Last weekend was the first time since September 1998 that there were no away wins in simultaneous rounds of matches in the top two divisions. Yet this weekend, should Liverpool beat Everton tonight, there will have been the joint-most away wins in the top two divisions since a second tier emerged in 1892 (13, including nine in the Sky Bet Championship). Research was by the English National Football Archive.
Hitting back
In the Premier League yesterday two 5ft 7in England players completed a comeback by giving the home team a 2-1 win with a left-foot strike in the 71st minute: Raheem Sterling for Manchester City against Arsenal and Danny Rose for Tottenham Hotspur against Burnley. On a Tuesday and the Sunday after in April 2008 Arsenal lost on Merseyside having led and then lost in Manchester having led (against Liverpool and United). Now they have done exactly the same (against Everton and City).
Staying focused
Wednesday: police say Nile Ranger is charged with fraud and money laundering. Saturday: Ranger scores in Southend United win. Monday: Yaya Touré receives 18-month driving ban after admitting drink-driving. Sunday: Touré excels as City beat title rivals Arsenal.
Doubling up
Over the past six days Chelsea and Manchester United won away twice while Arsenal, Hull City, Burnley, Swansea City and Watford lost away twice. Manchester City, Tottenham and West Ham United won at home twice, Stoke City drew at home twice and Crystal Palace lost at home twice. Chelsea’s double result was part of a triple: they became the first team to record three 1-0 top-flight wins in seven days since West Bromwich Albion did so in May 1979. Chelsea have also produced only the second run of 11 top-division wins before Christmas (Tottenham in 1960-61 were the others).
Falling Foxes
Last term, Leicester City’s improvement of 1.05 points per game (1.08 in 2014-15 to 2.13 in 2015-16) was the biggest by any top-flight team since league football began in 1888 (assuming three points for a win throughout). This season they are on course for the biggest decline in history; their present fall of 1.13 points per game would eclipse Everton’s 1.10 drop in 1970-71. Even so, Leicester’s 2-2 draw with Stoke on Saturday made them the first away team in the Premier League for nearly nine years to recover from two goals down and a man down to avoid defeat, since Arsenal beat Bolton Wanderers in March 2008.
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Another world
Approximate number of club matches in 2016 televised live in UK: 2,700 (including men’s, women’s, youth, overseas leagues, etc). Theoretically the biggest club match of 2016 (yesterday’s Club World Cup final): not televised live in UK.
Here’s to them
The second-oldest player to appear in the Premier League this season is Paul Robinson (Burnley goalkeeper, 37). The second-oldest player in the Championship this season is... Paul Robinson (Birmingham City defender, 38). Oh, and the 16th-oldest player in League One this season is... Paul Robinson (Wimbledon defender, 34).
Zlatan marches on
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, age 35 and two months, became the oldest player to score twice in a Premier League game for more than three years in Manchester United’s win against West Brom. José Mourinho, his manager, fears fatigue in Ibrahimovic, right, so perhaps he will point to the striker and suggest a break in South America. Anagram of Zlatan Ibrahimovic: “Him: Brazil vacation”.
• Last weekend was the first time since September 1998 that there were no away wins in simultaneous rounds of matches in the top two divisions. Yet this weekend, should Liverpool beat Everton tonight, there will have been the joint-most away wins in the top two divisions since a second tier emerged in 1892 (13, including nine in the Sky Bet Championship). Research was by the English National Football Archive.
