Wednesday 10 December 2014 17:27, UK
This week Martin Tyler's stats and facts column discusses which players have grabbed a goal, an assist and an early bath in the same game, bogey crowds, unbeaten runs and the best penalty savers. Read on to find out more.
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Martin's Starting Stats
Liverpool still haven’t beaten Basel in European competition. There were two draws in 2002, including another 1-1 at home and a 3-3 draw away that knocked Liverpool out. This time it was 0-1 away and 1-1 at home. They were asked to beat Basel, something they haven’t done before, and couldn’t do it.
It was Basel’s first away draw in any of their last 21 away games in all competitions, so it was an unusual result for them. They had lost their last three away games in the Champions League. Basel had won their previous four against English clubs, but this must also have felt like a win!
They knocked Liverpool out in 2002 and 2014 and Manchester United in 2011 – the scurge of the Premier League having also beaten Chelsea twice in the group stage last year and knocked Tottenham out of the Europa League at the quarter-final stage in 2013.
Liverpool didn’t keep a clean sheet in any of their group games, which was probably their undoing.
Steven Gerrard scored his 100th goal at Anfield and his 178th goal for the club. It wasn’t enough though and we might now see Liverpool v Everton in the Europa League!
Disappointing hunting grounds
Arsenal’s recent struggles at Stoke continued at the weekend and so did Chelsea’s poor form at Newcastle: what is the worst example of a bogey ground for a team in the Premier League? (Johnno, Norwich)
MARTIN SAYS: There is one very clear winner (or loser) for this question and that’s Fulham, who have never taken a point at Goodison Park from 13 top-flight matches.
The Cottagers have come close to nicking a point on a few occasions against Everton, only losing by a single goal on six of their trips. In 2009-10 they were just minutes away from drawing until a late penalty from Mikel Arteta secured a 2-1 win for the Toffees.
It was a similar story in 2008-09 as Louis Saha’s 87th-minute goal gave Everton a 1-0 win while in 2001-02 the home side still won 2-1 despite having Thomas Gravesen sent off after 28 minutes.
Fulham have also been on the wrong end of a few heavy defeats at Goodison, losing 4-1 in their last visit there in 2013-14 and also 4-0 a couple of years earlier.
The nearest challengers to Fulham’s unwanted record are Wigan, who have lost all eight of their Premier League matches at Old Trafford. In fact, Wigan have a terrible recent record at Manchester United, scoring just one goal there in their eight top-flight matches there and conceding 28.
The Latics are not the only team to struggle at Old Trafford in the Premier League, with Portsmouth, Stoke City and Birmingham City all failing to take a point from their seven visits to the Theatre of Dreams.
Portsmouth and Derby County have lost all seven of their Premier League games at Chelsea while Derby have had the same lack of success at Aston Villa.
Although Stoke have enjoyed playing Arsenal at home, they have not fared as well on their travels against the Gunners, failing to take a point from their six away matches against them.
The Potters have had the same lack of success at Chelsea, losing all six games at Stamford Bridge, while Crystal Palace have failed to take a point from their six visits to Old Trafford.
Number of matches without taking a point at opposition team in Premier League
13 - Fulham at Everton
8 - Wigan Athletic at Manchester United
7 - Portsmouth at Chelsea and Manchester United, Derby County at Aston Villa and Chelsea, Stoke City at Manchester United, Birmingham City at Manchester United
6 – Stoke City at Chelsea and Arsenal, Crystal Palace at Manchester United
5 – Birmingham City at Middlesbrough
Invincibles
Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season ended at 14 games at the weekend. It got me thinking, what is the longest unbeaten start a team has made without going on to win the league? (Tony, Wolverhampton)
MARTIN SAYS: Arsenal and Manchester City share the unwanted tag of being the longest unbeaten team at the start of a campaign not to lift the trophy. The Gunners’ 15-game streak at the beginning of the 2007-08 season, including 11 wins, didn’t contribute to a title success.
