Premier League stats: Why Swansea might go down & Burnley's unwanted record

  • Published
Lukasz FabianskiImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

After goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianksi (right) was beaten twice at Hull on Saturday, the Swans have now conceded 61 goals this season

Swansea's worrying landmark of goals conceded, Burnley's progress towards a very unwelcome Premier League record, and a place for Granit Xhaka among the top flight's most punished.

Here, we take a look at some of the most interesting stats from the weekend.

The landmark sending Swansea down

There's certainly been a resurgence since Paul Clement took over as Swansea boss at the turn of the year, but momentum was dampened at Hull on Saturday.

The Welsh club have climbed from bottom of the table to 16th under Clement, but missed the chance to steer further towards safety in a 2-1 defeat by fellow strugglers Hull, who now trail the Swans by just three points.

Media caption,

Hull 2-1 Swansea: Injuries to key players hurt us - Paul Clement

And that's not the worst of it. Both of Hull's goals were scored by Oumar Niasse, whose second was the 61st Swansea have conceded this season.

No team has ever stayed up after conceding over 60 goals at this stage of a league campaign - 28 games - so there is plenty of work to do for Clement and co. Will they break the curse? Next week's trip to Bournemouth will be crucial.

Season

Club

P

GA

Points

Final position

Relegated

1993-94

Swindon Town

28

62

22

22nd

Yes

1997-98

Barnsley

28

63

28

19th

Yes

1999-00

Watford

28

60

15

20th

Yes

2009-10

Burnley

28

60

23

18th

Yes

2011-12

Blackburn Rovers

28

60

25

19th

Yes

2013-14

Fulham

28

62

21

19th

Yes

Image source, Opta

Burnley's wait goes on

When your side goes 1-0 up only to lose after conceding twice from the opposition's three shots on target, Burnley boss Sean Dyche is right to call it "a tough one to take".

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said it was the first time his team had won "playing ugly", and the Clarets' performance at Anfield on Sunday certainly deserved more than a 2-1 defeat.

Media caption,

Liverpool 2-1 Burnley: Clarets need a touch of luck - Sean Dyche

Instead of luxuriating after finally securing a first away win of the season, Dyche and company were left scratching their heads over what more they can do to win on the road.

With only two points from a possible 42 at opposition grounds this term, Burnley have just five games left to avoid becoming the worst away side in Premier League history.

Derby County, who sacked manager Steve McClaren for a second time in less than two years on Sunday, are the current record-holders with three points away during the 2007-08 season.

Burnley's final five matches away in the league are against Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Everton, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

Season

Team

Won

Draw

Points

2016-17

Burnley

0

2

2

2007-08

Derby County

0

3

3

2016-17

Leicester City

0

3

3

2009-10

Burnley

1

1

4

1999-00

Watford

1

2

5

2016-17

Hull

1

2

5

Xhaka and the yellow card club

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka loves a yellow card, not to mention the two reds he's already seen this season, but where does he rank amongst the Premier League's most committed tough tacklers?

As bad as Robbie Savage? Worse than Lee Cattermole? Could he maybe even reach Gareth Barry levels of ill-discipline?, external

Xhaka's booking in Arsenal's 5-0 victory over Lincoln City in Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final was his eighth in 32 matches in all competitions since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach last summer.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Xhaka signed for Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach for a reported £35m in May

He has three in the Premier League, three in the Champions League, and the one on Saturday was his second in the FA Cup.

Three yellow cards from 20 league games is a promising start towards overhauling the player with the most in Premier League history, Everton midfielder Barry.

The 36-year-old has amassed 116 yellows from 621 appearances in England's top flight, so clearly Xhaka, 24, has a long way to go.

But if he were to carry on collecting at his current rate, he would have 93 yellows from the same number of games.

That would put Switzerland international Xhaka above Savage and Cattermole, but just below Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney - and who knows how many he may yet end up with?

