Best of Martin Tyler's 2018 stats: Most left-footed goals? Oldest-ever scorers? Highest number of shots?
Tuesday 1 January 2019 18:30, UK
Most left-footed goals in a season, oldest-ever scorers, lowest-ever possession and highest number of shots in a game are just some of Martin Tyler's best stats from the past 12 months.
It has been yet another action-packed 2018 in the Premier League and here we pick out some of the most eye-catching questions that the Sky Sports commentator answered this year.
January
Has any team had less possession this season than Newcastle did against Man City? And has any team completed fewer passes? Phil, Doncaster
MARTIN SAYS: Newcastle's had just 19.46 per cent possession at the Etihad - and that is indeed the lowest figure in the Premier League so far this campaign.
Man City have also been the opposition in three of the next four lowest figures in their wins over Huddersfield Town (20.46 per cent), Stoke City (20.71 per cent) and Bournemouth (21.18 per cent).
In addition, Everton had just 20.61 per cent possession in their draw with Liverpool.
According to our friends at Opta, Newcastle completed 114 passes at City. That's not the lowest tally this season.
That dubious honour falls to Huddersfield, who completed just 94 passes in their 2-1 home loss to Man City in November.
And that was five fewer than Everton, who managed only 99 completed passes in their 1-1 draw at Liverpool in December.
Newcastle's tally of 114 on Saturday is the third fewest this season.
February
Has anyone scored more left-footed goals in a season than Mo Salah?James, Liverpool
MARTIN SAYS: There is no stopping Mohamed Salah at the moment. His goal at St Mary's was his 22nd in the Premier League, 19 of which have come via his trusted left-foot.
In finishing that chance against the Saints, Salah emulated a longstanding record set by Robbie Fowler in 1994-95 for left-footed goals scored in a Premier League season.
Behind the Liverpool duo is Robin Van Persie, who struck 18 left-footed goals in his Golden Boot winning campaign in 2012/13 while he also managed 17 the season before.
The Premier League record is 19 so far, but Lionel Messi scored a remarkable 44 left-footed goals in La Liga in 2011/12 - and 40 the season after. In fact he's scored more than 25 left-footed league goals in five separate seasons!
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March
How quick did Jurgen Klopp reach 200 Premier League goals in comparison to other managers? Anne, Merseyside
MARTIN SAYS: Sadio Mane scored Liverpool's 200th Premier League goal of the Jurgen Klopp era as he wrapped up Saturday's 2-0 win over Newcastle. It took Klopp's Liverpool just 97 games to reach that landmark, a rate of 2.06 goals per game, but that's not quite the fastest in Premier League history.
Manuel Pellegrini took only 84 games at Man City to get to 200 (2.38 goals per game), followed by Klopp's Liverpool predecessor Brendan Rodgers (96 at 2.08 goals per game), so one game quicker.
Klopp is the third quickest to that tally in Premier League history, just ahead of Roberto Mancini at Man City (100 games at 2 goals per game) and Jose Mourinho's first stint at Chelsea (108 games at 1.85 goals per game).
It's also worth mentioning Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino has reached 100 Premier League wins as a manager in 197 games - the joint-sixth quickest alongside Kenny Dalglish.
Only Jose Mourinho (142), Alex Ferguson (162), Arsene Wenger (179), Rafa Benitez (181) and Claudio Ranieri (187) reached it in fewer games.
April
How many days will Man City have spent at the top of the Premier League come the end of the season? Steve, Manchester
MARTIN SAYS: City will end this season having spent 240 days at the top of the Premier League table - the sixth most by a Premier League champion.
Chelsea hold the record, spending 274 days at the top in 2014/15 as they strolled to the title under Jose Mourinho.
In City's previous two Premier League title-winning campaigns combined, they only topped the table for 184 days overall; 169 days in 2011/12 and an incredible 15 days in 2013/14, when Liverpool were toppled in the final weeks of the season.
That's the lowest amount of days spent at the top of the Premier League for a champion, followed by Manchester United (31 days in 2002/03).
In Premier League history, Manchester United have spent 2,334 days at the top of the table, followed by Chelsea (1,510 days), Arsenal (981 days) and City (616 days).
May
How many teams come straight back up after being relegated? Jimmy, Bolton
Of the 73 teams relegated in the Premier League era before this season, there have been 21 sides who have come straight back up the very next season (29 per cent). However, there have also been nine seasons where none of the relegated teams have returned at the first attempt.
Huddersfield's draw at Chelsea meant all three newly promoted sides stayed up for only the third time in Premier League history after 2001/02 and 2011/12. The ever-present sides - Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - all played in their 1,000th Premier League game on the final day of the final day.
