Can you answer Tyler's Teaser on Premier League losing World Cup finalists?
Wednesday 20 August 2014 11:02, UK
Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back for a new season. Read on to find out which team has lost the most games in Premier League history and who has scored the most opening-day goals...
Every week, Martin will set you a question of his own to get your grey matter working. Click above for this week's Tyler's Teaser - which tests your knowledge of players to have lost in the World Cup Final.
1: Email your posers to skysportsclub@bskyb.com
2. Use the feedback form at the bottom of this page.
3. Tweet @SkyFootball using the hashtag #TylersTeasers
If Chelsea score, would this be the first time in PL history every away team has scored in the opening fixtures? @brownmc1986 via Twitter
MARTIN SAYS: That's a great question to start the series. As you will know by now, Chelsea DID score three times in the Monday Night Football game against Burnley (the only Premier League team to score three goals on opening weekend) and that means that 10 out of 10 away sides scored on the opening weekend. This is the first time in Premier League history that this has happened.
The closest we have come previously was back in 1993/94 when there were 22 teams in the league and 10 of the 11 away sides scored on the opening weekend. As you can see, the only away team to fail to score were Sheffield Wednesday, who didn’t find the net in a 2-0 defeat at Anfield.
Chelsea 1-2 Blackburn
Aston Villa 4-1 QPR
Arsenal 0-3 Coventry
Liverpool 2-0 Sheff Wed
Newcastle 0-1 Tottenham
West Ham 0-2 Wimbledon
Oldham 0-3 Ipswich
Sheff Utd 3-1 Swindon
Southampton 0-2 Everton
Man City 1-1 Leeds
Norwich 0-2 Man Utd
Amazingly, the last time every away side in the top-flight scored on the opening weekend before this was at the start of the 1946/47 season (11 games in total).
The list below, courtesy of our friends at Opta, shows how many away sides scored in each previous Premier League season:
PL Season | MD 1 Games | Away Teams To Score |
1992/1993 | 11 | 9 |
1993/1994 | 11 | 10 |
1994/1995 | 11 | 7 |
1995/1996 | 10 | 6 |
1996/1997 | 10 | 6 |
1997/1998 | 10 | 8 |
1998/1999 | 10 | 6 |
1999/2000 | 10 | 7 |
2000/2001 | 10 | 4 |
2001/2002 | 10 | 7 |
2002/2003 | 10 | 4 |
2003/2004 | 10 | 8 |
2004/2005 | 10 | 8 |
2005/2006 | 10 | 6 |
2006/2007 | 10 | 7 |
2007/2008 | 10 | 8 |
2008/2009 | 10 | 8 |
2009/2010 | 10 | 8 |
2010/2011 | 10 | 4 |
2011/2012 | 9 | 5 |
2012/2013 | 10 | 5 |
2013/2014 | 10 | 6 |
2014/2015 | 10 | 10 |
What are the stats about only two home teams winning on the opening day? Ben G (Aston Villa)
MARTIN SAYS: The only sides to win at home on Matchday One of this season were Liverpool against Southampton and Arsenal against Crystal Palace – and both of those were narrow victories.
This is the second lowest number of home wins for Matchday One in Premier League history. Back in 2011/12, there were nine games played on the opening weekend (Tottenham's game with Everton was called off due to the London riots) and the only home winner was Manchester City, who beat Swansea 4-0 on Monday Night Football.
Back in 2005/06, we also saw only two home wins out of 10 matches played. West Ham were the only home team to win on the opening day, beating Blackburn 3-1, while Arsenal won 2-0 at home to Newcastle on the first Super Sunday.
The record for home wins on the first weekend is the eight victories recorded in 2006/07. On that weekend the results were as follows, with only Sheffield United and Arsenal (in their first game at the Emirates) failing to record home wins.
Sheff Utd 1-1 Liverpool
Newcastle 2-1 Wigan
Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa
Portsmouth 3-0 Blackburn
Reading 3-2 Middlesbrough
Everton 2-1 Watford
West Ham 3-1 Charlton
Bolton 2-0 Tottenham
Man Utd 5-1 Fulham
Chelsea 3-0 Man City
The table below shows how many home wins recorded on the opening weekend of each Premier League season:
PL - Opening Day | Home Wins |
1992/1993 | 4 |
1993/1994 | 3 |
1994/1995 | 3 |
1995/1996 | 5 |
1996/1997 | 3 |
1997/1998 | 4 |
1998/1999 | 3 |
1999/2000 | 3 |
2000/2001 | 7 |
2001/2002 | 5 |
2002/2003 | 5 |
2003/2004 | 6 |
2004/2005 | 3 |
2005/2006 | 2 |
2006/2007 | 8 |
2007/2008 | 4 |
2008/2009 | 7 |
2009/2010 | 4 |
2010/2011 | 5 |
2011/2012 | 1 |
2012/2013 | 6 |
2013/2014 | 4 |
2014/2015 | 2 |
Wayne Rooney has scored quite a few goals on the opening day for Man United. Which player is the best at scoring goals on the opening day of the season in the Premier League? Robert (Manchester United fan)
MARTIN SAYS: I can tell you that Wayne Rooney has now scored six times on the opening weekend of a Premier League season – and only three players have managed more than that.
