Premier League MD11: What the stats say

Burnley v Everton

Burnley have won four of their six Premier League home games against Everton (L2), winning this exact fixture 1-0 last season.

Everton have never kept a clean sheet in their six Premier League away games against Burnley (W2 L4). Only at QPR (7) have they played more games in the competition without recording a clean sheet.

None of the 12 Premier League meetings between Burnley (5 wins) and Everton (7) have been drawn, with only Man Utd v Wigan (16), Aston Villa v Derby (14) and Man Utd v Watford (14) being played more often in the competition without a draw.

No side has scored fewer Premier League goals than Burnley this season (4), while the Clarets have also attempted the fewest shots (83) and shots on target (24) in the competition so far (albeit having played a game fewer than most).

Having kept a clean sheet in their opening weekend victory at Spurs, Everton have now conceded in each of their last nine Premier League matches, with only Sheffield United (13) on a longer current run without a shutout in the competition.

Burnley are looking to win consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since October 2019, the second win of which came against Everton. However, when conceding at least one goal at home, Burnley have managed to win just one of their last 18 Premier League games (D3 L14), beating Leicester 2-1 in January.

In their first five Premier League games this season, Everton had an expected goals (xG) total of 9.9, and had scored 14 goals from 64 shots (21.9% conversion rate). Over their last five league games, they have an xG total of just 5.5, and have converted just 9.6% of their shots (5/52).

Burnley have had the most build up attacks against them (sequences of 10+ passes that end with a shot or touch in the box) in the Premier League this season (37), while at the other end of the pitch the Clarets have had fewer build up attacks than any other side (5).

This game will be Burnley manager Sean Dyche’s 200th Premier League match in charge, making him the 35th different manager to reach that milestone. Only four of the previous 15 English managers to reach the milestone have won their 200th match (Alan Pardew, Roy Hodgson, Steve Bruce and Glenn Hoddle).

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored the opening goal in more different Premier League games than any other player this season (4).

Manchester City v Fulham

Manchester City have won each of their last nine meetings with Fulham in all competitions, netting 27 goals while conceding just three in this run.

Fulham are winless in their last 15 meetings with Man City in all competitions (D3 L12) since a 3-1 Premier League win at the Etihad in April 2009.

Manchester City have only failed to score in one of their 26 Premier League meetings with Fulham (W13 D9 L4), doing so in a goalless draw at the Etihad in March 2004.

75% of Fulham’s Premier League victories against Man City have come away from home (3/4), with the Cottagers winning at the Etihad in April 2006 (2-1), April 2008 (3-2) and April 2009 (3-1).

Man City are looking to win back-to-back Premier League games for the first time this season, netting as many goals in their 5-0 victory against Burnley last time out as they had in their previous six Premier League games combined.

Manchester City’s 5-0 victory over Burnley last time out was the 45th time the Citizens have scored 5+ goals in a single Premier League match, with only Manchester United (46) doing so more often in the competition’s history. 21 of these 45 have been under Pep Guardiola’s management.

Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 39 Premier League home games against promoted sides (W35 D4), winning the last seven in a row by an aggregate score of 21-1. Only Chelsea (43 between 2001-2015) and Man Utd (40 between 2001-2015) have had longer unbeaten home runs against promoted sides in the competition, with Man City’s last such defeat coming in February 2007 (0-2 vs Reading).

Following their 2-1 win at Leicester last time out, Fulham are looking to pick up consecutive away Premier League victories for the first time since August 2013, while they last won two in a row on the road within the same season back in May 2011.

Riyad Mahrez is Man City’s highest Premier League goalscorer this season with four goals, netting a hat-trick last time out against Burnley. Each of the Algerian’s last eight Premier League goals have been scored at the Etihad.

Since his Premier League debut in August 2013, Kevin De Bruyne has provided 71 assists in the Premier League, at least eight more than any other player – this despite the Belgian playing just three games across the first two seasons in that run.

West Ham United v Manchester United

West Ham have won their last two Premier League home games against Manchester United – they’ve not won three in a row at home against the Red Devils in the top-flight since a run of four between January 1974-December 1977.

After a run of 11 wins in 12 Premier League games against West Ham (D1) between 2008-2014, Manchester United have won just three of their last 11 against the Hammers in the competition (D5 L3).

