Here are fifteen absurd Premier League records that will never be surpassed, featuring Erling Haaland, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
Derby County's unwelcome record low in wins (1) and points (11) is being disregarded because Southampton is that awful.
Lowest number of matches to achieve 50 Premier League goals [48]
Andrew Cole needed 65 matches to hit the 50-goal milestone in the Premier League, while Erling Haaland effortlessly achieved that feat in just 48 matches. And that 50th goal was the first one against Liverpool, so quiet down with your flat-track bully accusations.
If anyone were to break this record, it will likely be the future child of Haaland.
Highest number of back-to-back seasons as manager [22]
From 1996 to 2018, Arsene Wenger served as the manager of Arsenal, leading the team for an impressive 22 seasons until he faced pressure from a split fanbase that pushed him out of the club.
It is important to highlight that Sir Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United for almost 27 years, having begun his tenure in 1986, which was six years prior to the first season of the Premier League.
Given the current nature of football, it’s quite difficult to envision a manager remaining in a position as long as Wenger did. Claudio Ranieri achieved the unthinkable with Leicester City by leading them to their inaugural Premier League championship, yet was dismissed less than a year afterwards. Jurgen Klopp was an option, but he exhausted his energy, and Pep Guardiola is nearly depleted as well.
When Mikel Arteta surpasses Wenger's record in 2043, supporters may have to trust the process because Arsenal's commitment to him in 2020 suggests that he cannot be fired.
Lowest number of goals allowed in a season [15]
Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea in 2004, proclaiming himself “a special one” during his initial press conference, which led to ‘The Special One’ becoming his iconic nickname globally. With such a billing, he needed to make everything work immediately, and he accomplished that.
Following his success in leading FC Porto to Champions League victory against all expectations, Mourinho transferred to Stamford Bridge with the aim of unseating Arsenal, who had recently made history as the first club in Premier League to complete a season unbeaten. More details on that shortly.
In his inaugural season, the Portuguese manager did indeed dethrone the Invincibles, losing just one game along the way – an away match against Manchester City before they became a strong team.
The most remarkable aspect of Chelsea's championship triumph was their defensive performance. They allowed 15 league goals in 38 matches with Petr Cech in goal, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho at center-back, and Paulo Ferreira and William Gallas as full-backs, achieving a record 25 clean sheets along the way.
No team will repeat this. There is simply no possibility. Over the years, we've witnessed exceptional defensive collaborations and goalkeepers, yet none have matched this record from the 2004/05 season.
Highest number of consecutive games played [310]
Goalkeeper Brad Friedel astonishingly played 310 consecutive games in the Premier League. Frank Lampard holds the record for an outfield player with 164. Although that is a highly impressive return, Lamps never managed to come close to defeating the American.
Friedel set this record while playing for Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham. He signed with Spurs in 2011, allowing him to maintain his streak. Andre Villas-Boas broke the record in October 2012 by giving Hugo Lloris his initial league start. Friedel began the subsequent match. How irritating.
Minimum matches required for a player to achieve three hat-tricks [8]
Haaland’s hat trick in his inaugural Manchester derby marked his third of the season, occurring in just his eighth Premier League match.
Prior to that match, the quickest player to achieve three hat-tricks was Michael Owen, who accomplished it in 48 matches. Forty-eight. FFS.
Most points without securing first place [97]
Honestly, how unlucky must one be to gather 97 points over a 38-game season and still come in second? That is incredible. Fans who don’t support Liverpool find this absolutely hilarious, however.
97 points would have secured the league title in all other seasons, except for the previous year when Manchester City ended with 100 points, a record that likely won't be surpassed.
These two teams challenged each other to unprecedented limits (though it’s not the greatest rivalry in Premier League history) and in the 2018/19 season when Liverpool amassed 97 points, they only suffered one defeat and ended just one point behind City.
Longest home unbeaten streak [86]
Mourinho has returned. He managed 60 games during Chelsea’s impressive 86-match unbeaten streak at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, while Felipe Scolari, Claudio Ranieri, and Avram Grant led the remaining 26.
“There are certain records that you observe and think it is beyond belief that anyone could achieve it.” Mourinho remarked, "Our Chelsea record remains unmatched, and it is quite challenging for anyone to surpass it."
Liverpool made a strong effort in their attempt to match the record Chelsea established from March 2004 to October 2008, remaining unbeaten in 68 games at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp. They likely would have kept going if they had not been required to compete without spectators because of the Covid-19 pandemic. That run seemed to last indefinitely, and Manchester City sits in third place with 37, so we can all recognize how remarkable the Blues’ run was.
