With more interesting games over the next few days, the Premier League season is starting to settle down into a pattern.
Total Football’s Simon Wright gives background to each of the 10 Premier League games this weekend and a flashback to one previous match between the two sides.
Saturday, 29 September
Arsenal v Chelsea (12.45pm), LIVE ON SKY SPORTS
• Theo Walcott has scored in two of his last three Premier League starts against Chelsea.
• Chelsea and Arsenal are the only teams in the Premier League yet to concede a second half goal so far this season.
• The Blues have kept four clean sheets so far from five matches in the league. Only Reading have managed to score past Petr Cech so far this season.
• Arsenal have scored only six goals in their last seven home Premier League meetings with Chelsea.
• Mikel Arteta has averaged 111 touches per game this season, more than any other player in the Premier League.
FLASHBACK: Arsenal 3-3 Chelsea – 4 September 1996
This London derby was a real rollercoaster as the points were shared at Highbury.
Chelsea made a brilliant start to the match, going 2-0 ahead inside half an hour thanks to a Franck Leboeuf penalty and a Gianluca Vialli shot that squirmed inside John Lukic’s near post.
In first half injury time, Paul Merson cracked a shot past Dimitri Kharine to put the Gunners back into the match and they went on to dominate the second half.
Martin Keown levelled matters and Ian Wright came off the bench to find the net with 15 minutes to go.
The Blues refused to give up and in stoppage time, Dennis Wise smashed home an equaliser to ensure a thrilling share of the spoils.
Everton v Southampton
• Everton have won five of their last seven home Premier League meetings with Southampton. The Saints haven’t registered a win at Goodison Park since 1997.
• Everton have scored the most headed goals in the Premier League this season with four.
• Southampton have dropped six points from winning positions already this season, the joint-most of any club in the Premier League.
• All five of the goals that Everton have conceded so far this campaign have come in the second half of matches.
• Southampton have allowed a joint-high 30 shots on target against them this season.
FLASHBACK: Everton 2-0 Southampton – 3 December 2001
Everton have a good home record against Southampton and in 2001, this continued infront of the Sky Sports cameras.
The Toffees dominated the game and found the net twice in the second half, through Tomasz Radzinski and Mark Pembridge.
The introduction of Paul Gascoigne was the major difference in the outcome of this game.
Fulham v Manchester City
• Fulham have failed to win any of their last six Premier League meetings against Manchester City.
• The Cottagers have only lost one of their previous 13 games at Craven Cottage.
• Manchester City might be unbeaten in 11 but haven’t kept a clean sheet since beating Newcastle 2-0 on 6 May.
• Joe Hart needs just three more clean sheets to reach 100 shut-outs in his club career.
• This game has never seen a red card in 20 previous Premier League meetings, the most in the league’s 20 year history.
FLASHBACK: Fulham 2-1 Manchester City – 7 November 2005
Steed Malbranque has had an interesting career but he starred in an inconsistent Fulham side during the middle of the last decade.
The Frenchman scored two first half goals, either side of a Lee Croft equaliser to ensure City returned from west London with no points.
Earlier on the same day, Prime Minister Tony Blair had told the BBC’s Football Focus show that Malbranque was one of his favourite Premier League players. He didn’t let Tony down.
Norwich City v Liverpool
• Liverpool have earned just 20 points from their 24 Premier League matches during this calendar year.
• The Reds are unbeaten in their last four visits to Carrow Road, winning three of these meetings.
• Norwich have caught opposition players offside 17 times this season, more than any other club.
• Only the Canaries with 3.6 per cent have a worse chance conversion rate than Liverpool this season.
• Liverpool have failed to win any of their first five league games in a domestic season for the first time since 1911-12.
FLASHBACK: Norwich City 1-2 Liverpool – 29 April 1995
Norwich City’s relegation was all but confirmed in season 1994/95, when Liverpool won this match at Carrow Road.
Defender Steve Harkness scored an early goal, his first for LFC. Robert Ullathrone equalised but with six minutes left, a counter attack which started with a David James throw out, was finished clinically by Ian Rush.
The Canaries were all but doomed and it was too late for caretaker manager Gary Megson to save them. Relegation was confirmed seven days later.
Reading v Newcastle United
• Papiss Cisse will be hoping for his first league goal of the season this weekend. He netted in midweek, which was his first strike since the breathtaking double at Chelsea in early May.
• Left back Ian Harte is in search of his first Premier League goal since scoring for Leeds United against Portsmouth in April 2004.
• Newcastle have drawn 99 games away from home in the Premier League era.
• Reading have only triumphed in two of their last 14 Premier League matches, a run stretching back to 2008.
• Jonas Gutierrez has been fouled more than any other player so far this season. The Argentine has been illegally challenged on 16 separate occasions.
FLASHBACK: Reading 1-0 Newcastle United – 30 April 2007
Reading’s first campaign in the Premier League was a major success and they beat Newcastle in April 2007 to keep UEFA Cup qualification hopes alive.
