Ste McGovern
Presenting some of the standout statistics from gameweek 20 of Premier League action, featuring Liverpool’s incredible run, Claudio Bravo in goals for Man City, and Man United shutting out for once.
Bravo to absolutely no one
Ederson received a red card in a league game for the first time in his career during Manchester City’s 3-2 loss to Wolves last Friday. That meant Claudio Bravo stepped in and duly proceeded to concede three goals.
The Chilean netminder did manage to keep a clean sheet in the following game against Sheffield United, but in his two previous league appearances this season he conceded six goals. That’s almost as many saves (7) as he made in both games, and it’s the same amount Alisson has conceded in 11 league appearances.
The title looks to be out of reach now, but that 2-0 win over the Blades did at least continue the Sky Blues terrific home form, having won 25 of their last 29 matches in the Premier League at the Etihad.
Claudio Bravo on for 2 bonus points as it stands, which we’re sure is absolutely no fucking use to anyone on the entire planet https://t.co/6ktyEHoLqG
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) December 27, 2019
Reds march on
Everyone said the Christmas period would test Liverpool to their absolute limit, having just returned from the Fifa Club World Cup in Qatar with two league matches in two days waiting for them. They only went and destroyed Leicester City 4-0 at the King Power Stadium, before beating Wolves 1-0 at home.
The Reds, who now possess a 13 point lead at the top of the table with a game in hand, have won their last 16 home matches in the league. Even more impressively, they have gained 82 points from the last 84 available.
Liverpool’s journey of 2019!
65 games
50 wins
8 draws
7 defeats
3 major trophies
7 players at Ballon d’Or
25 games unbeaten at homeLiverpool the juggernaut.#LFC pic.twitter.com/oGZdibo1PG
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) December 30, 2019
United finally shut up shop
Manchester United put in a controlled performance against Burnley to secure back-to-back league wins for just the second time this season, beating the Clarets 2-0 with goals from Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
It was their first clean sheet in 15 matches, restricting the home side to just one shot on target. Is this a sign of a turnaround for a team with the joint-third most points dropped from winning positions? The next week and a half will tell a lot, as they have Arsenal in the league, Wolves in the FA Cup and Man City in the League Cup semi-finals all coming up next.
All Saints
Southampton’s form continues to rise on an upward curve, with a win over Chelsea and a draw against Crystal Palace giving them four precious points over the Christmas period.
The Saints have lost just two of their last eight league games, and much of the credit for that should go to Danny Ings, who is responsible for half of their goal tally (12 out of 24). 11 of those have come in his last 15 appearances.
Leading goal-scorers across Europe’s top five leagues:
1️⃣ Robert Lewandowski – 19
2️⃣ Timo Werner – 18
3️⃣ Ciro Immobile – 17
4️⃣ Jamie Vardy – 17
5️⃣ Lionel Messi – 13
6️⃣ Wissam Ben Yedder – 13
7️⃣ Karim Benzema – 12
8️⃣ Romelu Lukaku – 12
9️⃣ Kylian Mbappe – 11
🔟 Danny Ings – 11— Goal (@goal) December 23, 2019
Fast as you like
It was an emotional day on Saturday for Brighton’s Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who scored his first goal for the club in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth. It also happened to be the Seagull’s fastest ever Premier League goal, scored after just two minutes and 29 seconds.
The fastest goal in Premier League history was scored by Shane Long in April of this year in a 1-1 draw with Watford, finding the net after just 7.69 seconds.
Random Stat:
Today was the first time Sheffield United lost an away game in England when former President George HW Bush was not alive since a 3-1 loss at West Brom in May 1924.
— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) December 29, 2019
Sources: WhoScored, Duncan Alexander, Richard Jolly, BBC.
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