This will be just the fourth Premier League meeting between West Ham and Man Utd with the Hammers starting above the Red Devils, following a 0-0 draw in August 1998, and 2-1 wins for Man Utd in August 1995 and September 2014.

Manchester United have won each of their last eight Premier League away games, their longest winning away run in their league history. The Red Devils are looking to win their first five games on the road in a single league campaign for the first time since 1985-86.

West Ham have scored the opening goal in five consecutive Premier League games, their longest such run since March 2006 (also a run of five). Only in April 2002 have the Hammers previously scored the opening goal in more consecutive matches in the competition (a run of seven).

Manchester United have won more points from losing positions than any other Premier League side this season (12), coming from behind to win all four of their away games so far in 2020-21.

Since Bruno Fernandes’ Premier League debut for Man Utd, the Red Devils have earned more Premier League points-per-game than any other side (2.09). Man Utd’s 48 points in their 23 league games since his arrival is 17 more than they earned in the same number of games before his debut (31).

Edinson Cavani is averaging a goal or assist every 32 minutes in the Premier League so far this season (3 goals, 1 assist, 128 minutes), having a hand in all three of Man Utd’s goals after coming off the bench in their 3-2 comeback win at Southampton last time out.

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes has scored in each of his last five Premier League away games – the last player to score in six consecutive away league appearances for the Red Devils was Denis Law in March 1964.

11 of Bruno Fernandes’ 15 Premier League goals for Man Utd have come away from home (73.3%) – of all players in the competition’s history to have scored at least 15 goals, only Johan Elmander (73.7% - 14/19) has scored a higher share on the road.

Chelsea v Leeds United

Chelsea won their last meeting with Leeds in all competitions, winning 5-1 at Elland Road in a League Cup tie in December 2012. This will be the first league meeting between the sides since a 1-0 win for the Blues at Stamford Bridge in May 2004.

Leeds have lost their last three Premier League away games against Chelsea (between 2002-2004), as many as they’d lost in their first nine in the competition at Stamford Bridge (W2 D4 L3).

Leeds have won just one of their last 21 away league games against London sides (D6 L14), beating QPR 3-1 in December 2017. In the top-flight, the Whites have lost their last four games in the capital by an aggregate score of 1-12.

Of all Premier League sides to have played in more than one season, Chelsea have the best win rate in home games against promoted sides (82% - 68 wins in 83 games). Indeed, the Blues have lost just three such matches in the competition – 0-2 vs Nottingham Forest in January 1995, 0-1 vs Charlton in April 2001 and 0-1 vs Bournemouth in December 2015.

Only Tottenham (9) are on a longer current unbeaten run in the Premier League than Chelsea (8), while no side has kept more clean sheets than the Blues in the division this term (5).

Leeds have won three of their five Premier League away games this season (L2), as many as they had in the whole of their previous campaign in 2003-04 (W3 D2 L14). The Whites have kept a clean sheet in each of these three victories.

Leeds’ Premier League matches this season have seen more shots taken than any other side in the competition (289), with the Whites ranking second for most shots (153) and fifth for most shots faced (136). Five of Leeds’ 10 Premier League games this season have seen 30+ shots.

This will be Chelsea manager Frank Lampard’s first meeting with Leeds since the 2018-19 Championship season with Derby – the Whites won the first three matches back then (2x regular season, 1x play-offs), before Derby won 4-2 at Elland Road to reach the play-off final.

Leeds full-back Luke Ayling has made more tackles than any other defender in the Premier League this season (30), while only two defenders (João Cancelo and Andrew Robertson) have created more chances from open play than Ayling this term (11).

Only Son Heung-min (7) and Jamie Vardy (7) have scored more away Premier League goals than Leeds’ Patrick Bamford this season, with six of his seven strikes in the competition so far coming on the road (86%).

West Bromwich Albion v Crystal Palace
6 December, 2020

West Brom have lost just one of their six Premier League home games against Crystal Palace (W2 D3), going down 0-2 in March 2017.

In all competitions, Crystal Palace are unbeaten in four meetings with West Brom (W3 D1), keeping a clean sheet each time.

West Bromwich Albion earned their first Premier League victory of the season last time out against Sheffield United – the Baggies last won back-to-back Premier League games in May 2018, while they last won consecutive home top-flight games in February 2017 (a run of four).