Arsene Wenger’s side ended up third come May, four points behind champions Manchester United. Their first defeat came at Middlesbrough in early December, but Arsene Wenger’s side went on another 14-game unbeaten run before tailing off in late March.
Manchester City began the 2012-13 season 15 games undefeated, but Manchester United were again crowned Premier League champions by April.
City’s first defeat in the run came against their Manchester rivals, Robin van Persie scoring a late winner in a 3-2 classic at the Etihad Stadium in December 2012. It marked Roberto Mancini’s and Sir Alex Ferguson’s last seasons at the two clubs... for two very different reasons.
Chelsea’s 14-game unbeaten run this season is matched by two other clubs – Liverpool in 2007-08, who ended up finishing fourth, and Manchester City in 2011-12, who were victorious on the final day of the season. Liverpool (2002-03), Aston Villa (1998-99) and Nottingham Forest (1995-96) all fell short after registering 12-game unbeaten starts.
Don’t forget, the longest unbeaten ‘start’ to a Premier League amazingly lasted all 38 games – Arsenal’s famous Invincibles of the 2003-04 season ended up taken their run into the following season to 49 games. They of course won the title in 2004, winning 26 times along the way, with Chelsea 11 points behind in second.
Hero to zero
Charlie Austin was only fifth player in Premier League to be sent off after scoring and getting an assist, who are the others? (Liam, North London)
MARTIN SAYS: It went from very good to very bad for Austin on Saturday, but Charlton’s Shaun Bartlett went one better (or worse) in 2004, scoring twice and providing a goal for Jerome Thomas in the 3-2 win at Tottenham before being dismissed.
The South African was sent off for a deliberate handball with 22 minutes remaining with the score at 3-0, before Tottenham grabbed two quick goals. Charlton held out and Bartlett remained, just about, the hero.
But three men have matched Austin’s impressive contribution. Most recently, Marc-Antoine Fortune helped West Brom to a 3-0 win at Southampton in 2013 with a goal and assist, but was given a straight red along with Gaston Ramirez with the score at 2-0 in the 70th minute.
Mark Viduka scored and set up Alan Smith in a 3-2 win for Leeds over Leicester at the end of the 2003/04 season, before picking up a second yellow in the last minute for kicking the ball away.
Having no bearing on their result, Austin, Barlett, Fortune and Viduka are the lucky ones. So spare a thought for Bobby Zamora, then of West Ham, who scored, assisted and was then sent off with the Hammers leading 3-2 at home to Fulham in January 2007.
With 10 men, West Ham conceded a late equaliser, and Zamora was left red-faced in the dressing room with two points hanging over him.
Shot stoppers
Allan McGregor saved another penalty against West Brom on Saturday and has now saved all three he has faced in the Premier League. What is the record for the most penalties saved in a row by a keeper in the Premier League? (Megan, Northumberland)
MARTIN SAYS: McGregor joined an exclusive club on Saturday by denying compatriot Graham Dorrans from 12 yards, and one more would make him the only Premier League goalkeeper to save four in a row.
The Scot has gained Hull three points from penalty saves alone this season, with his previous stop coming from QPR’s Charlie Austin during a 1-0 win on the opening day of the season. His other came against Frank Lampard in a defeat to Chelsea last term.
McGregor is one of eight top flight goalkeepers to have guessed correctly three times on the trot.
Arsenal’s David Seaman stopped Robbie Fowler’s penalty in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in March 1997 to make it three consecutive saves, although he won’t like me mentioning that Jason McAteer converted the rebound.
Fabien Barthez had some good and bad times during his stint at Manchester United, but his three consecutive penalty saves, the third of which coming from Fulham’s Steed Malbranque in a 1-1 draw in October 2002, was definitely a high point.
Nigel Martyn for Crystal Palace in 1993, Mark Crossley for Nottingham Forest in 1999, Thomas Sorensen for Stoke City in 2009, Kelvin Davies for Southampton in 2012 and Rob Green for West Ham in 2007 make up the rest of the list.
