Premier League
MANCHESTER UNITED’S 9-0 WIN IS PREMIER LEAGUE’S BIGGEST SCORELINE
Manchester United’s 9-0 win over Southampton on 2 February 2021 was the joint biggest win in Premier League history.
In order for a result like this to happen, devastating finishing and comical defending must combine in dramatic fashion.
Here are the occasions throughout Premier League history where these two worlds have collided to create some staggering winning margins.
18. BLACKBURN ROVERS 7-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST (1995)
Reigning champions Blackburn Rovers put Nottingham Forest to the sword 7-0 back in November 1995.
Unsurprisingly, Alan Shearer helped himself to a hat trick, with Graham Le Saux also scoring. Norwegian midfielder Lars Bohinen rounded things off by grabbing a brace.
The previous season Forest had finished third, making the result all the more shocking.
17. MANCHESTER UNITED 7-0 BARNSLEY (1997)
Barnsley’s only season in the Premier League was not all bad, but their trip to Old Trafford in October certainly was.
Andy Cole got United off to a fine start, scoring twice in as many minutes midway through the first half. Ryan Giggs then added another, before Cole completed his hat trick on the stroke of half time.
Second half goals from Giggs, Paul Scholes and Karel Poborsky compounded the Tykes misery, with the result leaving them with a minus 26 goal difference after just 12 games.
16. ARSENAL 7-0 EVERTON (2005)
Arsenal boasted six different scorers in their historic win over Everton back in 2005.
Some of them were rather unconventional as well, with defensive midfielders Edu and Mathieu Flamini both getting on the scoresheet.
A fresh faced Robin van Persie and fellow Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp also netted, while French pair Robert Pires — who got a brace — and Patrick Vieira completed the rout.
Current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was playing in midfield for the Toffees that afternoon.
15. ARSENAL 7-0 MIDDLESBROUGH (2006)
Despite boasting an irresistible strike force in Yakubu and Mark Viduka, Middlesbrough’s defending during the 2005/2006 season was not quite as impressive.
Steve McClaren’s side shipped seven against Arsenal in January, with Thierry Henry tearing them apart and netting a fine hat trick.
The Gunners’ other scorers included low sock enthusiast Aleksandr Hleb, Philippe Senderos and Robert Pires. Meanwhile, Gilberto Silva netted one of his 17 Premier League goals, nodding home at the front post to make it 5-0 on the hour mark.
14. CHELSEA 7-0 STOKE CITY (2010)
Do not adjust your screens. Yes, Tony Pulis’ Stoke did once ship seven goals.
Salomon Kalou starred for Chelsea, grabbing a hat trick, with the result enough to see the Blues return to the top of the Premier League with two games left to play.
Frank Lampard also registered a brace, while Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda capped things off with goals in the final minutes.
13. MANCHESTER CITY 7-0 NORWICH CITY (2013)
Fielding right-back Steven Whittaker as a winger did not help Norwich City stem the tide against a rampant Manchester City back in 2013.
The tone for the Canaries’ dire afternoon was set when Bradley Johnson scored an own goal 16 minutes in. Things escalated quickly after that, with strikes from David Silva and Alvaro Negredo, as well as a second Norwich own goal, making it 4-0 before the break.
City showed little mercy in the second half as well. Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko all got in on the act to boost the eventual champion’s goal difference.
12. CRYSTAL PALACE 0-7 LIVERPOOL (2020)
Prior to their visit to Crystal Palace, people were beginning to question whether Liverpool were burned out after achieving so much over the past few seasons.
The Reds answered their doubters with an incredible win in which Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino both notched braces.
Not to be left out, Sadio Mane also scored, along with Takumi Minamino and Jordan Henderson.
11. NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1-8 MANCHESTER UNITED (1999)
When defender Alan Rodgers made it 1-1 against United back in 1999, Forest might have been hopeful of holding that season’s treble winners.
Instead, the Red Devils showed remarkable ruthlessness going forward, scoring seven without reply before full time. Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole both got braces but the man of the hour was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He only came on with 20 minutes to play but still managed to score FOUR times to seal a massive win.