West Bromwich Albion have the lowest expected goals total so far in the Premier League this season (5.9); indeed, 43% of their goals have come from outside the box, the highest ratio in the competition in 2020-21 (3/7).

No side has scored fewer second half goals than West Brom in the Premier League this season (2), with a league-high 71% of the Baggies’ goals this term coming before half-time (5/7).

Since keeping a clean sheet in their opening weekend victory against Southampton, Crystal Palace have conceded in each of their last nine Premier League matches. Only Sheffield United (13) are on a longer current run without a shutout.

In their last Premier League campaign in 2017-18, West Brom failed to win any of their seven league matches played in December, drawing four and losing three. No team has ever played more games in a specific month of a single Premier League campaign without a win.

West Brom’s first four Premier League games this season saw a total of 18 goals scored (F5 A13), at an average of 4.5 per game. Their last six league games have seen just seven goals scored (F2 A5), an average of 1.2 per game.

Crystal Palace have the oldest average starting XI in the Premier League this season (29 years, 132 days). Indeed, Roy Hodgson has named the nine oldest starting lineups in the competition this term, with their last game against Newcastle the oldest so far (30y 182d).

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has won 10 of his 24 Premier League matches against sides he’s previously taken charge of in the competition – only Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce (11 each) have won more such games.

Sheffield United v Leicester City

Leicester have won each of their last five meetings with Sheffield United in all competitions, including both Premier League games last term.

In all competitions, Sheffield United are winless in their last eight games against Leicester (D2 L6) since a 3-0 home win in the Championship in April 2008. The Blades have also lost each of their last three at home against Leicester.

Sheffield United are one of just three teams in English top-flight history to have won one point or fewer from their opening 10 games to a season, after Manchester United (0 in 1930-31) and West Bromwich Albion (1 in 1985-86).

Sheffield United are winless in their last 13 Premier League games, losing 12 of those. They last had a longer run without a league win between December 2010-March 2011 (14 games).

No side has scored fewer Premier League goals this season than Sheffield United (4). 22% of their total shots this season came in their 0-1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion last time out (21/95).

Leicester have lost three of their last four Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W1), as many as they had in their previous 27 such matches. The Foxes have lost their last two against sides in the drop zone (vs Bournemouth and Fulham), last losing more consecutively between December 2000-February 2002 (8).

Leicester have lost consecutive Premier League games for the sixth time under Brendan Rodgers – they’ve not lost three in a row in the competition since their final three under Claude Puel in February 2019.

Oli McBurnie has had almost twice as many shots as any other Sheffield United player in the Premier League this season (19), though he has yet to find the net so far in 2020-21.

Since the start of last season, Sheffield United keeper Aaron Ramsdale has conceded more goals from outside the box than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League (13).

No player has scored more goals away from home in the Premier League this season than Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, with 88% of his league goals so far this term coming on the road (7/8).

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

Tottenham are unbeaten in their last six Premier League home games against Arsenal (W4 D2) since a 0-1 loss in March 2014. It’s their longest unbeaten home league run against the Gunners since a run of nine between January 1960 and January 1968.

Arsenal have only lost back-to-back Premier League games against Tottenham twice – in May 1993 and November 2010.

The team scoring first has failed to win 27 of the 51 Premier League meetings between Tottenham and Arsenal that have had at least one goal scored, more than any other fixture in the competition (Spurs failed to win 16/25 games, Arsenal failed to win 11/26 games).

Tottenham have dropped 42 points from winning positions in Premier League games against Arsenal, more than any side has lost against another in the competition’s history.

This will be the lowest in the table Arsenal have been going into a north London derby since August 1993, when they sat 21st after just one game before a 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane courtesy of a late Ian Wright header.

Tottenham are on the longest current unbeaten run in the Premier League (9 – W6 D3), while only Sheffield United (13) are on a longer run without a win than Arsenal (3 – D1 L2). However, the Gunners are looking to keep three consecutive away clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since May 2013.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lost his first game against Spurs in this exact fixture last season – the only manager in Arsenal’s history to lose both of their first two north London derby matches was Bertie Mee back in the 1966-67 season.

Tottenham manager José Mourinho won his first north London derby match in charge back in July – the only Spurs manager in history to win both of their first two games against Arsenal was Jimmy Anderson back in 1955-56.

