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By Jonathan Lewis | 5th May 2023
As the world’s most watched football division, the pressure is on English Premier League teams to provide a huge helping of entertainment every week as the eyes of the world look upon them.
Thankfully for the fans watching, it never fails to disappoint with goals, cards, and touchline histrionics all helping make it one of the most entertaining leagues in the world.
Many observers will look at the customary stats behind the football, such as goals scored, XG, and red cards, but what about the curious facts that make the sport so fascinating? Let’s have a look at 6 curious facts from this season’s Premier League.
Harry Kane broke three remarkable records this season
Most players are happy with breaking just one record in their career. Harry Kane, though, isn’t like most players.
The striker broke three incredible records this season. First, he overtook Jimmy Greaves to become Spurs’ record scorer. He also became their first player to break the 200-goal mark.
Internationally, he also overtook Wayne Rooney to become England’s best-ever scorer. His 55 goals will take some time to be beaten.
The scary thing is that the 29-year-old probably has five or six years left at the top level. He may break even more.
Spurs went down 5-0 in the second-fastest time ever in the Premier League
In the digital era, football fans may be used to getting online freebies and perks. They might get a free bet from a bookmaker or some extra spins or credit through a best no deposit bonus 2023 to use in online casinos. Few, however, would anticipate a full ticket refund landing in their internet bank account.
Yet this is exactly what happened to Spurs fans who attended their away fixture at St. James Park. The Magpies had run riot against Cristian Stellini’s side in a wild first half which saw them blitz Hugo Lloris’s goal with shots. Unfortunately for Spurs, Lloris had an off day, committing several mistakes which saw them leak five goals before half time.
But it wasn’t just that. Those five goals came in just 21 minutes – the second-fastest time this had ever happened in the Premier League era. Manchester City hold the record, knocking the same amount past Watford three minutes quicker.
Spurs went on to avoid conceding double figures – losing 6-1 in the end – but the club hierarchy was embarrassed enough to refund their travelling support’s ticket costs immediately after the humiliation.
Southampton were the first team in Premier League history to name five players with double-barrelled surnames in their starting line-up
Footballers and double-barrelled surnames have traditionally been quite a rare occurrence. One theory is England’s class-based society: using two surnames has typically been the domain of the ‘upper classes’, and footballers have tended to come from the ‘working class’.
Nowadays, though, double-barrelled names are more common, with many people taking the names of both parents thanks to attempts to close the gap in gender equality. It’s something that Southampton fans have seen first-hand, with several first-team members boasting multiple surnames.
Their Premier League match vs Everton last October was particularly notable for this. The Saints named five double-barrelled surnames in their starting line-up, the first such an event that happened in Premier League history.
The history makers on this day were James Ward-Prowse, Kyle Walker-Peters, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Duje Ćaleta-Car, and Armel Bella-Kotchap.
Crystal Palace earned the biggest shot difference of the season
Crystal Palace are hardly the league’s sharpshooters. Under Patrick Vieira they struggled for goals, at one point being the joint-lowest scorers in the league.
The return of Roy Hodgson helped somewhat, with the 74-year-old making an instant impact on his return, inspiring the side to a 2-1 win over Leicester. Yet rather than the much-needed win, this game was notable for another reason: it had the biggest shot difference between two teams in the league up to that point.
Yes, Leicester only managed three shots, but Palace amassed a mighty 31 attempts on goal as they peppered their opposition in search for three points. The 28-shot difference reflected a huge disparity in the teams’ styles and put Palace on the path toward confirming Premier League survival for another season.
Erling Haaland equalled Paul Scholes’ assists record – with six games left to play
Much has been made of Erling Haaland’s incredible debut season in which he’s broken scoring records left, right, and centre.
Yet few people have picked up on his other contributions to the team, namely his hold-up play and his eye for a defence-splitting pass.
This was brought home in dramatic style when the Norwegian set up his teammate Kevin De Bruyne for the opening goal in their 3-1 defeat of title rivals Arsenal. The assist was his seventh of the season and, with it, he equalled Paul Scholes’ season record – a player that many people regard as a creative genius in his own right.
Remarkable stuff.
James Milner has played in over 1% of all English topflight football fixtures
We’ve saved perhaps the most impressive stat till last.
James Milner has enjoyed a long and glorious career, winning multiple trophies and mountains of praise for his excellent professionalism and versatility, not least from his manager Jurgen Klopp.
He’s also remarkably resilient. This was his 20th consecutive season in which he’s made over 20 league appearances: in fact, he’s made over 30 in 11 of those.
His fitness and longevity led analysts to a remarkable finding: the Englishman has appeared in 1.2% of all English top-flight fixtures ever. By ‘ever’, we mean since 1888.
For a footballer valued for his dedication to the cause, it’s a fitting tribute.
Jonathan Lewis is an MFF sports writer
Source : MyFootballFacts