August
Jorginho completed more passes than the Newcastle team combined on Sunday - has this happened with a single player before? Paul, London
MARTIN SAYS: Jorginho completed 158 of his passes on Sunday, compared to just 131 from the entire Newcastle side. This is the seventh time a player has recorded more completed passes than an opposition side since Opta began gathering this data at the start of the 2003/04 season, and the third time in 2018 alone.
Fernandinho completed 164 passes for Man City against Everton in March, 31 more than the Toffees managed, the largest difference between a single player and entire team. Jonathan Hogg registered 112 for Huddersfield to Swansea's 88, also in March, while two Man City players managed the feat in a single game against Huddersfield in November last year; Nicolas Otamendi (114) and Fernandinho again (97) both trumped the Terriers' 94. Two others have achieved the feat: Ander Herrera (113) for Man Utd against West Brom (100) in May 2015, and Steven Davis (110) for Southampton against Aston Villa (103) in December 2013.
September
Sol Bamba scored his first Premier League goal at the age of 33? Surely nobody else has scored their first goal at that age? Seb, Bristol
MARTIN SAYS: Sol Bamba scored the opening goal in Cardiff's 4-1 defeat to Chelsea, but at 33 years and 244 days, he is still short of being the oldest player to score their first Premier League goal That record is held by Burnley's Graham Alexander, who was 37 years and 344 days old when scoring his first-ever Premier League goal against Sunderland in September 2009. Incredibly, Peter Schmeichel used to hold that record - yes, the goalkeeper - after the Dane netted for Aston Villa against Everton back in October 2001 at the grand old age of 37 years and 336 days.
When it comes to the youngest player to score in the Premier League for the first time, though, then that record is still held by James Vaughan, who registered for Everton against Crystal Palace aged just 16 years and 270 days back in April 2005.
October
Newcastle and Huddersfield haven't won after 10 games in the Premier League - how many clubs have done this and stayed up? Jon, Leeds
MARTIN SAYS: Before this season, there had been 11 teams to have started the season without a win from the first 10 games, and only three of them avoided relegation.
Everton finished 15th in the 1994/95 season despite not winning any of their opening 12 games in a 42-game season.
Blackburn managed even better in 1996/97 as they ended the season in 13th place, having not won until their 12th game of the season.
Derby also avoided relegation in 2000/01, finishing 17th after failing to win until their 12th match.
However, teams have usually found it hard to recover from 10-game winless starts.
Swindon (1993/94), Watford (2006/07), QPR (2012/13) and Sunderland (2016/17) all finished bottom, while Norwich (2004/05), Reading (2012/13) and Burnley (2014/15) ended second from bottom.
Manchester City were also relegated on goal difference in 1995/96 after not winning of their opening 11 matches.
There has only been one other season when two teams have failed to win in their first 10 Premier League games - 2012/13 when QPR finished bottom and Reading finished second bottom.
November
How many passes did Manchester City put together before Ilkay Gundogan scored against Manchester United? Is it a Premier League record? Harry, Kent
MARTIN SAYS: Gundogan's goal, at the end 44 passes, wrapped up the points for Manchester City at the Etihad.
The goal consisted of the most passes for a goal in the Premier League since Juan Mata scored for United against Southampton in September 2015, where they put together 45 passes.
Mata put the finishing touch on that after Memphis Depay's shot had come back off the post.
However, that passing sequence wasn't quite enough to go to the top of the list in terms of Premier League goals scored since the 2006/07 season, when Opta starting collecting the data. Mata's effort sits second in the list behind Tottenham's 48-pass sequence against QPR in 2014 with Nacer Chadli scoring in a 4-0 win.
December
Liverpool had 36 shots on goal against Man Utd at Anfield on Sunday, but is that a record for both clubs? Joe, Manchester
MARTIN SAYS: Since Opta began collecting this type of data in 2003/04, United have never faced as many shots as they did in their 3-1 loss at Liverpool.
Prior to that contest, the highest number of efforts on goal United had had to deal with was the 33 Arsenal managed at the Emirates in February, although the difference being the visitors recorded a 3-1 win on that occasion.
As for Liverpool, Sunday's 36 shots was not quite the most they have ever had in the last 15 years - but it was not far away, with that record coming against Everton of all teams when Jurgen Klopp's side had 37 efforts in a 4-0 win at Anfield in April 2016.
In fact, before the game with United, that Merseyside derby was also the last time all 12 outfield Liverpool players had at least one shot on goal.
