sunderland 2016/17 261

Bouncing back

Sunderland fan here: what chance do we stand of coming straight back up next year? How many teams have done it in the past? (Fraser, Sunderland)

MARTIN SAYS: David Moyes experienced what he called the worst day of his career in football as Sunderland's 10-year Premier League tenure ended after losing 1-0 to Bournemouth.

Despite the immediate future looking bleak for Sunderland, hope should be taken from the strong record of teams bouncing straight back from the Championship.

Since the Premier League was formed, 21 out of 73 teams that have been relegated from the Premier League have gained promotion the following season. That's almost 29 per cent of teams.

Jermain Defoe of Sunderland looks dejected during the Premier League match between Sunderland and AFC Bournemouth
Image: Jermain Defoe looks dejected after Sunderland's relegation on Saturday

Eight of the 24 teams to have finished bottom of the Premier League in their relegation season have bounced straight back, including Sunderland in the 2006/07 campaign.

After recording just 15 points in the 2005/06 Premier League season, a summer of wholesale changes followed in the north east. Under the stewardship of Roy Keane, Sunderland won the Championship.

So Sunderland can take solace in the fact that one in three teams that finish bottom of the Premier League - should they do so - bounce straight back.

Teams to have been promoted in season after being relegated:

Relegated in 1992/93: Nottingham Forest*, Crystal Palace

1994/95: Leicester

1995/96: Bolton*

1996/97: Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough*

1998/99: Charlton

2000/01: Man City

2001/02: Leicester*

2002/03: West Brom

2005/06: Sunderland*, Birmingham

2007/08: Birmingham

2008/09: West Brom*, Newcastle

2010/11: West Ham*

2012/13: QPR*

2013/14: Norwich

2014/15: Burnley, Hull

2015/16: Newcastle

*Finished bottom

Another Rooney record

I read Wayne Rooney has scored in 150 Premier League games? Has anyone scored in more? I would guess Shearer and Henry have? MrRedNose

MARTIN SAYS: You're right. Sunday's game against Swansea was the 150th Premier League game in which Wayne Rooney has scored.

He is the second-highest Premier League scorer of all time with 97 goals in total and, to answer your question, there's only one person ahead of him.

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See Wayne Rooney's penalty in the Man Utd v Swansea highlights

That man, as you guessed, is Alan Shearer who scored in 190 matches (and got 260 goals in total).

Rooney's goal on Sunday means he moved ahead of Andrew Cole and Frank Lampard who both scored in 149 matches during their careers.

The next best active player is Jermain Defoe (133 matches scored in), while Thierry Henry has scored in 124 Premier League games.

Most Premier League games scored in:

Alan Shearer (190)

Wayne Rooney (150)

Andrew Cole, Frank Lampard (149)

Jermain Defoe (133)

Thierry Henry (124)

Teddy Sheringham (121)

Les Ferdinand (120)

Robbie Fowler (117)

Robin van Persie (114)

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