Arsenal’s confusing goalscoring run, Chelsea’s comeback for the ages, Son Heung-min’s pleasing record and Sheffield United’s unwanted century: OPTA STATS PREMIER LEAGUE SPECIAL
Let’s be honest, the final Premier League standings do not indicate the past 10 months were particularly enthralling.
Like death and taxes, Manchester City were crowned champions and the three promoted sides exited the top-flight as quickly as they arrived.
Yes, Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League for the first time in a generation but after sorry starts, even Chelsea and Newcastle managed to salvage top-seven spots.
But along the way there were plenty of intriguing, often perplexing, occurrences that kept fans of every club on the edge of their seats at one moment or another.
Courtesy of Opta, Mail Sport takes a look at 15 of the most obscure facts from a thrilling Premier League season.
Man City secured a record fourth-straight Premier League title after victory against West Ham
Luton mounted a spirited fight but were unable to escape an immediate return to the Championship
Ollie Watkins enjoyed a stunning campaign for Aston Villa, finishing the season with 32 goal involvements in 37 games
Forest make history after lightning start
Way back in August, Nottingham Forest raced into a 2-0 lead against Man United at Old Trafford, thanks to goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Willy Boly, after only four minutes.
That is the earliest United have ever gone two goals behind in the Premier League. However, Forest became the first team in Premier League history to go 2-0 ahead that early and lose the game when efforts from Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes secured the three points for the home side.
Bruno Fernandes converted from the spot to complete Man United’s comeback against Nottingham Forest in August
Is Guardiola the best ever?
Man City’s 2-1 victory against Sheffield United in August was Pep Guardiola’s 200th in the Premier League. The Spaniard reached that mark in only 269 matches.
That’s quicker than any other manager in the history of England’s top-flight.
Ironically, Guardiola wasn’t even the dugout to celebrate his achievement after missing two City games in order to undergo emergency surgery for severe pain his back.
Pep Guardiola’s assistant Juan Lillo (left) took charge of City’s win over Sheffield United in Pep Guardiola’s absence
Brighton had United’s number
The Seagulls became only the third side to win four consecutive Premier League meetings with the Red Devils – after Liverpool and Man City – when they claimed a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford in September.
Erik ten Hag’s side were finally able to end that rotten run on the final day of the season with a 2-0 win at the Amex.
Joao Pedro (middle) scored Brighton’s third goal in a 3-1 win over Man United at Old Trafford in September
Spurs’ late late show
Tottenham headed into to the 98th minute trailing to Sheffield United in September before winning 2-1. At the time, it was the latest winning comeback by a side in Premier League history, eclipsing their own record
Dejan Kulusevski’s strike, timed at 99:53, was the latest match-winning goal on record in Premier League history. Remarkably, he’d only hold onto the achievement for a few months.
Dejan Kulusevski completed a stunning Tottenham comeback against Sheffield United in September
Postecoglou’s unrivalled start
Ange Postecoglou took the Premier League by storm after landing in north London, winning 26 points from his first 30 available in the Premier League.
That is the most points picked up by a manager in their first 10 games in the competition’s history. Spurs sat two points clear at the top of the league and, though they’d slide down the standings, their debut campaign under the Australian was a roaring success.
Ange Postecoglou’s side sat two pints clear at the top of the Premier League after 10 matches
Something over his old man
Bournemouth forward Justin Kluivert, son of Dutch legend Patrick, has spent his career in the shadow of his famous father. But against Sheffield United, he achieved something even his Champions League-winning old man couldn’t match.
The 25-year-old doubled the Cherries advantage in a match they would go onto to win 3-1 and in doing so he became only the second player to score in each of the big five European leagues in the 21st century.
The first to do it was former Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic.
Justin Kluivert became only the second player to score in Europe’s top five leagues when he netted against the Blades
Son’s a Tottenham legend
The South Korean had an eventful game at the Etihad in December, scoring after only six minutes before putting through his own net three minutes later.
Son’s goal at the right end was his 50th Premier League away goal, making him the first Spurs player to score 50+ home goals, 50+ away goals and provide 50+ assists in the competition.
Son Heung-min scored his 50th away goal in Tottenham’s 3-3 draw against Man City in December
Gunners failed to score when they needed it most
Some may point to the 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa but Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to West Ham in December might actually have been what cost them the title.
Mikel Arteta’s side huffed and puffed, registering 77 touches in the Hammers box but no goal came. In the process they secured an unwanted record of having the most touches in a opposition area without scoring.
Arsenal came unstuck against West Ham in a December London derby that ended up costing them the title
Tune in for Emery games
In one of the more surprising stats, Unai Emery managed his first ever goalless draw in the Premier League against Everton in January. The fixture was his 97th in the English top-flight.
This is the longest start to a Premier League managerial career before being involved in a 0-0 by any manager in the competition’s history. As evidenced by Villa’s 5-0 hammering by Crystal Palace on the final day, games involving the Spanish manager bring goals.
Unai Emery has been involved only one goalless draw in his 115 Premier League games as a manager
Reds domination
Newcastle were put to the sword when they made the trip to Anfield on New Year’s Day. Mohamed Salah grabbed a brace, while Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo also got on the scoresheet.
The Magpies left Merseyside with two goals of their own but, given the Reds’ xG, the margin of victory should have been much greater. Jurgen Klopp’s side had an expected goals figure of 7.27, the highest xG total on record (since 2010-11) in a single Premier League game.
By contrast, Liverpool had an xG of 2.91 when they beat Man United 7-0 in March 2023.
Mohamed Salah scored a brace in Liverpool’s 4-2 win over Newcastle at Anfield on New Year’s Day
Shooting boots well and truly on
Arsenal returned from the winter break like a team possessed.
Between their 3-1 win against Liverpool in February, and their 6-0 win at Sheffield United at the start of March, the Gunners scored at least two goals in eight consecutive halves of Premier League football, a record in the competition.
William Saliba put Arsenal ahead against West Ham in February during the Gunners blistering run in front of goal
Pressure? What pressure?
is it easier to score two penalties against the same goalkeeper or two different ones? In Newcastle’s 4-3 win over West Ham at the end of March, Alexander Isak did the latter and became just the second player to do so in a Premier League match.
He slotted calmly past both Alphonse Areola and Lukasz Fabianski, while Steven Gerrard managed it against Aston Villa goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan in 2009.
Alexander Isak calmly slotted his penalty past Alphonse Areola before repeating the trick after the French goalkeeper had been replaced by Lukasz Fabianski in the second-half
Chelsea’s incredible comeback
Man United led Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April at 99:18 but went on to lose – the latest a team has been winning before losing in Premier League history.
Cole Palmer’s winner at 100:41 took the record set by Kulusevski earlier in the season as the latest winning goal on record in a Premier League match.
Cole Palmer stunned Manchester United with a winning goal in the 100th minute at Stamford Bridge
Still room for improvement
Kevin De Bruyne has already secured his place among the very best players to grace the division thanks to his incredible passing range, vision and precision. But even he managed to achieve something he’d never done before this term.
In City’s 4-0 win over Brighton last month, the 32-year-old scored his 68th Premier League goal, but his very first headed strike in the competition.
Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring the Man City with a superb header – his first in the Premier League
Sheffield United became only the second team in Premier League history to concede 100 goals
100 and very much out
In a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United became just the second side in Premier League history to concede 100 goals in a single campaign, along with Swindon Town in 1993-94.
In fact, Chris Wilder’s stand alone as the most pores defence in Premier League history, having let in 104 goals this season.
