It's five alive
Wednesday 21 September 2011 08:11, UK
United's quick start, Rooney's records and Norwich's penalty woe... Martin Tyler's here!
Martin brings you a teaser from Old Trafford
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 - Gold Trafford
On Super Sunday I saw Manchester United equal their club record of 18 consecutive home league wins - and it's the first time they have done it at Old Trafford. The record was actually set 107 years ago when they played at Bank Street in Clayton; a ground less than half a mile from Manchester City's current ground. They also equalled the record Chelsea set last season of 21 goals in their first five games. Interestingly, both United and Chelsea reached 21 before half time in their fifth game and yet didn't score in the second half. And of course, Chelsea didn't go on to win the league. Chelsea have scored eight Premier League goals this season and Fernando Torres became their eighth different scorer. The Spaniard has now scored in his 14th game for Chelsea against West Ham and his 24th against Manchester United. Elsewhere, Nani played in his 100th Premier League game for Man Utd and scored his 19th Premier League goal, which is exactly the same number as Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his first 100 league games for the club. However, there is a big difference in assists, as Ronaldo produced 12 and Nani has now produced 34.STARTERS FOR 10
Dear Martin. I noticed Wayne Rooney has nine goals already. If he had scored his penalty against Chelsea would he have been the quickest player to reach 10 Premier League goals in a season? Indeed, could he still be the quickest if he scores in Man U's next game? Rodney Tuft (Manchester United fan) MARTIN SAYS: It depends what you mean by "the quickest". Are you judging it on the number of appearances by a player, the number of appearances by a team or by the date in the calendar? Our friends at Opta very kindly looked at all three scenarios for us. If you only take count of a player's individual appearances, the quickest to 10 in a Premier League season was Micky Quinn of Coventry in 1992/93. He reached 10 Premier League goals in his first six games of the season, though his first game was not until November. Rooney would have beaten that record had he scored another goal against Chelsea. Quickest to 10 Premier League goals in terms of individual's games played in:
| Player | Team | Season | Games played in |
| Mick Quinn | Coventry | 1992/93 | 6 |
| Alan Shearer | Newcastle | 1999/00 | 9 |
| Les Ferdinand | Newcastle | 1995/96 | 9 |
| Mark Viduka | Leeds | 2000/01 | 9 |
| Alan Shearer | Blackburn | 1992/93 | 10 |
| Teddy Sheringham | Tottenham | 1993/94 | 10 |
| Dennis Bergkamp | Arsenal | 1997/98 | 10 |
| Kevin Phillips | Sunderland | 1999/00 | 10 |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Chelsea | 2001/02 | 10 |
| Fernando Torres | Liverpool | 2009/10 | 10 |
| Player | Team | Season | Team match |
| Les Ferdinand | Newcastle | 1995/96 | 9 |
| Alan Shearer | Blackburn | 1992/93 | 10 |
| Alan Shearer | Newcastle | 1999/00 | 10 |
| Teddy Sheringham | Tottenham | 1993/94 | 10 |
| Dennis Bergkamp | Arsenal | 1997/98 | 10 |
| Kevin Phillips | Sunderland | 1999/00 | 10 |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Chelsea | 2001/02 | 10 |
| Season | Player | Team | Date |
| 1992/93 | Alan Shearer | Blackburn | 26/09/1992 |
| 1993/94 | Teddy Sheringham | Tottenham | 03/10/1993 |
| 1994/95 | Chris Sutton Robbie Fowler |
Blackburn Liverpool |
29/10/1994 |
| 1995/96 | Les Ferdinand | Newcastle | 14/10/1995 |
| 1996/97 | Ian Wright | Arsenal | 02/11/1996 |
| 1997/98 | Dennis Bergkamp | Arsenal | 04/10/1997 |
| 1998/99 | Dion Dublin | Aston Villa | 21/11/1998 |
| 1999/00 | Kevin Phillips | Sunderland | 02/10/1999 |
| 2000/01 | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Chelsea | 28/10/2000 |
| 2001/02 | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Chelsea | 28/10/2001 |
| 2002/03 | James Beattie Alan Shearer |
Southampton Newcastle |
07/12/2002 |
| 2003/04 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 01/11/2003 |
| 2004/05 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 06/11/2004 |
| 2005/06 | Frank Lampard | Chelsea | 29/10/2005 |
| 2006/07 | Didier Drogba | Chelsea | 17/12/2006 |
| 2007/08 | Nicolas Anelka Emmanuel Adebayor |
Bolton Arsenal |
22/12/2007 |
| 2008/09 | Nicolas Anelka | Chelsea | 09/11/2008 |
| 2009/10 | Fernando Torres | Liverpool | 31/10/2009 |
| 2010/11 | Dimitar Berbatov | Man Utd | 27/11/2010 |
HIGH FIVES
Hey Mr Tyler, I'm a United fan. I was wondering if United is the first team to get 15 Points from the first five matches in the Premier League history? And I was wondering if it is the best league start ever in Fergie's career? Abraam Magued (Manchester Utd fan) MARTIN SAYS: To answer your second question, this is Manchester United's best start to any top-flight campaign since 1985 when, under Ron Atkinson, United won their first 10 games of the old First Division season and went on to finish fourth. This is the best winning start of Sir Alex Ferguson's era - their previous best run at the start of a campaign was the four games they won back-to-back in 2006/07. However, they are not the first side to pick up 15 points from their opening five Premier League games of the season. Five teams have done it previously: Newcastle (1994/95): The Magpies won their opening six games of the season against Leicester, Coventry, Southampton, West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal before drawing 1-1 with Liverpool in their seventh. However, they