PL Match Week 20 – what the stats say

Liverpool V Chelsea

Liverpool have lost just two of their last 15 Premier League matches against Chelsea (W6 D7), although one of those was at Anfield in March 2021.

The two league games between Liverpool and Chelsea last season were both drawn; this fixture has never been drawn in three consecutive league meetings.

The home team has won just three of the last 17 Premier League games between Liverpool and Chelsea (D7 L7), though two of those have come at Anfield (2-0 in April 2019, 5-3 in July 2020).

Liverpool have lost both of their league games in 2023 so far, going down 3-1 at Brentford and 3-0 at Brighton. They've not lost their first three league matches in a calendar year since 1953.

Chelsea have won just two of their last 10 Premier League games (D3 L5), though they did beat Crystal Palace 1-0 last time out. Away from home, the Blues are winless in five Premier League games (D2 L3), their longest run since September to December 2015 (7).

Liverpool have conceded at least once in each of their last eight Premier League games, last doing so in nine in a row between May and October 2016. They've shipped three goals in each of their last two league games, last shipping 3+ in three in a row in the top-flight in December 1953.

This will be Jürgen Klopp's 1 000th game as a manager (270 with Mainz 05, 319 with Borussia Dortmund and 411 with Liverpool), 21 years and 327 days after his first (Mainz 1-0 Duisburg on 28th February 2001). He's won just six of his 19 meetings with Chelsea (D9 L4), his lowest win rate (32 per cent) against any English side he's faced 10+ times.

Kai Havertz scored in this exact fixture last season in the Premier League – the last Chelsea player to score in consecutive away league appearances versus Liverpool was Joe Cole in 2005.

Excluding own goals, 10 of Liverpool's last 11 goals at Anfield in all competitions have been scored by either Darwin Núñez or Mohamed Salah (5 each). Between them, the pair had scored just one of the Reds' first 16 home goals this term (excl. own goals).

Mykhailo Mudryk could become the ninth player from Ukraine to play in the Premier League, and the second to do so for Chelsea after Andriy Shevchenko. No Ukrainian has ever scored on their Premier League debut.

Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest

Bournemouth have won four of their last five league games against Nottingham Forest (D1), including their only previous top-flight meeting in September, coming from 2-0 behind to win 3-2.

Nottingham Forest have lost five of their last six away league games against Bournemouth (W1), winning the other 2-1 in August 2014 with goals from Britt Assombalonga and Matty Fryatt.

Between October 2014 and November 2020, the away side won just 8 per cent of the 38 Premier League meetings between two promoted sides (W3 D10 L25). Since then, the visiting team has won 69 per cent of the 13 such matches in the competition (W9 D2 L2).

Having been unbeaten in their first six Premier League games under Gary O'Neil (W2 D4), Bournemouth have lost eight of their last nine, with a 3-0 win over Everton coming between two runs of four straight defeats. They've lost the last four by an aggregate score of 9-0 – they've never lost five consecutive league games without scoring before.

Nottingham Forest have won their last two Premier League games, beating Southampton 1-0 and Leicester 2-0. They last won three in a row in May 1999, while they last did so without conceding in the top-flight in March 1992 (a run of four).

All five of Nottingham Forest's Premier League wins this season have been to nil, failing to win any of their 13 games in which they've conceded at least once (D4 L9).

No Premier League ground has seen fewer goals than Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium this season (19), with only Wolves (6) netting fewer home goals than the Cherries (9) so far. On the other hand, Nottingham Forest have scored just twice in their nine away games this term.

12 of Nottingham Forest's 34 Premier League goals conceded this season have come from outside the box, both a league-high total and per centage (35 per cent). However, no side has scored fewer goals from distance than Bournemouth this term (1).

Bournemouth have outshot their opponents in just three Premier League games this season, doing so against Everton (16-15), Southampton (15-9) and Leicester (10-9). Those three games account for 60 per cent of the times they've had 10+ shots in a game this term (3/5), while the Southampton and Leicester games are the only matches in which they've faced fewer than 10 shots.