Dave Kitson’s volley was the difference on a night when Michael Owen returned from a serious injury picked up at the 2006 World Cup.
Stoke City v Swansea City
• Stoke are currently on a nine match unbeaten run at the Britannia Stadium in the Premier League, which started with a 2-0 victory in this fixture back in February.
• None of Swansea’s 10 Premier League goals so far this term have come from set pieces.
• The Potters have conceded 60 per cent of their goals from set plays, the most in the division.
• Tony Pulis’s side have won just one of their last 16 games in the Premier League.
• With just 23 per cent, the Swans have made the lowest percentage of their passes in the final third this campaign.
FLASHBACK: Stoke City 2-0 Swansea City – 26 February 2012
Stoke’s formidable home form was shown in their only Premier League meeting at the Britannia, which came back in February this year.
First half headers from Matthew Upson and Peter Crouch sealed a 2-0 victory for the Potters, which was their first victory in the Premier League in two and a half months.
Sunderland v Wigan Athletic
• Franco Di Santo has scored a 90th minute goal in each of his last two visits to the Stadium of Light.
• The Black Cats have had just six shots on target this season but have scored from four of these, all from Steven Fletcher.
• Sunderland are the only side in the top flight who haven’t had a headed attempt on goal all season.
• Roberto Martinez’s Lactics have only drawn one match away from home throughout 2012 in the Premier League.
• Sunderland are only the third team to have drawn their first four Premier League games in history (Crystal Palace 1992-93 and Stoke City 2012-13 the others). No side has ever drawn their first five matches.
FLASHBACK: Sunderland 4-2 Wigan Athletic – 23 April 2011
Sunderland secured their first victory in ten matches when they overcame Wigan at the Stadium of Light, to virtually secure Premier League survival for another season.
The Black Cats fell behind to Mohamed Diame’s cracking opener in the 52nd minute but four goals in 22 minutes were the focal point for a stunning fightback.
Asamoah Gyan, Jordan Henderson with two goals and a Stephane Sessegnon penalty secured a priceless win, with Franco Di Santo’s late consolation no more than making the scoreline more respectable for the Lactics.
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur (5.30pm) – LIVE ON ESPN
• Manchester United have not lost any of their last 22 Premier League meetings against Spurs, 17 of these ending in victories.
• Tottenham’s last victory at Old Trafford came back in 1989 – when current MOTD anchor Gary Lineker was on target.
• Tottenham have scored 88 per cent of their goals in the second half of matches so far this season.
• The Red Devils have conceded three headed goals in the Premier League – the most of any side in the top flight.
• With 10 goals to his name, Ryan Giggs has scored more goals against Tottenham than against any other side in his glorious career.
FLASHBACK: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur – 4 January 2005
Tottenham’s record at Old Trafford is truly dreadful but they were denied victory in January 2005 by a terrible decision.
Pedro Mendes fired a long-range shot which Roy Carroll dropped well over the United goal line.
Remarkably, referee Mark Clattenburg and his officials failed to spot this glaring error from Carroll and the game finished goalless.
The call for video technology in the goal started here and is still providing a huge scope for debate today.
Sunday, 30 September
Aston Villa v West Brom (4pm), LIVE ON SKY SPORTS
• West Brom have won just one of their last eight away Premier League matches.
• Six of the last eight Premier League meetings between these two sides have ended with a 2-1 final scoreline.
• Aston Villa have won 42 of the 74 meetings between the sides at Villa Park.
• With 10 points already recorded, this is West Brom’s best start to a league season in 58 years.
• Along with Newcastle, Villa have scored two goals from outside the penalty box which is the joint most in the Premier League.
FLASHBACK: Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom – 14 December 2002
Just over 40,000 turned up at Villa Park to see Aston Villa edge out West Brom in this west Midlands derby.
Darius Vassell gave the home side the lead after 16 minutes, only for Jason Koumas to peg the scoreline level on the half hour.
Steve Staunton saw red for a second yellow card but a classic pile driver from German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger in the 90th minute left Albion ruing a great opportunity to take at least a point away back to the Hawthorns.
Monday, 1 October
QPR v West Ham United
• QPR have not scored a home goal in the Premier League so far this season.
• West Ham’s last victory at Loftus Road was back in January 1998.
• The Hammers possess the highest foul count of any team in the Premier League so far this season with 75.
• QPR have conceded 11 goals in the Premier League this campaign. Only Southampton with 15 have conceded more.
• All three strikes in the league this season from QPR have come from striker Bobby Zamora.
FLASHBACK: QPR 3-0 West Ham United – 27 April 1996
QPR’s 15 year stay in the top flight was ended by results elsewhere in 1996 despite matching their biggest victory of a tough season.
Karl Ready headed Rangers infront on 59 minutes and there were two goals from Kevin Gallen but victories for Manchester City and Coventry on the same afternoon meant the west Londoners were consigned to relegation.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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