Plus: Most entertaining Premier League fixture? And own goals on debuts...
Tuesday 28 August 2018 15:02, UK
Has anyone registered more Premier League goal involvements than Mo Salah? Has a player ever made more passes than an entire team? And what is the most entertaining fixture in Premier League history?
Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler has the answers to those questions and more in his latest stats column in the 2018/19 Premier League season.
Got a question for Martin? Tweet @SkySportsPL with #TylersTeasers.
Monday Night Football witnessed Tottenham's third Premier League win in 27 visits to Old Trafford after September 2012 (3-2) and January 2014 (2-1). Harry Kane's goal was the first Spurs have scored there since that previous win four years and nine months ago. Seven hours and 14 minutes had been played in between those goals.
Harry Kane scored his first goal at Old Trafford and his second goal in nine games against United. The other was the last ever Tottenham goal at White Hart Lane. He now has 142 goals for Spurs, is their sixth highest scorer, and is chasing Jermain Defoe on 143. Harry's next two games are live on Sky Sports against Watford and Liverpool, so he could climb the ladder in front of our cameras.
Spurs enjoyed their third win in their last 21 Premier League away games against the top six, but it was their second in a row after beating Chelsea. It's the first time since 1993 they've won at two of those five opponents in back-to-back games.
Manchester United lost two of the first three games of a Premier League season for the first time since 1992. It was also their 50th home Premier League defeat. There were 34 under Sir Alex Ferguson with 16 in just over five years since then.
Manchester United started with five players who hadn't played in the opening two games of the Premier League season - Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera. Jesse Lingard had also only played as a substitute at Brighton
Since joining Liverpool, has any player been involved in more goals than Mo Salah - goals and assists? (Joe, The Wirral)
MARTIN SAYS: It may not surprise you that the Egyptian is way out in front in the goal-involvement charts since signing from Roma in the summer of 2017, registering 45 (34 goals and 11 assists).
That's 10 ahead of Harry Kane with 35 (32 goals and three assists), followed by a trio of Manchester City stars.
Sergio Aguero has 30 (24 goals and six assists), as does Raheem Sterling (19 goals and 11 assists) and Leroy Sane has 25 (10 goals and 15 assists).
Jorginho completed more passes than the Newcastle team combined on Sunday - has this happened with a single player before? (Paul)
MARTIN SAYS: Jorginho completed 158 of his passes on Sunday, compared to just 131 from the entire Newcastle side.
This is the seventh time a player has recorded more completed passes than an opposition side since Opta began gathering this data at the start of the 2003/04 season, and the third time in 2018 alone.
Fernandinho completed 164 passes for Man City against Everton in March, 31 more than the Toffees managed, the largest difference between a single player and entire team.
Jonathan Hogg registered 112 for Huddersfield to Swansea's 88, also in March, while two Man City players managed the feat in a single game against Huddersfield in November last year; Nicolas Otamendi (114) and Fernandinho again (97) both trumped the Terriers' 94.
Two others have achieved the feat: Ander Herrera (113) for Man Utd against West Brom (100) in May 2015, and Steven Davis (110) for Southampton against Aston Villa (103) in December 2013.
Is Issa Diop the first player to score an own goal on his Premier League debut? (Steve, via e-mail)
MARTIN SAYS: He's not alone in scoring in the wrong net on his Premier League debut. In fact, he's the eighth player to do so, and the second in just over a year after Lewis Dunk's own goal for Brighton against Man City last August.
Dean Ashton's Norwich debut saw him score an own goal in a 3-0 defeat at Villa in January 2005, while Martin Cranie (Southampton v Chelsea, May 2005), Richard Johnson (Watford v Wimbledon, August 1999), Jacob Laursen (Derby v Leeds, August 1996), Chris Swailes (Ipswich v Aston Villa, April 1995) and John Pemberton (Sheff Utd v Norwich (November 1992) also make up the list.
Bournemouth and Everton always seem to produce cracking encounters. Has there been a Premier League fixture with more goals per game? Ben, Preston
MARTIN SAYS: Saturday's dramatic 2-2 draw saw two red cards and a Bournemouth fight back from two goals down, meaning 29 goals have been scored in just seven meetings between the two sides.
If we're looking at clashes with a minimum of seven fixtures, Bournemouth v Everton, whether on the south coast or on Merseyside, produces more goals than any other at 4.14 per game.
Although they have not met in the top flight since 1999, Blackburn v Nottingham Forest produced 40 goals in 10 games (four goals per game), followed by Bournemouth again against West Ham, with 28 goals in just seven games (four per game).
The 16 meetings between Liverpool and Norwich have produced 63 goals (3.94 per game and a hefty contribution from Luis Suarez), and Newcastle v Wimbledon brought about 53 in 14 (3.79 per game).
In terms of the lowest-scoring fixtures, Bolton v Southampton tops the charts with just 14 goals in 12 games (1.17 per game), followed by two more fixtures including Saints. Their meetings with Swansea have yielded just 17 in 12 (1.42 per game) and with Burnley just 11 in seven (1.57 per game).