No player has scored more Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest this season than 21-year-old Brennan Johnson (4), while 22-year-old Morgan Gibbs-White has as many assists (4) as every other Forest player combined. Gibbs-White assisted both of Johnson's goals in their 2-0 win against Leicester last time out.

Leicester City V Brighton and Hove Albion

After going unbeaten in their first eight Premier League games against Brighton (W6 D2), Leicester have lost two of their last three against the Seagulls (D1), losing 5-2 earlier this season.

Brighton have only won one of their last 10 league visits to Leicester, winning 4-1 in April 2014 under manager Oscar Garcia in the Championship.

Leicester have lost their last four Premier League games, having already lost six in a row in August/September this season. They last had two separate runs of 5+ defeats in a single league campaign back in 1977-78, when they were relegated from the top-flight.

Brighton are looking to win three consecutive Premier League games for the second time, previously doing so in October 2018 under Chris Hughton. They've beaten Everton 4-1 and Liverpool 3-0 in their last two games, last winning three in a row by 3+ goals in league football in February 1969.

Brighton are averaging 1.94 goals-per-game in the Premier League this season (35 goals in 18 games) – it's their highest ever average in a top-flight campaign, and highest in any league season since 1964-65 in the fourth tier (2.22).

Leicester have scored a league-high nine goals from outside the box this season, while only Nottingham Forest (12) have conceded more from distance than the Foxes (8).

Leicester have lost their last three Premier League home games by an aggregate score of 5-0 – they've never lost four in a row at home without scoring in their league history.

Brighton are looking to win four consecutive away league games for the first time since April 2016. The Seagulls could also become just the fifth different team to win four consecutive Premier League away games while scoring 3+ goals each time, and first since Man Utd in December 2020 (6).

Leicester's Jamie Vardy has been involved in nine goals in his last nine Premier League games against Brighton (6 goals, 3 assists). However, Vardy has scored in just one of his 19 league appearances this term, with that goal coming off the bench against Wolves in October.

Brighton's Solly March has scored four goals in his last four Premier League games, as many as he had in his first 156 appearances in the competition. Having failed to find the net with any of his first 27 shots this season, he's now scored from four of his last 10 attempts.

Southampton v Aston Villa

Southampton have lost their last two Premier League matches against Aston Villa, last losing three in a row between April 1998 and April 1999.

Aston Villa have won just one of their last five away league games against Southampton (D1 L3), a 1-0 win in January 2021 with a goal from Ross Barkley.

This is Aston Villa's third Premier League game against a side starting the day bottom of the table this season, with the Villans so far winless in their previous two (0-1 v West Ham, 1-1 v Nottingham Forest).

Southampton picked up their first Premier League win of 2023 at Everton last time out. Having also beaten Man City in the League Cup and Crystal Palace in the FA Cup before this, Saints are looking to win four consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time since September 2016 under Claude Puel.

Southampton have lost their last three Premier League home games, last losing four in a row at St Mary's in November 2019. Indeed, Saints have won fewer home points than any other side in the Premier League this term (6).

Aston Villa are looking to win three consecutive Premier League away games for the first time since November 2020, while Unai Emery could become the first manager to win his first three on the road in charge of the Villans since John Gregory in 1998.

Aston Villa have won 13 points in their six Premier League games under Unai Emery so far (W4 D1 L1), one more than they had in 13 games under Steven Gerrard/Aaron Danks this season (W3 D3 L7). The Villans have also scored as many goals in six games under Emery, than in the 13 before his arrival (11).

Southampton have had just 69 shots on target in 19 Premier League games this season, with their average of 3.6 per game their lowest on record in a single campaign in the competition (since 1997-98).

