Monday 5 December 2016 20:11, UK
This week, Martin Tyler's column looks at 1-0 wins by the champions and who has enjoyed successive wins at Old Trafford.
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Martin’s starting stats
It seems that years which end in the number five are good for Chelsea. They were founded in 1905, they won their first league title in 1955, their second in 2005 and their fifth in 2015.
They were always likely to beat Crystal Palace, who have still not won in the top division away at Chelsea. In 13 games they have drawn 5 and lost 8.
Eden Hazard failed to score a league penalty for the first time in his career in France or England, but he did score his 14th league goal of the season. It was Chelsea’s 69th goal with three games to go. What are the odds that they finish on 72 for the third time in a title-winning team under Jose Mourinho?
They have not lost at Stamford Bridge and only dropped six points at home all season in the draws with man City, Southampton and Burnley.
Mourinho’s overall home Chelsea record is P96 W75 D20 L1 F198 A46 – the one defeat was against Sunderland last season. Furthermore, Chelsea have only been behind at home in one game this season. Swansea led 1-0 for 34 minutes in September before losing 4-2.
John Terry equals Roy Keane as captaining a Premier League winning team for a fourth time. Mourinho won a league title for the eighth time in his career – and his third in the Premier League equals the tally of Arsene Wenger. They are still way behind Sir Alex Ferguson’s 13 though!
1-0 to the Chelsea
Have Chelsea won more games 1-0 than any of the previous title winners in the Premier League? (Jonny K)
MARTIN SAYS: There is a perception of Chelsea that has been shaped by what has happened in the last three months. Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, which sealed the title, was their 25th victory in the Premier League this season, but only their fifth by that scoreline. Those five 1-0 wins have come in their last eight league victories.
Interestingly, it wasn’t until February that Jose Mourinho’s men registered their first 1-0 victory in the league, when an 89th-minute Willian winner saw off Everton at Stamford Bridge.
Since then, they’ve taken 1-0 wins at West Ham and QPR, before Eden Hazard’s goal saw them beat Manchester United last month, then of course came the title-securing victory over Palace last weekend. It might feel like they have won by that scoreline more often than they have.
Jose Mourinho has regularly said that his team’s football has changed from artistic to strategic because of injuries and suspensions over recent weeks.
Their five 1-0 wins pale in comparison with Mourinho’s first title-winning side, though. The Blues won by that scoreline 11 times back in 2004/05 on their way to their first-ever Premier League title.
Manchester United won 1-0 on 10 occasions in their 2008/09 triumph, eight back in 1995/96, plus seven in the 2007/08 season when they pipped Chelsea to the title by two points, and six 1-0 wins in the second-ever Premier League season back in 1993/94.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are the only other title-winning side to win 1-0 more times than Chelsea have – Arsene Wenger’s double-winning Gunners side in 1997/98 doing so seven times in the league.
Stretford success
How many Premier League teams have managed to win back-to-back league games at Old Trafford like West Brom have? There can’t be many! (Ann, Surrey)
MARTIN SAYS: You’re quite right – it’s not a common feat, but West Brom became the fifth team to win back-to-back league matches at Old Trafford in the Premier League era.
Liverpool were the first side to do so, and they had Danny Murphy to thank for that as he scored in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford in the 2000/01 season, before the midfielder repeated his feat the next season, giving the Reds another 1-0 win over United in 2001/02.
Bolton also won at Old Trafford in the 2001/02 season, with Kevin Nolan and Michael Ricketts netting in a 2-1 victory, before Nolan scored again as they won 1-0 nearly 12 months later. Tottenham held off a United fightback to win 3-2 at Old Trafford in 2012/13, before they won 2-1 against David Moyes’ men there last season.
Only one side has ever won three in a row in the Premier League era at Old Trafford, and that just happens to be their local rivals, Manchester City, who started their run with that incredible 6-1 win back in October 2011, before winning 2-1 and then 3-0 in the next two seasons, with their run coming to an end after their 4-2 defeat last month.
In total only 11 current Premier League sides have won back-to-back league games at Old Trafford in history. I’ve already mentioned West Brom, Liverpool, Spurs and Man City in the Premier League era, but the last time Arsenal did it was in 1979. Chelsea last won consecutive league games at Old Trafford in 1986.
The other teams to do it are Aston Villa (1930), Burnley (1962), Newcastle (1935), Southampton (1969) and West Ham (1934).
Everton and Sunderland have also taken back-to-back victories at the home of Manchester United, although they weren’t playing at Old Trafford when they did it!
Sharing the spotlight
Everton have now had four penalty-takers this season in the Premier League. Is that a record? (Ricky, Reading)
MARTIN SAYS: Romelu Lukaku netted from the spot but that couldn’t stop Everton losing at Aston Villa as Tim Sherwood’s men won 3-2 last weekend. As well as the Belgian striker, compatriot Kevin Mirallas has taken a penalty this season, as have Ross Barkley and Leighton Baines.
But Portsmouth hold the record for the most spot-kick takers in one season, as six different players tried their luck from 12 yards. Matthew Taylor and Sulley Muntari scored from the spot, while Kanu, Benjani and Niko Krancjar all failed to score penalties for Pompey in the 2007/08 season, before Jermain Defoe took two and scored both.
On 12 occasions we’ve seen teams give five different players a go from the spot…
Arsenal – 2006/07, 2010/11
Chelsea – 2012/13
Crystal Palace – 2013/14
Middlesbrough – 1999/00
Newcastle – 2008/09
Sunderland – 1996/97
Tottenham – 1993/94
West Brom – 2012/13
West Ham – 2009/10
Wigan – 2006/07, 2007/08
So Everton are still behind a fair few teams, but there are still three games to go so they could yet move up the ranks!
And finally...
An interesting stat came up in my preparation for Barcelona v Bayern Munich. I noticed that Manuel Neuer conceded direct from a free-kick for the first time in his Bayern Bundesliga career last weekend. Bayer Leverkusen player Hakan Calhanoglu was the man to do it.