10. MIDDLESBROUGH 8-1 MANCHESTER CITY (2008)
Prior to the Abu Dhabi takeover the following summer, City endured a humili-eight-ing day out at the Riverside Stadium.
A Citizens’ team containing the likes of Sun Jihai, Benjani and Michael Ball —not the singer — were smashed by MIddlesbrough, with figure of ridicule Afonso Alves netting a hat trick.
Arsenal alumnus Jeremie Aliadiere also scored, along with Adam Johnson and Stewart Downing, who got a brace. The pick of the goals came from Fabio Rochemback, who netted a trademark, piledriver free kick.
9. NEWCASTLE UNITED 8-0 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (1999)
Alan Shearer became just the second man to score five goals in a Premier League game back in 1999.
Sheffield Wednesday were his victims, with the late Gary Speed, Aaron Hughes and a young Kieron Dyer also getting on the scoresheet.
The game was Sir Bobby Robson’s first in charge of Newcastle after taking over from Ruud Gullit. Not a bad start, eh?
8. CHELSEA 8-0 WIGAN ATHLETIC (2010)
Things were not going all that badly for Wigan at Stamford Bridge — before Gary Caldwell got sent off that is.
After rallying well following Nicolas Anelka’s early strike, the dismissal knocked the stuffing out of the Latics with Chelsea going on to add seven goals.
Didier Drogba managed a hat trick, with Frank Lampard, Salomon Kalou and Ashley Cole all netting on a day in which Carlo Ancelotti’s side confirmed the title in some style.
7. CHELSEA 8-0 ASTON VILLA (2012)
Chelsea were at it again two years later, this time putting eight past a young Aston Villa side.
Fernando Torres opened the scoring with a rare Chelsea strike inside three minutes and the goals kept on coming after that.
The Blues registered seven different scorers in total with Ramires the only player to grab a brace. Sharing is caring we guess.
6. SOUTHAMPTON 8-0 SUNDERLAND (2014)
A lot of terrible things have happened to Sunderland over the past few years, though not many as bad as this.
The Southampton team that recorded the club’s record league win against the Black Cats contained several future Premier League stars, with Toby Alderweireld starting and Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama only good enough for a place on the bench.
Sunderland did not exactly help themselves, scoring two own goals, but Saints were still unstoppable with Graziano Pelle notching a pair of fine finishes.
5. MANCHESTER CITY 8-0 WATFORD (2019)
The 2019/2020 season was not a vintage one for City, but it did have its moments.
The club’s stunning 8-0 win over Watford was one, with David Silva getting the party started inside 60 seconds.
City spent the rest of the game camped out on the edge of the Hornets’ box and a conveyor belt of ruthlessly efficient goals followed.
4. TOTTENHAM 9-1 WIGAN ATHLETIC (2009)
This has to be one of the madest games in Premier League history.
At half time, Tottenham were only 1-0 up, and there was little indication that things were about to get weird.First Jermain Defoe grabbed an eight minute hat trick, which was intersected by a Paul Scharner strike. Aaron Lennon then scored, before Defoe added two more to make it 7-1.
A Chris Kirkland own goal and a tidy finish from Harry Redknapp’s favourite son, Niko Kranjcar, in the final few minutes capped off an extraordinary second half.
3. MANCHESTER UNITED 9-0 IPSWICH TOWN (1995)
Until recent developments, United’s 9-0 win over Ipswich stood unchallenged as the biggest win in Premier League history.
Roy Keane — who was playing right-back — opened the scoring inside 15 minutes and Ipswich’s resistance from then on out was non-existent.
The historic afternoon saw Andy Cole become the first player to net five goals in a single Premier League game, while Mark Hughes grabbed a brace. Paul Ince also netted in controversial circumstances, capitalising on a quick free to catch a stricken Craig Forrest out.
2. MANCHESTER UNITED 9-0 SOUTHAMPTON (2021)
Going down to 10 men with less than two minutes played is never a good idea, as Southampton learned against a rampant United.