Southampton's James Ward-Prowse has scored four goals in his last four Premier League games, including both strikes in Saints' 2-1 win against Everton last time out. He's been involved in five Premier League goals against Aston Villa (2 goals, 3 assists), only having a hand in more against Tottenham (8) and Crystal Palace (6).

Emiliano Buendía has scored two goals in his last three Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 20. Five of his seven league goals for Aston Villa have ended up being the winning goal of the game, with the other two being equalisers in 1-1 draws.

West Ham United v Everton

Following a 2-1 home win last season, West Ham are looking for consecutive home league wins over Everton for the first time since November 1986.

Everton are looking to complete a Premier League double over West Ham United for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

Everton have won more Premier League games (28) and scored more Premier League goals (89) against West Ham than they have any other opponent in the competition. If they win this game, the Hammers would be the first team the Toffees have racked up 100 Premier League points against (currently 97).

Everton are winless in nine Premier League away games in London (D3 L6), since a 1-0 win at West Ham in May 2021. They last went 10 without a win in the capital between March 2017 and November 2018, a run which ended with a 2-0 win at West Ham.

This is the first Premier League meeting between West Ham and Everton with both sides in the relegation zone since February 1995, with Tony Cottee twice giving the Hammers the lead at Upton Park, only for Paul Rideout and Anders Limpar to equalise in a 2-2 draw.

West Ham are winless in seven Premier League games (D1 L6), last having a longer run without a win between October and December 2017 (8).

Since the start of last season, Everton have earned the fewest points of any of the 17 ever-present Premier League sides (54). They've won just three of their 28 Premier League away games in that time (D8 L17), fewer even than Fulham (4), who only joined the division this season.

No side has scored fewer first half goals in the Premier League than both Everton and West Ham this season (6 each), with the Hammers the only side yet to score in the opening 15 minutes of matches this term.

This will be David Moyes' 641st Premier League match as a manager, moving level with Harry Redknapp for the joint-third most in the competition's history (W248 D168 L224). Of managers to take charge of at least 20 Premier League games for West Ham, only Alan Curbishley (37.1 per cent) has a better win rate with the Hammers than Moyes (36.9 per cent).

Demarai Gray has been involved in each of Everton's last three Premier League goals, scoring two and assisting the other. It's only the second time he's registered a goal or assist in three consecutive Premier League games before, never doing so in four in a row.

Crystal Palace v Newcastle United

Crystal Palace have only won two of their 11 Premier League home games against Newcastle United (D4 L5), a 5-1 win in November 2015 and 1-0 in February 2020.

Since losing 5-1 to Crystal Palace in November 2015, Newcastle have only conceded six goals in 12 Premier League games against the Eagles (W5 D4 L3). However, they’ve won none of their last nine top flight games against them when conceding (D4 L5); their last eight Premier League wins against Palace have all been to nil.

Crystal Palace and Newcastle have already played out two 0-0 draws this season, one in the Premier League and one in the League Cup. The last time two top-flight teams had three goalless draws against each other in the same campaign was Everton against Wimbledon in 1992-93.

Newcastle have earned seven points from their three Premier League away games in London this season (W2 D1), more than they did in six visits last term (W1 D2 L3). They last had a longer unbeaten run in the capital in the top-flight between May 2013 and January 2014 (5 – W4 D1).

Crystal Palace have lost their last eight home league games in the Saturday 5.30pm kick-off slot, scoring six goals and conceding 19 in this run. Their last such victory was against Tottenham in January 2015 under Alan Pardew.

Newcastle are unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League games (W9 D5) – they've never gone 15 without defeat in their top-flight history.

Newcastle have conceded fewer goals (11) and kept more clean sheets (11) than any other Premier League side this season. They've kept a clean sheet in their last five games – their longest ever such run in top-flight history – while their 11 goals conceded is their fewest after 19 games in any top-flight campaign.

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has scored two goals and provided no assists in his 15 Premier League games against Newcastle – no side that he's faced at least 10 times in the competition does the Ivorian have fewer goal involvements against than the Magpies.