Tottenham manager José Mourinho has never lost a home game against Arsenal in 10 previous meetings in all competitions before (W6 D4) – versus no side has he faced more at home in his career without ever suffering defeat.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has scored 10 goals in all competitions against Arsenal – if he scores here, he’ll be the outright highest goalscorer in competitive Arsenal v Tottenham matches in history (currently level with Emmanuel Adebayor and Bobby Smith).

Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Liverpool have lost just one of their 12 Premier League meetings with Wolves (W9 D2), winning each of the last seven in a row by an aggregate score of 15-2.

Wolves’ only Premier League victory against Liverpool was back in December 2010, with Stephen Ward netting the only goal in a 1-0 win at Anfield.

Wolves won 2-0 at reigning champions Manchester City last season – they could become just the third team to win away against the reigning Premier League champions in consecutive campaigns, after Liverpool (2000-01/2001-02) and Tottenham Hotspur (2016-17/2017-18).

Liverpool (6) have dropped more points from winning positions this season than they did in the whole of last season (5), with their 1-1 draw at Brighton last time out the third time this campaign they’d let a Premier League lead slip.

Liverpool are currently enjoying the second longest unbeaten home run in English top-flight history – 64 games. The Reds have won 53 of these (D11), scored 169 goals (2.6/game) and conceded 42 (0.7/game).

After conceding seven goals in their first three Premier League games this season, Wolves have shipped just four in their last seven in the competition. Wolves are looking to pick up consecutive away league victories for the first time since June, alternating between defeat and victory in each of their last six on the road.

55% of Wolves’ Premier League goals this season have come in the first half of games (6/11), compared to scoring just 27% before half-time in the competition last term (14/51).

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota scored 16 goals in 67 Premier League appearances for Wolves – he could become just the second player to score both for and against Wolves in the Premier League, after Stephen Hunt.

Diogo Jota has scored in each of his first four Premier League home games for Liverpool – only three players have ever scored in each of their first five at home for a specific club in the Premier League; Alan Shearer at Newcastle (first 15), Les Ferdinand at Newcastle (6) and Jermain Defoe at Portsmouth (5).

Pedro Neto has scored three goals in 10 Premier League appearances for Wolves this season, as many as he scored in 29 games in the competition last term. His three goals have been worth five points for his side so far.

Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton
7 December, 2020

Brighton are winless in their six Premier League meetings with Southampton (D4 L2), conceding at least once in all six of these games.

Southampton have played more Premier League games without defeat against Brighton than they have any other side in the competition (6 – W2 D4). In all competitions, Saints are unbeaten in their last seven against the Seagulls (W3 D4).

Brighton are looking to go four Premier League games unbeaten for the first time since a run of five between January-March 2018. However, coming into the weekend, the Seagulls are one of just two sides without a home win in the competition so far this term, along with Sheffield United.

Southampton are winless in their last 14 Premier League games played on a Monday (D7 L7) since winning 1-0 at West Ham in December 2002.

Southampton have only failed to score in one of their last 17 Premier League games, with that coming on the opening weekend this season (0-1 vs Crystal Palace). Saints have scored in their last nine in the competition, with only Liverpool (16) on a longer current run.

Only Chelsea (11) have had more different scorers in the Premier League this season than Brighton (9, excluding own goals). Neal Maupay (4) and Solly March (2) are currently the only players to have scored more than once for the Seagulls in this season’s competition.

Brighton forward Danny Welbeck has been involved in six goals in his last three starts against Southampton in all competitions (4 goals, 2 assists). Against no side has he scored more goals in all competitions in his career than he has against Saints (5).

James Ward-Prowse (26 goals, 24 assists) is one of just four players to register 50+ goal involvements for Southampton in the Premier League, after Matt Le Tissier (G100 A63), James Beattie (G68 A24) and Marian Pahars (G42 A14).

Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse has scored three direct free-kick goals in the Premier League this season, 50% of the total netted in the competition so far this term. The last player to score more in a single campaign was Yaya Touré in 2013-14 (4).

Of all managers to have taken charge of 50+ Premier League games, only Ossie Ardiles (56%) has won a higher share of his points away from home in the competition than Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhüttl (52% - 51/99).