Martin Tyler's column: No team has Tottenham's home record without winning title
Thursday 3 August 2017 20:50, UK
Martin Tyler returns with the best stats and facts from the weekend's Premier League action.
Have a side ever failed to win the Premier League with Tottenham's home record of 53 points out of 57? Is Curtis Davies jinxed? And is Alexis Sanchez better on the road than any other player?
Read on for the answers and don't forget to try to answer Martin's tricky teaser...
Martin's Starting Stats
Although Tottenham moved into White Hart Lane in 1899, and their first competitive fixture was September 9 that year in the Southern League against QPR, their first top division game was at home to Manchester United in September 1909. So the first and the last top division games there were against the same opponent.
I was there on Sunday and my first game as a commentator there was March 1979 and it was also Tottenham v Man Utd in an FA Cup quarter-final. There was a certain profession and personal symmetry on the day.
They went through the season unbeaten at White Hart Lane (23 games in all competitions). They won 21 of those and drew two. They finished with 17 consecutive wins (all competitions) with 14 in the Premier League. They last time they were unbeaten at home in a league season was in 1964/65 (First Division). They also did it in 1919/20 (Division 2) and 1932/33 (Division 2)
Harry Kane scored his first goal in seven attempts against Manchester United and he has now scored against 24 of the 25 teams he has faced - Cardiff are the only exception. He scored 49 White Hart Lane goals in all competitions and 16 in his last 14 at the ground.
The two goals on Sunday made it 200 Premier League goals under Mauricio Pochettino in 112 games (W62 D28 L22 Pts 214). They have 150 points over the last two season, far ahead of anybody else.
It was the 50th Premier League meeting of Tottenham and Manchester United, but only Tottenham's seventh win. They have drawn 11 and lost 32. Wayne Rooney became the leading away scorer at White Hart Lane in the Premier League with his seventh goal. He was joint with Dion Dublin on six before the game.
The first time I ever saw Rooney play was at White Hart Lane in an FA Youth Cup semi-final when he scored both of Everton's goals. It was a special ground for Wayne.
Home comforts
Spurs have gone unbeaten all season in the Premier League at home. Have a side ever done this without winning the title? (Paul, Islington)
MARTIN SAYS: Indeed, Spurs bid farewell to White Hart Lane going 19 games unbeaten in the Premier League, with 17 wins and two draws, taking 53 out of a possible 57 points.
Of the 13 other Premier League sides to go unbeaten at home for a whole season, five have failed to win the title, so Spurs aren't alone in that respect. However, no team has picked up as many home points without becoming champions.
They are the eighth team to pick up more than 48 points at home in a 38-match Premier League season - and the other seven all won the title!
Arsenal (2007/08) finished third despite going the entire season unbeaten at home and picking up 47 points out of 57, while Arsenal again (1998/99), Liverpool (2008/09) and Chelsea (2006/07 and 2007/08) finished second despite making their home a fortress.
Champions Manchester City (2011/12), Manchester United (2010/11) and Chelsea (2005/06) all earned 55 points out of a possible 57 at home, the best home records in Premier League history.
Down again
Curtis Davies has been in relegated sides a few times now. Does anybody have a worse record? (Steve via e-mail)
MARTIN SAYS: Hull defender Davies tasted Premier League relegation for the fourth time on Sunday, having previously gone down with West Brom (2005/06), Birmingham (2010/11) and Hull (2014/15).
Just two players have a worse record than Davies' in the Premier League; striker Nathan Blake was part of five relegations as a player, with Sheffield United (1993/94), Bolton (1995/96 and 1997/98), Blackburn (1998/99) and Wolves (2003/04).
Herman Hreidarsson is the other unlucky man to experience five relegations from the top flight, all with different clubs. He went down with Crystal Palace (1997/98), Wimbledon (1999/00), Ipswich (2001/02), Charlton (2006/07) and Portsmouth (2009/10).
Meanwhile, Robert Green, Ashley Ward, Nigel Quashie, Andy Johnson, Marcus Bent, Marc Edworthy, Gerry Taggart, Des Lyttle, defender Paul Robinson and Sebastien Bassong have all been relegated from the Premier League four times.
Road rage
Has any other side picked up less than Hull's total of just six away points in a Premier League season? (Jenny, Humberside)
MARIN SAYS: Hull's home form may have been impressive this calendar year, but their away form all season contributed to their downfall as they were relegated at Selhurst Park on Super Sunday.
From their 19 away games, Hull registered just one win and three draws, but that's not the worst total in Premier League history.
Derby, who earned a record-low 12 points in the 2007/08 season, took just three points via three draws away from home, while Burnley were relegated in 2009/10 having earned four points.
Watford (1999/00) took five points on the road, while Hull again (2009/10) and Aston Villa (2015/16) took six as both dropped to the second tier.
Interestingly, Leeds' 1992/93 side also failed to win in any of their 21 away games, despite winning the top flight crown the season previous, but did pick up seven draws as they finished 17th.
Alexis away
Alexis Sanchez seems to score more away goals than home goals. How many this season and has anyone ever scored more? (Liam, London)
MARTIN SAYS: Sanchez's goal on Saturday at Stoke was his 15th away from home this season, making up the vast majority of his 21 Premier League goals in 2016/17.
Sadly for the Chilean, it was just one off a Premier League record, held by Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips in the 1999/00 season.
He did equal Didier Drogba (2009/10) and Harry Kane's (2015/16) haul, and beat the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy (2005/06), Robin van Persie (2012/13), Emmanuel Adebayor (2007/08), Luis Suarez (2013/14) and Chris Sutton (1993/94).