Longest streak without allowing a goal [1,113 minutes]
During the 2008/09 season, Manchester United's goalie Edwin van der Sar recorded 14 consecutive clean sheets from November 15 to February 18, amounting to more than 1,100 minutes.
United clinched the championship with 90 points, allowing just 24 goals throughout the season. It's not exactly 04/05 Chelsea, but still remarkable.
The individual to conclude Van der Sar’s streak? Why, of course, Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz. The Red Devils subsequently went more than two months without achieving a league clean sheet. Pitiful.
The majority of seasons tallied in [21]
Remaining with Manchester United, Ryan Giggs netted goals in 21 straight seasons. Even participating in 21 seasons appears absurd now.
Giggs scored in 23 consecutive seasons, although two of those were before the inaugural Premier League season.
Most consecutive matches scoring against the identical team [9]
No, it isn't Luis Suarez versus Norwich City, but this achievement was accomplished by a different Liverpool player.
Norwich disliked facing the skillful Uruguayan, just as Crystal Palace did with Sadio Mane.
The Senegalese striker found the net in every one of his nine matches for the Reds against the Eagles. He might have achieved a perfect score, but he was occupied with winning the African Cup of Nations for his nation. He likely wasn’t too concerned about not playing in that game. Palace still suffered a 3-1 defeat even without their rival facing them.
Greatest number of consecutive losses [20]
Derby performed poorly, but they managed to interrupt their series of losses with an occasional draw.
The unlucky club with this specific record is Sunderland, which suffered 20 consecutive losses in top-flight matches.
To start the 2005/06 season, the Black Cats suffered five consecutive losses before a 1-1 draw with West Brom initiated a three-match unbeaten streak. Well done, everyone!
The run started in 2003. Their ultimate win of the 2002/03 season was against Liverpool in December of that year, suffering 18 losses – including their last 15 – and drawing two of their final 20 matches, which resulted in their relegation with 19 points. Had it not been for Kevin Phillips, they might have ended up with single-digit points, and we wouldn’t constantly be mocking Derby.
Lowest points as champions [75]
Liverpool supporters will be enraged upon reading this. In 2018/19, they secured second place, earning 22 additional points compared to title holders Manchester United in 1997.
Analyzing champions with the least points, the top three all occurred in the '90s, and it's fair to claim that the game has evolved since that time.
Although many claim it is the most competitive league globally and certainly not a 'farmers league,' City have secured six out of the last seven titles, achieving point totals of 100, 98, 86, 93, 89, and 90. Their total of 86 might have been greater if Liverpool hadn't been utterly terrible that season.
United relinquished their title the next season to Arsenal, whose total of 78 points is the second-lowest ever recorded, positioned between two victories for the Red Devils.
This squad managed by Sir Alex Ferguson featured several well-known players including Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Eric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel, and Andy Cole. Even though they secured the league title with just 75 points, what an impressive team that was.
Minimum (non-Covid) attendance [3,039]
Even with increasing ticket prices, this will clearly not change. On January 26, 1993, Everton played against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park with a crowd of just over 3,000 spectators.
On a chilly Tuesday evening, Everton comprised 1,500 of the fans present in the stadium. To be fair to Wimbledon, they weren't competing in their home ground, and people were still anticipating their first payday after Christmas.
Zero defeats in a season
The Invincibles completed a whole season without a loss, and Arsenal supporters have held onto this for some time. Is it gold of yours? I didn’t believe that.
What a team this was. It was packed with technical skill, determination, struggle, tenacity, and featured Thierry Henry. That's all that needs to be said.
This specific record clearly cannot be surpassed, but it can be matched. It definitely won't be.
Highest number of goals in a half (5)
Jermain Defoe displayed no regret when Tottenham faced Wigan in 2009, netting five goals in a 9-1 thrashing. "I simply felt invincible." “I had a sense that something remarkable was about to take place,” the striker later remembered. Unfortunate Chris Kirkland. And Peter Crouch, who couldn’t find any opportunities after his goal put Spurs in the lead.
Two players – Andy Cole and Alan Shearer – previously scored five goals in a Premier League match, and another duo – Dimitar Berbatov and Sergio Aguero – have achieved this since then. That achievement on its own is so uncommon that finishing it in 45 minutes is beyond consideration.
No player has achieved a double hat-trick in the Premier League, and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer recently nearly matched Defoe’s record by netting four goals in the first half of a victory against Brighton, marking the initial instance of a player scoring four goals in the first half of a Premier League game. It will require a lot to surpass that one too.
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