After Alex Jankewitz’s dismissal, the Red Devils raced into a 4-0 lead by half time. Two more goals followed, before Jan Bednarek’s controversial red card inspired United to add even more goals before the final whistle.
The result came on Groundhog Day, the significance of which will become clear after reading our next and final entry…
1. SOUTHAMPTON 0-9 LEICESTER (2019)
Leicester City did not waste any time getting at Southampton back in October 2019 with Ben Chilwell opening the scoring inside 10 minutes.
Soon after, Ryan Bertrand was dismissed and the floodgates opened. Leicester were 5-0 up by half time and would go on to add four more goals before the final whistle.
Spare a though for James Ward-Prowse, the only player to be on the pitch for all of the 18 goals Saints conceded against United and the Foxes.
–90min
New signing Matthijs de Ligt grabbed his first goal for Manchester United while Marcus Rashford scored for the first time since March in a 3-0 Premier
League victory at Southampton on Saturday after a shaky start to the season.
Alejandro Garnacho added a late goal for Erik ten Hag’s side who started the day 14th in the standings after back-to-back losses. They now have six points from four matches while newly promoted Southampton remain without a point.
Southampton dominated early on but squandered a chance to take the lead in the 34th minute after United goalkeeper Onana saved Cameron Archer’s poor penalty, sparking an immediate shift in momentum at St Mary’s Stadium.
A minute later, De Ligt headed in a sumptuous ball from Bruno Fernandes after Christian Eriksen’s short corner.
“I think if you get three points from three games it’s not enough so there was some pressure, but I think today we played very well,” said De Ligt, a summer signing from Bayern Munich.
Rashford, who had gone 13 games without a goal, then ended his drought when he was left unmarked on the edge of the box to bend a diagonal shot in the far corner in the 41st.
Ten Hag had been criticised for starting Rashford but he has stuck by the much-maligned 26-year-old — who had not found the back of the net since United’s 2-0 win over Everton on March 9 — saying pre-game that Rashford needed only a goal or an assist and “then he will fly”.
“It’s very important,” the Dutchman said after the win. “It is so huge for him, for every striker, when the season starts you want to be on the scoring list. Now he has his first, I’m sure more will come.”
Archer’s penalty miss spoiled a stellar first league start for Southampton’s Tyler Dibling. The 18-year-old, who had scored for England’s Under-19 side in a loss to Germany four days earlier, drew the penalty when he dribbled at Diogo Dalot only to be taken down by the defender in the box.
That was the turning point, as the hosts were almost immediately punished for the miss but goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale tipped a low shot from Joshua Zirkzee just wide of the net.
“It was a turning point for us,” Onana said. “I’m happy for the guys, we had a great game, now we move on.”
What started as a solid afternoon for Southampton had a wretched ending as Russell Martin’s side failed to register a shot after the missed penalty and were reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute when defender Jack Stephens was sent off for a high tackle on Garnacho.
The Argentine forward smashed the ball in with almost the last kick of the game to seal the win for the visitors.
United finished with 20 shots to the home side’s six.
-Reuters
Arsenal face a daunting set of fixtures starting with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, with influential midfielders sidelined this weekend, but Mikel Arteta’s side can take heart from their recent record in north London derbies.
Having been held to a draw by Brighton & Hove Albion in their last outing, Arsenal are two points off the pace after champions Manchester City and Liverpool had perfect starts.
Letting points slip in the past two campaigns has punished Arsenal in the title race. With City and Liverpool playing on Saturday, Arsenal could potentially be staring at a five-point gap ahead of Sunday’s short trip to face their neighbours.
Arsenal will wear their away kit in the derby for the first time in 38 years due to a colour clash but two men who will not be wearing their black strip are skipper Martin Odegaard and midfield partner Declan Rice.
While Odegaard is out for several weeks nursing an ankle injury sustained in Norway’s Nations League victory against Austria in midweek, Rice is suspended following a controversial red card against Brighton for kicking the ball away.
