As we get very close to the tail end of the season, the race to secure Champions League football is hotting up with the latest round of Premier League action intensifying a multi-team fight for the top four.
West Ham’s win over Leicester maintained their place in the top four and has narrowed the gap between their beaten opponents and the chasing pack, with just four points now separating Brendan Rodgers’ third-placed side from Liverpool in sixth.
Manchester United strengthened their grip on second by coming from behind (again) to win at Tottenham, whilst Leeds produced the shock of the weekend after beating Manchester City at the Etihad, despite being reduced to 10 men following Liam Cooper’s red card before the break.
In the meantime, we have we’ve got enough time to quickly reflect on some of the most eye-catching stats from the weekend’s action via OPTA stats.
• 5 – Only Manchester United (6) have drawn more Premier League matches 0-0 than Brighton (5) this season, while this was Everton’s first goalless draw of the campaign, leaving Sheffield United as the only side still yet to play out a 0-0 draw.
• 5 – Brighton have kept a clean sheet in five of their eight home Premier League matches in 2021 – no side has kept more home shutouts in the competition since the turn of the year.
• 10 – Southampton have picked up just 10 points from 15 Premier League games in 2021 (W3 D1 L11), fewer than any other side since the turn of the year.
• 2015 – Sam Johnstone is the first West Brom goalkeeper to save a penalty in the Premier League since Boaz Myhill vs Man Utd in May 2015.
• 50 – Alexandre Lacazette is the sixth Frenchman to score 50 Premier League goals for a single club, with four of the six doing so for Arsenal (also Thierry Henry, Olivier Giroud and Robert Pires).
• 19y 192d – Mason Greenwood is the first teenager to score and assist as a substitute for Manchester United in a Premier League match since Cristiano Ronaldo in November 2003 (against Portsmouth).
• 23 – In English top-flight history, Manchester United’s current 23-game unbeaten run away from home in the league (W15 D8) is bettered only by a 27-game run from Arsenal between April 2003 and September 2004.
• 3 – Son Heung-Min has scored three goals against Manchester United in the Premier League this season; the most by a player against the Red Devils in a single campaign since Sergio Agüero in 2014-15 (3).
• 8 – Since February 3rd, when Jesse Lingard made his West Ham debut and Kelechi Iheancho scored his first Premier League goal of the season, no players have scored more goals in the competition than the pair (8 each).
• 4 – Jesse Lingard is only the third player to score in four consecutive Premier League games for a David Moyes team, after Mikel Arteta in 2010 and Robin van Persie in 2013.
• 8 – Since the start of last season, Allain Saint-Maximin has assisted eight Premier League goals for Newcastle, at least three more than any other player for the Magpies in this time.
• 6 – Chelsea are yet to lose on the road under Thomas Tuchel in the Premier League (P6 W4 D2) – the only other Blues manager to avoid defeat in his first six away games in the competition was Felipe Scolari (unbeaten in first 10).
• 12h 44m – Mohamed Salah’s goal ended Liverpool’s run of 12 hours and 44 minutes without scoring from open play at Anfield in the Premier League.
• 2004 – Liam Cooper is the first player to be sent off for Leeds in a Premier League game since Mark Viduka vs Bolton in May 2004.
• 48 – Adama Traoré’s goal ended a run of 48 appearances without scoring in the Premier League, since his last strike against Manchester City in December 2019. The Spaniard’s first goal in the competition this season came with his 28th shot attempt.
Premier League Game Week 31 Round-Up
