Saturday 21 March 2015 16:22, UK
Manchester City beat West Brom 3-0 on Saturday – but fell one shot short of matching their Premier League record for efforts at goal.
The Etihad visitors were reduced to 10 men after just two minutes when referee Neil Swarbrick appeared to mistakenly send off Gareth McAuley for Craig Dawson’s foul on Wilfried Bony.
City then went on to entirely dominate the contest, with goals from Bony, Fernando and David Silva securing the three points, as Manuel Pellegrini’s men bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit to Barcelona.
However, City’s 43 shots at goal was just one fewer than the record 44 they unleashed against QPR in May 2012, when they famously clinched the Premier League title in dramatic style with a 3-2 win.
City did set a new benchmark for total number of shots in the first half of a match, though, with 26 efforts in the opening period - but they managed just one shot in the final 13 minutes (plus stoppage time) that followed Silva’s goal.
Chelsea had previously held the record with 42 shots in a 2-1 win over Stoke in January 2009, while Jose Mourinho’s side had 39 attempts against West Ham in a 0-0 draw in January 2014.
Opta only began recording total shots data in 2003/04.
Most shots (inc. blocked shots) since 2003/04
Man City v QPR – 44 shots, May 2012
Man City v West Brom – 43 shots, Mar 2015
Chelsea v Stoke – 42, Jan 2009
Chelsea v West Ham – 39, Jan 2014
Man Utd v Sunderland – 36, Apr 2006
Tottenham v Sunderland – 35, May 2013
Arsenal v West Ham – 35, Apr 2007
Liverpool v Birmingham – 35, Nov 2009
Liverpool v Swansea – 35, Feb 2013
Man Utd v Fulham – 35, Mar 2010
Liverpool v Fulham – 35, Dec 2006
Chelsea v Aston Villa - 35, Oct 2008