Form usually goes out of the window in north London derbies, which often produce spicy encounters, but Arsenal have had the upper hand in the last two seasons, winning three and drawing one of the last four league matches against Spurs.
The hosts also have injury worries with forwards Richarlison and Dominic Solanke plus defender Micky van de Ven missing their 2-1 loss at Newcastle United, though the latter two are expected to return.
FORCED ROTATION
With Arsenal’s midweek Champions League game at Atalanta and a trip to City the following weekend, Arteta will be forced to rotate his squad or even change his formation.
Since new signing Mikel Merino is also injured, he may have to play the versatile Kai Havertz in a deeper role. Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus has also been sidelined, while striker Eddie Nketiah moved to Crystal Palace on deadline day.
“He could play Leandro Trossard or even Raheem Sterling, but that’s a big ask for a winger to play up front at a new club,” Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal forward Paul Merson said, adding the club should have signed another striker.
“You might get away with it for two or three games playing a false nine, but you wouldn’t want to go seven, eight, nine games with one,” he added.
The weekend kicks off with 14th-placed Manchester United looking to put their early season troubles behind them as they travel to promoted Southampton, who are without a point so far.
Erik ten Hag is in his third season as United boss but a 3-0 humbling by Liverpool — whose manager Arne Slot was taking charge of just his third game — rang alarm bells among the Old Trafford faithful although the Dutchman has the club’s backing.
Leaders City host sixth-placed Brentford, while second-placed Liverpool, the only Premier League team yet to concede a goal this season, welcome Nottingham Forest.
Ipswich Town travel to third-placed Brighton seeking a first win following their return to the top flight, while bottom side Everton, with three straight losses, travel to Aston Villa.
-Reuters
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has signed a new long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium, the Premier League title chasers announced on Sept 12.
The Gunners said in a statement that the 42-year-old Spaniard, who has reportedly agreed a three-year deal, “has been a key figure in re-establishing us as a force back at the top of English and European football”.
Arteta, who became Arsenal boss in late 2019, said he felt “extremely proud”.
“I feel extremely lucky to work every single day with good people and the ambition we have here,” he said.
“I feel very inspired, I feel challenged, I feel supported and I want to do much more than what we’ve already done together.”
Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke said he was delighted with the new deal.
“Mikel is a dynamic and passionate manager, who is relentless in the pursuit of excellence,” he said.
“He has a deep understanding of Arsenal’s values, and since joining us as head coach, he has taken the team to another level in an Arsenal way.”
Arteta, who had been working as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, replaced compatriot Unai Emery as Arsenal boss in December 2019.
He won the FA Cup in his first season in charge – his first silverware as a manager.
Arsenal have finished as runners-up to City in the Premier League for the past two seasons.
Last term, they went agonisingly close to lifting the trophy for the first time since 2004 before being pipped by City on the last day of the season.
Arteta’s men, who face north London rivals Tottenham on Sept 15, are currently fourth in the table after two wins and a draw.
They begin their Champions League campaign next week against Atalanta.
‘Wonderful values’
Arteta, who played 150 times for Arsenal and captained the side, called for calm in August regarding his contract situation, insisting his focus had been on the transfer window.
“We are on it and we will take care of that in the right moment,” said Arteta, who had previously been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
“I don’t think anybody has to panic. I am in the place where I want to be and am really happy.
“Hopefully, the club thinks the same thing and the players I work with, who in my opinion are the most important ones.”
Arsenal strengthened in the summer transfer window, bringing in a clutch of players including Raheem Sterling, Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori.
There are still questions over whether they have enough firepower to overhaul champions City after their failure to sign a striker to compete with inconsistent Germany forward Kai Havertz.
But Arsenal sporting director Edu has no doubts about Arteta’s ability to keep the club on course for sustained success.
“It’s a very positive and proud moment for everyone at the club and an important part of what we’re all working towards,” Edu said.
“Mikel has shown his qualities since the very first day he joined us, not only as a football manager, but as a person with wonderful values.
“We have a strong belief in what we are doing and what we want to achieve together. Mikel’s new contract gives us stability and clear direction as we aim for new heights.”
–AFP
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