After eights...
Tuesday 30 August 2011 17:31, UK
Arsenal fans, look away now. Martin Tyler's column is full of stats on eight-goal salvos.
Can you answerthis week's Tyler's Teaser?
Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back for the new season! Every week he will be here to offer you statistical gems to make your day, impress your mates and, on occasion, to settle the odd bet. Sky Sports' voice of football and his back-up team of experts are here to answer your questions and queries on all things statistical and historical from the beautiful game. If you have spotted something from a game or have been stumped by a pub quiz question, simply email skysportsclub@bskyb.com and he will do his best to help.Tyler's Starting Stat - Wayne's a pain for Wenger
I was at Old Trafford to witness Arsenal's biggest ever Premier League defeat, topping the 6-1 at the same stadium in February 2001. Manchester United took their run of home wins to 17 in a row in the Premier League and 19 in all competitions. Wayne Rooney became the 11th Man Utd player to reach 150 goals and overtook Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy who both boasted 150 in their careers. He also overtook Ryan Giggs as the club's highest Premier League goalscorer with 107 to the Welshman's 105. His record against Arsenal is 12 goals in 24 games for both Everton and Man Utd and he always seems to do something special against the Gunners. He scored his first Premier League goal and his 100th Premier League goal against them and now his 150th. He also scored on his 19th birthday to famously end Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten run. Ji-Sung Park is another who tends to weigh in against Arsenal and now has five goals in 14 games (all competitions) - a fifth of his entire United total! Ashley Young got his 50th and 51st league goals, while Nani scored his first Premier League goal since the 2-1 win over Man City on February 12; that's13 games without a goal. Danny Welbeck scored United's third Premier League header of the season to continue their fine run in that department. They were the Premier League's top headed goalscorers last term with 18. Robin van Persie scored his third goal against Man Utd, not including his strike in the shoot-out that saw Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2005. However, he couldn't score from the spot on Sunday in what was the eighth penalty in the last nine games between these sides at Old Trafford. United scored five of their six (Rooney with their only miss), while Arsenal failed with both of theirs - Gilberto in 2006 and Van Persie on Sunday.EIGHT INTO FOUR
Dear Martin. Love the column. After watching the game at Old Trafford I'd like you to tell me if any team has conceded eight goals - or maybe even seven goals - in a game and gone on to finish in the top four later that season? David R. MARTIN SAYS: Sunday's game was the seventh time in the history of the Premier League that a team has conceded eight goals in a game. The first three to do so - Ipswich (v Man Utd in 1995), Nottingham Forest (v Man Utd in 1999) and Sheffield Wednesday (v Newcastle in 1999) were all relegated. However, the more recent teams - Man City (v Middlesbrough in 2008) and Wigan twice (against Tottenham and Chelsea in 2009/10) - both beat the drop. However, City were the highest placed of those teams in ninth. A further 21 sides have conceded seven goals in a game and of those sides, just two managed to make it into the top four. Norwich City lost 7-1 to Blackburn in October 1992 and went on to finish third later that season, while Everton lost 7-0 at Arsenal in May 2005 once fourth place - and Champions League qualification - was already secured. Premier League games in which a team has conceded 7+ goals:
| Date | Team conceding 7+ | Score | Finishing position |
| 03/10/1992 | Norwich | 7-1 v Blackburn | 3rd |
| 12/03/1994 | Swindon | 7-1 v Newcastle | 22nd |
| 11/02/1995 | Wimbledon | 7-1 v Aston Villa | 9th |
| 04/03/1995 | Ipswich | 9-0 v Man Utd | 22nd |
| 01/04/1995 | Sheff Wed | 1-7 v Nottingham Forest | 13th |
| 18/11/1995 | Nottingham Forest | 7-0 v Blackburn | 9th |
| 16/11/1996 | Southampton | 7-1 v Everton | 16th |
| 28/12/1996 | Tottenham | 7-1 v Newcastle | 10th |
| 25/08/1997 | Sheff Wed | 7-2 v Blackburn | 16th |
| 25/10/1997 | Barnsley | 7-0 v Man Utd | 19th |
| 16/01/1999 | Southampton | 7-1 v Liverpool | 17th |
| 06/02/1999 | Nottingham Forest | 1-8 v Man Utd | 20th |
| 19/09/1999 | Sheff Wed | 8-0 v Newcastle | 19th |
| 11/03/2000 | Southampton | 7-2 v Tottenham | 15th |
| 01/04/2000 | West Ham | 7-1 v Man Utd | 9th |
| 14/10/2001 | West Ham | 7-1 v Blackburn | 7th |
| 11/05/2005 | Everton | 7-0 v Arsenal | 4th |
| 14/01/2006 | Middlesbrough | 7-0 v Arsenal | 14th |
| 29/11/2007 | Reading | 7-4 v Portsmouth | 18th |
| 24/11/2007 | Sunderland | 7-1 v Everton | 15th |