Number of yellow cards in Premier League

Gareth Barry

116

Kevin Davies

99

Lee Bowyer

99

Paul Scholes

97

Wayne Rooney

94

Scott Parker

92

Robbie Savage

89

Kevin Nolan

85

Lee Cattermole

85

George Boateng

85

Suarez, Milner and the minor earthquake

Image source, @ICTJA
Image caption,

This seismic reading from a Barcelona lab via the Spanish National Research Council shows the moment Barca reached the Champions League quarter-finals

Barcelona fans caused a 'minor earthquake', external when celebrating their incredible Champions League turnaround at home to Paris St-Germain on Wednesday, but that must feel like a world away after Sunday's 2-1 loss at Deportivo La Coruna.

It was a defeat that should never have happened - because ex-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez scored.

In the previous 72 matches when the Uruguayan has bagged for Barca, they had never lost - winning 67 times and drawing five.

Impressive, yes, but it's no patch on what Ian Rush had going on at Liverpool in the 1980s., external Over seven years and 145 matches, the Reds would not lose when Rushie found the net.

Unfortunately for him and the Reds, the run finally came to an end in the 1987 League Cup final, when Arsenal came back from conceding first to win 2-1.

So who is the leading the way now in the English top flight? It's a third Liverpool man - James Milner.

Starting with his first strike for Leeds on Boxing Day 2002 when he was 16, Milner is on a run of 46 games in which he's scored and his team has not lost - a joint Premier League record he holds with retired ex-England forward Darius Vassell.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Milner last scored for Liverpool on 15 January - a penalty in the 1-1 draw at Manchester United

King among men

Joshua King became the first Bournemouth player to reach double figures in the top flight as he scored a hat-trick - including a 90th-minute winner - in Saturday's 3-2 victory over West Ham.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

King moved on to 11 for the season with his 90th-minute winner, having earlier missed a penalty

That brought him up to 11 for the season, and there should be a few more still to come from the first Norwegian to score a Premier League treble since John Carew for Aston Villa in 2008.

Cherries boss Eddie Howe will certainly be hoping his team will add to their first victory in 2017.

But who has achieved the same feat at the Premier League's other clubs? And which is the one club lagging behind? One player did it in the season he scored a whopping 30 goals...

Arsenal: Ian Wright, 1992-93 (15)

Bournemouth: Joshua King, 2016-17 (11)

Burnley: Danny Ings, 2014-15 (11)

Chelsea: Mark Stein, 1993-94 (13)

Crystal Palace: Chris Armstrong, 1992-93 (15)

Everton: Tony Cottee, 1992-93 (12)

Hull: No player has scored 10 goals in the Premier League

Leicester: Steve Claridge, 1996-97 (11)

Liverpool: Ian Rush, 1992-93 (14)

Manchester City: David White, 1992-93 (16)

Manchester United: Mark Hughes, 1992-93 (15)

Middlesbrough: Paul Wilkinson, 1992-93 (13)

Southampton: Matt Le Tissier, 1992-93 (15)

Stoke: Ricardo Fuller, 2008-09 (11)

Sunderland: Kevin Phillips, 1999-00 (30)

Swansea: Danny Graham, 2011-12 (12)

Tottenham: Teddy Sherringham 1992-93 (21)

Watford: Odion Ighalo 2015-16 (15)

West Brom: Robert Earnshaw 2004-05 (11)

West Ham: Trevor Morley 1993-94 (13)

Dimi who?

West Ham fans, forget all about Dimitri Payet. He's gone. Michail Antonio is the one you want to keep hold of.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Antonio (right) played as a centre-forward for the Hammers at Bournemouth on Saturday, and bagged himself a goal

The 26-year-old winger scored his ninth league goal of the season in Saturday's 3-2 defeat by Bournemouth, his 17th since making his Premier League debut in September 2015.

That's more than any other Hammers player over the same period - only the injury-plagued Andy Carroll comes close, with 15 goals.

Next it's Manuel Lanzini with 11 goals, then Payet, level with captain Mark Noble on eight.

West Ham scorers since Antonio's debut

Goals

Michail Antonio

17

Andy Carroll

15

Manuel Lanzini

11

Mark Noble

8

Dimitri Payet

8

Diafra Sakho

5

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.