One of those is Teddy Sheringham, who has scored seven goals on the opening matchday of a Premier League season – including, famously, the first ever goal scored on Sky Sports for Nottingham Forest against Liverpool.
However, two players have scored eight times on the opening weekend. Alan Shearer is one of those players – and the other is Frank Lampard, who wasn’t included in the Manchester City squad against Newcastle and so was unable to add to his tally.
Most opening-day goals in Premier League history (courtesy of Opta):
All-Time PL | Opening Day Goals |
Lampard, Frank | 8 |
Shearer, Alan | 8 |
Sheringham, Teddy | 7 |
Drogba, Didier | 6 |
Rooney, Wayne | 6 |
Saha, Louis | 6 |
Bent, Darren | 5 |
Bergkamp, Dennis | 5 |
Campbell, Kevin | 5 |
Ferdinand, Les | 5 |
Fowler, Robbie | 5 |
Owen, Michael | 5 |
What’s the number of times the EPL winner has lost the opening fixture @VickersHamish
MARTIN SAYS: More often than not, the eventual winner of the Premier League has won their opening game. In 13 of the previous 22 seasons, the title-winners have won their first match.
On only three occasions has a side lost on the opening day and gone on to win the title. On each of those occasions, the team concerned was Manchester United (in 2012, 1995 and 1992) – so maybe Louis van Gaal shouldn’t be too concerned about that opening loss to Swansea!
However, 11 of the last 14 champions have won on the opening day – which means the omens are good for Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Tottenham and Liverpool – and also Swansea, Hull and Aston Villa!
Results of eventual champions on the opening day of the season:
Season | Eventual champions | Opening result |
2013/14 | Man City | Won 4-0 v Newcastle |
2012/13 | Man Utd | Lost 1-0 v Everton |
2011/12 | Man City | Won 4-0 v Swansea |
2010/11 | Man Utd | Won 3-0 v Newcastle |
2009/10 | Chelsea | Won 2-1 v Hull |
2008/09 | Man Utd | Drew 1-1 v Newcastle |
2007/08 | Man Utd | Drew 0-0 v Reading |
2006/07 | Man Utd | Won 5-1 v Fulham |
2005/06 | Chelsea | Won 1-0 v Wigan |
2004/05 | Chelsea | Won 1-0 v Man Utd |
2003/04 | Arsenal | Won 2-1 v Everton |
2002/03 | Man Utd | Won 1-0 v West Brom |
2001/02 | Arsenal | Won 4-0 v Middlesbrough |
2000/01 | Man Utd | Won 2-0 v Newcastle |
1999/00 | Man Utd | Drew 1-1 v Everton |
1998/99 | Man Utd | Drew 2-2 v Leicester |
1997/98 | Arsenal | Drew 1-1 v Leeds |
1996/97 | Man Utd | Won 3-0 v Wimbledon |
1995/96 | Man Utd | Lost 3-1 v Aston Villa |
1994/95 | Blackburn | Drew 1-1 v Southampton |
1993/94 | Man Utd | Won 2-0 v Norwich |
1992/93 | Man Utd | Lost 2-1 v Sheffield United |
Which team has lost the most Premier League games since it began? @Omar98RNS
MARTIN SAYS: Inevitably, the answer to this question is one of the Premier League’s ever-present sides. I can tell you that Everton have lost more Premier League games than any other club and at 297 losses are just three games shy of becoming the first team to lose 300 Premier League games.
West Ham are now in joint second place in this list, following their defeat to Tottenham at the weekend. They have now moved up to 293 Premier League defeats – level, ironically, with Spurs.
Everton and Tottenham have both played in all 23 seasons, while West Ham have played in 19 seasons. To rephrase the old cliche – you’ve got to be in it to lose it!
Thanks to the boffins at Opta, here are the sides with the most losses in Premier League history:
All-Time PL | Games Lost | |
Everton | 297 | |
Tottenham Hotspur | 293 | |
West Ham United | 293 | |
Aston Villa | 286 | |
Newcastle United | 268 | |
Blackburn Rovers | 250 | |
Southampton | 247 | |
Sunderland | 239 | |
Manchester City | 232 | |
Middlesbrough | 220 |