The 2020/21 season has perhaps surpassed all expectations despite the difficulties facing Premier League sides, a wide-open division that have seen the league toppers change several times this season. Manchester City climbed to the top of the summit with a convincing 5-nil trashing of West Brom while Manchester United dropped to second place after a disappointing home loss to struggling Sheffield United.
Moyes’ recruitment has provided the foundation for West Ham‘s push for European football, the Hammers currently sitting in the Premier League’s top four following a fine run of form. They defeated Crystal Palace by a 3-1 score line with goals from Soucek who scored twice and Dawson.
The biggest match of the game week took place at White Hart Lane, where Liverpool beat Spurs by a 3-1 scoreline with the Liverpool team scoring a PL goal for the first time in 2021.
For now, we’ve got enough time to quickly reflect on some of the mouth-watering stats from the weekend’s action via OPTA stats.
• 6 – José Mourinho has lost six of his 23 home league games in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, more than he has at any of his previous clubs.
• 482 – Roberto Firmino’s goal was Liverpool’s first in the Premier League since December (Mane vs West Brom), ending the Reds’ run of 482 minutes and 93 shots without scoring in the competition.
• 2 – Oliver Burke has won more games (2) & scored more goals (1) than Liverpool in the Premier League since December 30th. Before that, he’d endured the longest winless run from the start of any PL player’s career (25 games).
• 2 – Manchester United have lost two of their last four Premier League home games against the side starting the day bottom of the table (also 0-1 v West Brom, April 2018), one more loss than in their other 21 such matches in the competition (W16 D4 L1).
• 5 – All five of Youri Tielemans’ goals in the Premier League this season have been scored away from home – indeed, he’s netted the most away goals of any player yet to score at home this term.
• 15 – Since his Premier League debut for Burnley in August 2017, Chris Wood has scored the joint-most headed goals in the competition, alongside Harry Kane (15 each).
• 14 – Jack Grealish has now been directly involved 14 Premier League goals in 18 appearances this season (6 goals, 8 assists), as many as he was in 36 appearances last season (8 goals, 6 assists).
• 433 – Chelsea have made 433 successful passes against Wolves so far; their most in the first half of a Premier League game since the start of the 2003-04 season (when we have this data available).
• 16 & 2 – Only Man City have won more points (18) and conceded fewer goals (1) than Arsenal in the Premier League since Boxing Day (16 points and two goals conceded for the Gunners during this period).
• 7 – Ilkay Gündogan has scored seven Premier League goals this season – his best ever scoring season in the top five European Leagues.
• 9 – Only Alexandre Lacazette (10) has been involved in more goals for Arsenal in all competitions this season than Nicolas Pepe (9 – 6 goals, 3 assists).
• 6 – Newcastle United have lost six consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since May 2015 (a run of 8 defeats).
• 6 – West Ham have won their first six competitive games in a single calendar year for the first time in their history.
• 5 – No defender has provided more assists in the Premier League this season than Aaron Cresswell (5).
• 3 – Raphinha is the first Leeds United player to score each of his first three Premier League goals for the club all away from home since Michael Bridges in August 1999.