only finished sixth at the end of the season. Arsenal (2004/05): Arsenal opened up the season with five wins against Everton, Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Norwich and Fulham before drawing with Bolton in game six. They went on to finish second to Chelsea in the final standings. Chelsea (2005/06): The Blues hold the record for the most consecutive wins at the start of a season with an amazing NINE straight victories. They beat Wigan, Arsenal, West Brom, Tottenham, Sunderland, Charlton, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Bolton before drawing 1-1 with Everton on their way to a second successive title. Chelsea (2009/10): Chelsea won six straight games at the start of the season, beating Hull, Sunderland, Fulham, Burnley, Stoke and Tottenham before a surprise 3-1 defeat to Wigan ended their run. They did, however, go on to win the title that year. Chelsea (2010/11): Carlo Ancelotti's side started last season with a bang, winning their first five games against West Brom, Wigan, Stoke, West Ham and Blackpool before losing 1-0 at Manchester City. So Manchester United would become only the fourth side in Premier League history to win their first six games if they beat Stoke on Saturday. However, as the table from Opta below shows, a good start does not necessarily result in a title win in May:
| Team | Season | P | W | F | A | GD | Final position |
| Chelsea | 2010/11 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 20 | 2nd |
| Man Utd | 2011/12 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 4 | 17 | - |
| Newcastle | 1994/95 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 6th |
| Arsenal | 2004/05 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 2nd |
| Chelsea | 2005/06 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 1st |
| Chelsea | 2009/10 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 1st |
FROM CHUMPS TO CHAMPS
Hi there Martin great column as usual! I was just wondering after Tottenham's 4-0 drumming of Liverpool at the weekend that result means that now three of the six "title contenders" have now been thumped this season. (Arsenal's dismal Old Trafford result and Man City's thrashing of Spurs at White Hart Lane.) My question is, what is the biggest defeat a team has suffered yet still won the Premier League? Regards James Bodin. MARTIN SAYS: There have only been three occasions where a team has lost by four or more goals and gone on to win the title later that season. You may be surprised to learn that Manchester United have twice lost a game 5-0 in the Premier League and still ended up as champions. The first such occasion was 1996/97 when they were beaten 5-0 by Newcastle at St James' Park, but still ended up winning the title by seven points from the second-placed Magpies. The second occasion was in 1999/2000 when Sir Alex Ferguson's men suffered a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but recovered to win the title by 18 points. The Blues, in contrast, finished fifth. The only other time the eventual champions have lost by four or more goals was when Arsenal lost 4-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in May 1998. However, the Gunners had already wrapped up the title three days earlier. Here are the instances when the eventual champions have lost by three or more goals in the Premier League. Arsenal fans will notice that no team has ever lost by six goals before and gone on to win the title: Eventual champions losing by five goals:
1996/97: Newcastle 5-0 Manchester United
1999/00: Chelsea 5-0 Manchester United Eventual champions losing by four goals:
1997/98: Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal Eventual champions losing by three goals:
1992/93: Manchester United 0-3 Everton
1995/96: Tottenham 4-1 Manchester United
1996/97: Southampton 6-3 Manchester United
1997/98: Derby 3-0 Arsenal
1998/99: Arsenal 3-0 Manchester United
1999/00: Newcastle 3-0 Manchester United
2005/06: Middlesbrough 3-0 Chelsea
2008/09: Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool
CANARIES' SPOT OF BOTHER
Hi Martin. My wife is a Norwich fan and is convinced that the Premier League officials are against them after conceding a penalty in each of their first five Premier League games this season. This got me thinking - is this a Premier League record, or has there been a side which has conceded a penalty in more than five consecutive games? Stuart (Kidderminster fan) MARTIN SAYS: Opta have been collecting data on penalties conceded since the start of the 1998/99 season, and only one other side has conceded penalties in five or more Premier League matches in a row - and in fact they are the only other team to have conceded penalties in four straight matches in that period. Like Norwich, they also conceded them in the first five matches of the season! That team was the Wimbledon side of 1999/2000, who suffered more than Norwich for those discrepancies. Just three of the five spot kicks conceded by Norwich this year have been scored, but the Dons were on the receiving end of penalty goals from Peter Kennedy (Watford), Hamilton Ricard (Middlesbrough), Gary McAllister (Coventry) and Nolberto Solano (Newcastle) in their opening four Premier League games of that season. Then in the fifth game against Everton, Neil Sullivan pushed David Unsworth's penalty against the post, but the defender raced in to lash the loose ball home. Norwich could break the record if they concede a penalty against Sunderland on Monday night and will be hoping there are no more omens from that Wimbledon season, as the Dons were relegated that year.