| 11/05/2008 | Man City | 8-1 v Middlesbrough | 9th |
| 22/11/2009 | Wigan | 9-1 v Tottenham | 16th |
| 16/01/2010 | Sunderland | 7-2 v Chelsea | 13th |
| 27/03/2010 | Aston Villa | 7-1 v Chelsea | 6th |
| 25/04/2010 | Stoke | 7-0 v Chelsea | 11th |
| 09/05/2010 | Wigan | 8-0 v Chelsea | 16th |
| 27/11/2010 | Blackburn | 7-1 v Man Utd | 15th |
| 28/08/2011 | Arsenal | 8-2 v Man Utd | ? |
DEFENSIVE DOWNS
Dear Martin. Can you tell me if Arsenal are the first Premier League team in history to concede 10 goals in their opening three games of the season and yet still manage to keep a clean sheet in one of them?!! Dev (West Ham fan) MARTIN SAYS: Arsenal are in fact the fifth team in the history of the Premier League to hit double figures in the goals conceded column after three games. The other teams to do so were as follows: Leicester 2001/02 (10 goals): Lost 0-5 v Bolton, Lost 4-0 v Arsenal, Drew 1-1 v Ipswich Bolton 2003/04 (10 goals): Lost 4-0 v Man Utd, Drew 2-2 v Blackburn, Lost 4-0 v Portsmouth Wolves 2003/04: (10 goals): Lost 5-1 v Blackburn, Lost 0-4 v Charlton, Lost 1-0 v Man Utd Wigan 2010/11 (10 goals): Lost 0-4 v Blackpool, Lost 6-0 v Chelsea, Won 0-1 v Tottenham Arsenal 2011/12 (10 goals): Drew 0-0 v Newcastle, Lost 0-2 v Liverpool, Lost 8-2 v Man Utd So no team has let in more goals than Arsenal in the opening three games of a Premier League season, yet Arsenal are not the first to concede 10 while keeping a clean sheet in one of them. Wigan did it last year when they followed up a 4-0 thrashing by Blackpool and a 6-0 hammering by Chelsea with a 1-0 win at Spurs.
GREAT EIGHTS
I was surprised to hear that Arsenal had only conceded eight goals in a league game once before - and that was to Loughborough in 1896. This got me wondering, when was the last time each of the other Premier League teams scored or conceded eight goals in a game? Shayne Dean. MARTIN SAYS: The boys at Opta have looked into this one for you and we've got all the dates below on when each Premier League team last scored or conceded eight goals in the top flight. Read on below for all of the relevant dates. You'll notice that five teams have never conceded eight goals in a top-flight game. That includes Norwich and Swansea, who have not spent as many years in the top flight as many of the other teams, but it also includes Aston Villa, Bolton and Manchester United. There are also five teams who have never scored eight goals in a top-flight game - again including Norwich and Swansea - but this list also includes Fulham, QPR and Wigan. You'll notice that only four of these teams have scored eight it in the Premier League era - Chelsea, Man Utd, Newcastle and Tottenham - although Championship side Middlesbrough also scored eight in a single Premier League game against Man City in May 2008. Last time each team scored/conceded eight goals (TOP DIVISION ONLY):
| Team | Scored | Conceded |
| Arsenal | 01/05/1948 (8-0 v Grimsby) | 28/08/2011 v Man Utd |
| Aston Villa | 21/04/1962 (8-3 v Leicester) | - |
| Blackburn Rovers | 26/12/1963 (8-2 v West Ham) | 18/01/1936 (1-8 v WBA) |
| Bolton Wanderers | 07/05/1932 (8-1 v Liverpool) | - |
| Chelsea | 09/05/2010 (8-0 v Wigan) | 26/09/1953 (1-8 v Wolves) |
| Everton | 20/11/1971 (8-0 v Southampton) | 07/11/1959 (2-8 v Newcastle) |
| Fulham | - | 16/09/1959 (0-9 v Wolves) |
| Liverpool | 12/09/1989 (9-0 v C Palace) | 10/11/1934 (0-8 v Huddersfield) |
| Manchester City | 24/10/1925 (8-3 v Burnley) | 11/05/2008 (1-8 v Middlesbrough) |
| Manchester United | 28/08/2011 (8-2 v Arsenal) | - |
| Newcastle United | 19/09/1999 (8-0 v Sheff Wed) | 21/04/1986 (1-8 v West Ham) |
| Norwich City | - | - |
| Queens Park Rangers | - | 19/03/1969 (1-8 v Man Utd) |
| Stoke City | 11/09/1937 (8-1 v Derby) | 03/10/1891 (2-8 v Darwen) |
| Sunderland | 01/09/1956 (8-1 v Charlton) | 25/09/1982 (0-8 v Watford) |
| Swansea City | - | - |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 22/11/2009 (9-1 v Wigan) | 16/10/1976 (2-8 v Derby) |
| West Bromwich Albion | 11/11/1967 (8-1 v Burnley) | 04/02/1937 (3-10 v Stoke) |
| Wigan Athletic | - | 09/05/2010 (0-8 v Chelsea) |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 18/08/1962 (8-1 v Man City) | 11/11/1905 (0-8 v Newcastle) |
RED-HOT DEVILS
Hi Martin, Manchester United's first three games this season have now featured 16 goals. Is this a Premier League record? Amy. MARTIN SAYS: United's total of 16 goals, boosted massively by that stunning 8-2 win over Arsenal, is a joint record - alongside the Gunners team of 2004/05, who scored 12 and conceded four in their opening trio of fixtures; a 4-1 win at Everton, a 5-3 home win over Middlesbrough and a 3-0 win against Blackburn. Manchester City's start to the campaign, which has included a 4-0 win over Swansea and Sunday's 5-1 victory over Spurs, has seen their games include a third-best 15 goals, a tally shared by Arsenal in 2009/10, Blackburn in 2003/04 and Charlton in 2000/01. Most cumulative goals in the opening three games of a PL season:
| Team | Season | F | A | Total |
| Man Utd | 2011/12 | 13 | 3 | 16 |
| Arsenal | 2004/05 | 12 | 4 | 16 |
| Man City | 2011/12 | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| Arsenal | 2009/10 | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| Blackburn | 2003/04 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| Charlton | 2000/01 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
| Chelsea | 2010/11 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Newcastle | 1994/95 | 12 | 2 | 14 |
| Middlesbrough | 2004/05 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Middlesbrough | 2010/11 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
ENGLISH GUNNERS
Dear Martin. Can you settle a dispute for us? Before Theo Walcott, who was the last Englishman to score at Old Trafford for Arsenal against Manchester United? Barney (Arsenal fan). MARTIN SAYS: If you're looking purely at Premier League games then Arsenal have not had many goalscorers at all at Old Trafford. This was actually the first time they'd scored two in a league game there since a 4-2 defeat in 1984/85. Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie took Arsenal's Premier League tally at the Theatre of Dreams to 10 - and while United helped themselves to eight in one game, Arsenal had previously only managed eight in 19 Premier League visits. Those goals were scored by Andrei Arshavin (2009/10), Emmanuel Adebayor (2007/08 and 2006/07), Sylvain Wiltord (2001/02), Thierry Henry (2000/01), Fredrik Ljungberg (1999/2000), Nicolas Anelka (1998/99) and Marc Overmars (1997/98). Therefore Theo Walcott became the first Englishman to score for Arsenal at Old Trafford in the Premier League. To find the last Englishman to score at Old Trafford in the league, you have to go back to David Rocastle, who was credited with Arsenal's goal in a 1-1 draw there in October 1991 - but there is some dispute over whether or not that was an own goal as the ball hit the bar and then the goalkeeper before crossing the line. Overall, Walcott became only the fourth Englishman to score a Premier League goal for Arsenal against Manchester United (excluding an own goal, scored by Gary Pallister in a league game at Highbury in March 1994) and only the seventh Englishman to score against them in any competition in the last 20 years. English scorers for Arsenal against Man Utd in the last 20 years: Ray Parlour (1999 Charity Shield, Wembley)
Tony Adams (1998 Premier League, Highbury)
David Platt (1997 Premier League, Highbury)
Paul Merson (1994 Premier League, Highbury)
Ian Wright (1993 Charity Shield, Wembley)
David Rocastle (1992 Division One, Highbury)
David Rocastle (1991 Division One, Old Trafford) Arsenal have scored 35 goals against Man Utd (all comps) since Parlour in 1999 and 27 Premier League goals since Adams in 1998, so it certainly has been a long wait for an English scorer. You'll note I also didn't include Nigel Winterburn who scored at Old Trafford in an Arsenal shirt in 1996 - but it was unfortunately at the wrong end!
FOUR ON THE ROAD
Dear Martin. I am happy to say I made the journey to White Hart Lane on Sunday to see Man City beat Spurs 5-1. Can you tell me if Edin Dzeko is the first player to score four goals in an away game in the Premier League? Thanks, Peter (Man City fan). MARTIN SAYS: I can tell you that Edin Dzeko became the 26th player to score four - or more - goals in a Premier League fixture since the league was formed in 1992. However, he was not the first to achieve the feat in an away fixture. Six other players have managed to score four times on the road. The last man to do it was Andrei Arshavin, who scored four times in a famous 4-4 draw at Liverpool in 2008/09, while Michael Owen did it for Liverpool at West Brom in 2002/03. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored four as a substitute in Manchester United's 8-1 win at Nottingham Forest in 1998/99 and Jurgen Kilnsmann did it for Tottenham at Wimbledon in 1997/98. Gianluca Vialli scored four for Chelsea at Barnsley earlier that season and the first man to score four away was Efan Ekoku, who did it for Norwich at Everon in 1993/94. Players scoring four away from home in the Premier League: 25/09/1993: Efan Ekoku (Everton 1-5 Norwich)
24/08/1997: Gianluca Vialli (Barnsley 0-6 Chelsea)
02/05/1998: Jurgen Kilnsmann (Wimbledon 2-6 Tottenham)
06/02/1999: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Nottingham Forest 1-8 Man Utd)
26/04/2003: Michael Owen (West Brom 0-6 Liverpool)
21/04/2009: Andrei Arshavin (Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal)
28/08/2011: Edin Dzeko (Tottenham 1-5 Man City) I'm pleased to say I was at three of those seven games, seeing Kilnsmann, Solskjaer and Arshavin all score four on the road!