Miguel Almirón has scored two Premier League goals against Crystal Palace, with both of these coming in 1-0 victories. He could become the 10th player to score in three different 1-0 victories against a specific opponent in the competition, with Michail Antonio against Spurs the only other current player to have done so.

Newcastle's Kieran Trippier has created more chances from set plays than any other player in the Premier League this season (34). Overall, his record of 2.7 chances created per 90 minutes is the highest of any Newcastle player on record in a single Premier League campaign (since 2003-04, minimum 1000 minutes).

Leeds United v Brentford

There have been 14 goals in the three Premier League meetings between Leeds and Brentford (6 for Leeds, 8 for Brentford), with the Bees winning 5-2 earlier this season.

Brentford are looking to complete a league double over Leeds for only the second time in their history, doing so previously in 2014-15 in the Championship.

Having won two of their first three Premier League games this season (D1), Leeds have won just two of their subsequent 15 matches (D4 L9), with those victories coming consecutively in October/November against Liverpool and Bournemouth.

Brentford have won their last three Premier League matches, last winning more consecutively as a top flight club between February and March 1939 (5). Overall, the Bees are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games (W4 D3), with only Newcastle (14) and Arsenal (12) currently on longer runs.

Brentford are looking to win three consecutive away league games for the first time as a top-flight club, last doing so in any division in May 2021.

Brentford are unbeaten in all 20 of their Premier League matches in which they've opened the scoring (W16 D4). From the start of a Premier League career, only Manchester United have had a longer unbeaten record when scoring first, doing so in their first 176 such games in the competition between 1992 and 1999.

Since the start of last season, Leeds have conceded more Premier League goals than any other side (112), while only Everton (54) have won fewer points than the Whites among the 17 ever-present sides (55).

Only Leicester (17) have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League this season than Leeds (13). However, Brentford are one of four teams yet to win when conceding the first goal in the Premier League this season (D4 L4).

Leeds' Patrick Bamford has scored (1) or assisted (1) a goal in each of his last two Premier League appearances, despite playing a total of just 61 minutes from the bench across these two games. No Leeds player has ever been involved in a goal in three consecutive Premier League substitute appearances before.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has scored 13 goals in 17 Premier League games this season, one more than he managed in 33 appearances last season. He's scored all nine of his Premier League penalties, with only Yaya Touré having a better 100 per cent record (11/11).

Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Since losing both Premier League games against Wolves in 2019-20, Manchester City have won their last five in a row against them, scoring 16 goals and conceding just three.

Wolves have picked up just four points in eight Premier League visits to Manchester City (W1 D1 L6), with their one win there coming in October 2019.

Wolves have won just four of their 17 Premier League games against reigning champions (D1 L12), losing the last five in a row. However, 50 per cent of these wins came against Manchester City in 2019-20, including their only such away win (2-0).

Since their return to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have received more red cards against Manchester City than they have against any other opponent in the competition (3), accounting for 33 per cent of their total reds in that time (3/9). Nathan Collins was dismissed in the reverse fixture at Molineux this season.

Man City lost their last Premier League game on a Sunday, going down 1-0 at Liverpool in October. They last lost consecutive such matches between February and July 2020 (3 in a row).

Wolves have won two of their four Premier League games under Julen Lopetegui (D1 L1), as many as they had won in their previous 22 before his arrival (D6 L14). They're looking to win back-to-back league matches for the first time since March last season.

Wolves are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season, netting just 12 goals in their 19 games so far. However, they're averaging a goal a game under Julen Lopetegui (4 in 4), compared to 0.5 per game before his arrival this season (8 in 15).

Man City boss Pep Guardiola has won two of his three meetings with Wolves' Julen Lopetegui in all competitions (L1), with his Bayern Munich side beating Porto 6-1 in April 2015, and Man City beating Sevilla 4-0 in this season's Uefa Champions League.