OWN NO!
Hi Martin, love your column. After Arsenal's horror show against Blackburn, they have now already conceded 3 own goals after just 5 games! What is the most number of own goals scored by any Premiership club in a season? Thanks! Alexander Yuan MARTIN SAYS: Arsenal have three own goals to their name so far this season - from Aaron Ramsey, Alex Song and Laurent Koscielny - but they have a long way to go to match Leicester's efforts from the 2003/2004 season. That year their players were credited with putting the ball in the opposition net on eight occasions in the Premier League. The Southampton crop of 2004/05 put through their own net on seven occasions, while five teams have scored six own goals in one Premier League season. Thanks to Opta for the following list: Eight own goals in one season: Leicester City (2003/04) Seven own goals in one season: Southampton (2004/05) Six own goals in one season: Southampton (1999/00), Wimbledon (1995/96), Man City (1994/95), Fulham (2005/06), Middlesbrough (2008/09) Five own goals in one season: Watford (2006/07), Wigan (2006/07), Middlesbrough (2007/08), Fulham (2009/10), Hull (2009/10), Blackpool (2010/11), Fulham (2010/11), West Brom (2010/11)
NOT YOU AGAIN!
Hey Martin. Love the column! I was watching the Blackburn v Arsenal game on Sky Sports this weekend. Arteta scored at Ewood Park for Arsenal and it happened to be his second goal at Ewood this season after netting for Everton. This got me thinking, how many players, since the Premier League's inception in 1992, have scored at the same away ground for two different clubs in the same season? Can't be many!! Cheers, keep up the brilliant stats! Dean Rhodes (Liverpool fan) MARTIN SAYS: It's actually happened more times than you might have thought. Thanks to our friends at Opta, I can tell you that Mikel Arteta is the ninth player to achieve this feat and you might be surprised to hear that Emile Heskey has actually done it twice! Players to score at opposition ground for two clubs in the same Premier League season: Mark Robins v Southampton (1994/95): The striker scored for Norwich in a 1-1 draw at The Dell in November, then scored against them again for Leicester in a 2-2 draw on the final day of the season Andy Cole v Leicester (1994/95): Cole scored at Filbert Street on the opening day of the season in a 3-1 win for Newcastle and scored two more there in April in a 4-0 win for Manchester United. Dion Dublin v Southampton (1998/99): Dublin scored in a 2-1 defeat for Coventry at The Dell in October, then moved to Aston Villa and scored a hat-trick on his return to the ground just three weeks later. Emile Heskey v Coventry (1999/00): The England striker scored Leicester's winner at Highfield Road in November, then moved to Liverpool and scored another in a 3-0 win on April 1. Dean Sturridge v Everton (2000/01): Sturridge scored in a 2-2 draw for Derby at Goodison Park in August. His second goal of the season came for Leicester in a 2-1 defeat on the same ground. Robbie Fowler v Leicester (2001/02): Fowler scored a hat-trick for Liverpool at Filbert Street in October, then moved to Leeds and scored against there again in March. Louis Saha v Birmingham (2003/04): The Frenchman scored for Fulham in a 2-2 draw at St Andrews in September, then joined Manchester United and scored in a 2-1 win there in April. Nicolas Anelka v Portsmouth (2007/08): The Frenchman scored Bolton's consolation in a 3-1 defeat at Fratton Park in August, then scored again on the same ground for Chelsea in February. Emile Heskey v Portsmouth (2008/09): Heskey pulled off this feat for a second time by netting at Fratton Park in a 2-1 win for Wigan in November and then scoring the only goal of the game for his new club Aston Villa in January. They were two of only five Premier League goals he scored that season! Mikel Arteta v Blackburn (2011/12): The Spaniard scored his final Everton goal to give his team a 1-0 win at Ewood Park in August, then scored there again for Arsenal three weeks later in a 4-3 defeat.
