The 2023-24 Premier League campaign is approaching its climax but before the chaotic run-in commences, we thought it would be an opportune time to pause and draw breath by taking a closer look at some of the season’s strangest stats and facts to date.
Premier League analysis has never been more of a numbers game and with that in mind, we’ve picked out some weird and wonderful statistical trends from the first six months of the campaign.
Newly-promoted trio, Burnley, Luton and Sheffield United, along with Everton, all managed to lose each of their first three Premier League fixtures of 2023/24. That was the first time ever in a top-flight campaign that four different sides lost their first three matches in the division. According to some of the best betting sites UK, the odds of an event like that happening again are around 1000/1.
The Premier League prides itself on being the world’s most exciting domestic competition and on this season’s evidence, that claim is well-founded. Fixtures in England’s top tier have been averaging a staggering 3.25 goals per game this term, which if maintained until May, would make 2023/24 the highest-scoring season since the division was rebranded in 1992.
West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen is on course to enjoy his most prolific Premier League campaign ever and the 27-year-old kickstarted his goal-filled campaign with a historic run in the season’s early exchanges. Bowen became the first player in Premier League history to notch in each of his team’s first six away matches of a season thanks to a streak that ran from August to November last year.
Relegation candidates Everton have been dealing with issues on and off the pitch this season, however, Sean Dyche’s side have been impressively well-drilled defensively, and despite their position near the drop zone, the Merseysiders rank a remarkable fourth-best in the Premier League for xGA (expected goals against) behind title-chasing trio, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Mauricio Pochettino’s mid-table strugglers Chelsea have endured a dismal time in the Argentinean’s maiden campaign at the club and the Blues are also on course to become the dirtiest Premier League side of all time. Leeds, who amassed 101 yellow cards in 2020/21, currently hold that unwanted title, though the Yorkshiremen’s 2.65 cautions per game average from that season falls short of Chelsea’s figure of 3.03 yellow cards per contest so far this term.
Relegation favourites Sheffield United made history for all the wrong reasons on March 4th when they were humbled at home by Arsenal in a 6-0 drubbing at Bramall Lane. That was their fourth home loss by five or more goals on the spin, making them the first team in English football history to lose by that margin in four consecutive home fixtures.
Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke has already lodged a career-best 14 Premier League goals this season, though the 26-year-old’s touch for the Cherries hasn’t always been as silky as he would have liked. In fact, Solanke has miscontrolled the ball a whopping 100 times in 2023/24 so far, which is a full 26 more times than the next-worst performer in that metric, Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew.
Title hopefuls Liverpool have been blowing teams away at fortress Anfield this season and Jurgen Klopp’s relentless Reds set a new record in front of The Kop in their convincing 4-2 win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day. Liverpool mustered an xG (expected goals) figure of 7.27 against the shell-shocked Magpies which was the highest figure for that metric in a single game since Opta first started using it in 2010.
At just 21 years and 14 days old, Manchester United’s Danish hotshot, Rasmus Hojlund, became the youngest-ever player to score in six successive Premier League fixtures when he found the net after just 37 seconds against Luton Town on February 18th. The former Atalanta starlet surpassed Joe Willock, Erling Haaland, Romelu Lukaku and Thierry Henry to earn his unique position in the Premier League history books.
In mid-September, Tottenham Hotspur flanksman, Dejan Kulusevksi, popped up with a dramatic winning goal against Sheffield United which was timed at 99 minutes and 53 seconds, making it the latest match-winning goal in the Premier League since time-keeping records began in 2006-07. In fact, both of Tottenham’s goals against the Blades that day were scored after the 98th minute in North London.
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