Newcastle and Luton took part in a Premier League thriller on Saturday, as the two teams shared eight goals evenly in a classic contest at St James’ Park.
The high-scoring draw saw great goals and some rather dodgy defending, the recipe for an iconic clash. Though a rare scoreline, we’ve seen some truly memorable 4-4 draws during the Premier League era. Following the latest, we’ve remembered five of the very best.
Five of the best 4-4 draws in Premier League history:
Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham (2008)
Tottenham produced a stunning fightback in an unforgettable North London derby at Arsenal in 2008.
David Bentley opened the scoring for Spurs against his former club with a spectacular strike, as the winger teed himself up and volleyed home from distance. Mikael Silvestre headed Arsenal level before half-time and the Gunners took control of the contest after the break, with William Gallas putting the hosts in front just moments into the second half.
Emmanuel Adebayor turned in a third from close range for Arsenal before Darren Bent’s strike gave Spurs renewed hope.
This #NorthLondonDerby had it all!
⚪️???? 13′ Bentley (0-1)
???????? 37′ Silvestre (1-1)
???????? 46′ Gallas (2-1)
???????? 64′ Adebayor (3-1)
⚪️???? 67′ Bent (3-2)
???????? 68′ van Persie (4-2)
⚪️???? 89′ Jenas (4-3)
⚪️???? 90′ Lennon (4-4) #COYS pic.twitter.com/YnhLQ36ke1— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 1, 2018
Arsenal looked to have sealed the win when Robin van Persie restored their two-goal advantage, but Spurs staged a late comeback to rescue a result. Jermaine Jenas’ brilliant goal made it 4-3 in the 89th minute before Aaron Lennon’s injury-time equaliser snatched a point.
The winger reacted quickest to a loose ball to turn in a tap-in and send the travelling Tottenham fans, who had made the short trip, wild.
Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal (2009)
Arsenal were involved in another all-time classic a season later, denting Liverpool’s title hopes in a pulsating clash at Anfield.
It was the Andrey Arshavin show as the Russian winger helped himself to four goals on Merseyside, in a clash full of attacking verse and defensive vulnerabilities. Arshavin’s first of the evening put Arsenal ahead at half-time, but Liverpool turned the game around early in the second period through efforts from Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun.
Liverpool’s search for a third left space at the back and Arshavin punished the Reds with a quick-fire double to become only the second opposition player, after Coventry’s Peter Ndlovu, to score a Premier League treble at Anfield.
Torres’ second of the night made it 3-3, before a clinical counter-attack saw Arsenal, and Arshavin, score their fourth. From a Liverpool corner, the Gunners raced away on the break and Theo Walcott’s pass found the in-form Arshavin powering forward to smash home his fourth.
There was still time for Benayoun to bundle in another Liverpool equaliser in stoppage time, though this was a damaging result for Rafael Benitez’s side and their fading title hopes.
Iconic Performances: Arshavin hits four in Anfield thriller
Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal (2011)
Newcastle became the first team in Premier League history to come back from four goals down and earn a result, as Arsenal were again involved in another eight-goal draw.
The Gunners ran riot in the first half, racing into a three-goal lead inside 10 minutes through Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou and Robin van Persie. The latter scored a second to make it 4-0 at half-time, though Abou Diaby’s red card saw the North Londoners reduced to ten men early in the second half.
With a man advantage, Newcastle embarked on an extraordinary turnaround with the hoards of home fans who had headed for the exits missing a remarkable result.
????⚫️⚪️ ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ⚫️⚪️????#OnThisDay in 2011, @NUFC pulled off one of the greatest Premier League comebacks of all time! pic.twitter.com/etjmcvhlBk
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 5, 2021
Joey Barton converted two penalties either side of a Leon Best goal for the Magpies, to set the stage for a sensational equaliser. Cheik Tiote volleyed home a sublime equaliser, with Arsenal’s capitulation complete as the Ivorian midfielder rifled in from range.
Manchester United 4-4 Everton (2012)
Everton opened up the Premier League title race after holding leaders Manchester United to a 4-4 draw at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side looked on course for another crown, but an Everton equaliser late in the game handed rivals Manchester City hope. United had responded well to Nikica Jelavic’s opener for the Toffees, as goals from Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Nani put the Red Devils in a commanding position.
Marouane Fellaini’s goal reduced the deficit for Everton, but Rooney’s second against his former club looked to have made the points safe. Everton, however, refused to be beaten. The Merseysiders scored twice in three minutes late on to earn a point, as Jelavic scored a second before Steven Pienaar turned home a leveller.
It was a crucial moment in an epic title race, as United lost at Manchester City in their next fixture, and eventually missed out on the title on goal difference.
Chelsea 4-4 Manchester City (2023)
A brilliant advert for the Premier League as Chelsea and Manchester City went head-to-head
An end-to-end game had ebbed and flowed with the momentum changing hands, though City thought they had done enough to win it when Rodri put the visitors 4-3 ahead in the 86th minute.
The Spaniard’s strike was the third time Pep Guardiola’s side had led in the game. Erling Haaland had opened the scoring, though Chelsea bounced back and levelled through Thiago Silva’s header before Raheem Sterling fired the West Londoners ahead against his former team.
Manuel Akanji equalised on the stroke of half-time and Haaland’s second, two minutes after the restart, put City ahead a second time. Nicolas Jackson levelled for Chelsea once more, however, before Rodri’s fine strike looked to have decided the game.
The final twist in the tale came in the fifth minute of stoppage time, as Ruben Dias brought down Armando Broja inside the box. Cole Palmer, against the side he left to sign for Chelsea in the summer, confidently fired home to complete a madcap match.
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