Man City's Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in nine goals in his last six Premier League appearances against Wolves, scoring five and assisting four. However, all of these goal involvements have come away from home.

Wolves' Daniel Podence has scored three goals in his last four Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 23. He's scored in consecutive matches for the first time in the competition, with his last four goals being worth seven points to Wolves.

Arsenal v Manchester United

Arsenal have won five of their last seven home Premier League matches against Manchester United (D1 L1), winning 3-1 at the Emirates last season.

Man Utd are looking to complete only their second league double over Arsenal since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, doing so since then only in 2017-18 under José Mourinho.

This is the 29th Premier League meeting between Arsenal and Manchester United on a Sunday, with only Chelsea v Liverpool (32) and Liverpool v Man Utd (31) taking place more often on the day. 65 per cent of Arsenal's Premier League victories over the Red Devils have been in Sunday games (11/17).

Manchester United won 3-1 against Arsenal in September, with the Gunners top of the table. The only side they've beaten twice in the same Premier League campaign when the opponent was top both times are Newcastle United in 1995-96.

This is just the third time Arsenal are hosting Manchester United in a Premier League match while top of the table, with the previous two meetings ending in draws – 1-1 in March 2004 and 2-2 in November 2007.

Arsenal have scored in 17 of their 18 Premier League games this season, though the exception was their last home game in the competition (0-0 v Newcastle). They've not failed to score in consecutive league matches at the Emirates Stadium since November 2020.

Arsenal are yet to concede a goal in 2023, drawing 0-0 with Newcastle before wins against Oxford (3-0) and Tottenham (2-0). In only three calendar years have the Gunners not conceded in any of their first four competitive matches, doing so in 1935, 1994 and 2021.

Bukayo Saka has scored in his last two Premier League games against Man Utd – only Freddie Ljungberg (1998-2000) and Thierry Henry (2000-2001) have scored in three in a row for Arsenal against the Red Devils in the competition.

Man Utd's Marcus Rashford has been involved in eight goals in his 10 Premier League starts against Arsenal (4 goals, 4 assists) – against no side has he produced more goal involvements in the Premier League than versus the Gunners.

Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli has been involved in 10 goals in his last 10 Premier League games at the Emirates Stadium (6 goals, 4 assists), only failing to either score or assist a goal in two of his appearances in this run (vs Fulham and Newcastle).

Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur

Fulham have lost 12 of their last 14 Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur (W1 D1) with their only win in that sequence a 1-0 away win in March 2013.

Tottenham Hotspur have won their last six away Premier League visits to Fulham. They’ve only won seven consecutive away top-flight visits to one club before, winning seven in a row against Aston Villa twice (1950-1956 & an ongoing run since 2012).

Fulham have won three of their six Premier League London derby matches this season (L3) – they've never won four such games in a single top-flight season before.

Tottenham have won just one of their last 11 away London derbies in the Premier League (D4 L6), though it was their last one against Crystal Palace (4-0). They've not won consecutive such games since a run of four between February and November 2018.

Fulham are looking to win three consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since a run of four between April and September 2012. They last did so within the same season back in April 2011.

Tottenham have won 10 of their last 14 Premier League games on a Monday (D3 L1), with their only defeat in that run coming at home to Man City in October 2018.

Fulham's defeat against Newcastle last time out ended a four-game winning run for the Cottagers in the Premier League. Their last three defeats in the competition have been courtesy of goals scored in the 89th minute or later.

Fulham have scored 11 headed goals in the Premier League this season, only netting more in a single campaign in 2010-11 (15).

Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored in all four of his Premier League London derby matches this season. The last player to score in five such games in a row was Harry Kane (2014-15), while Mitrovic would be the first non-Arsenal or Tottenham player to do so.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has scored more London derby goals than any other player in Premier League history (47). He's scored in four of his five league appearances against Fulham, though the only failure in this run was his only game at Craven Cottage.