Round 36 of this season’s Premier League was typically eventful: 28 goals were scored, 41 cards were issued, Sunderland were awarded the best penalty ever, according to manager Gus Poyet, and Liverpool lost control of the title race.
Caughtoffside has looked back at this weekend’s 10 matches and recapped the action using statistics.
Southampton 2-0 Everton
The game was just 54 seconds old when Everton centre-back Antolin Alcaraz opened the scoring with the sixth first-minute own goal in Premier League history. Fellow Toffees defender Seamus Coleman also put through his own net at St Mary’s, making the match the 20th top-flight encounter in which a team has scored multiple own goals.
Southampton’s 14th Premier League win of the season moved Mauricio Pochettino’s side onto 52 points, equalling the club’s record points tally, which was last achieved in 2003.
Fulham 2-2 Hull City
Cottagers defender Fernando Amorebieta became the first Venezuelan to score a league goal in England when he headed the hosts into a 2-0 lead. Players from 90 different nations have now found the net in the Premier League.
Fulham, who threw away their lead by conceding twice in the last 15 minutes, have shipped more goals in the second half of matches than any other top-flight team this season.
Stoke City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Ryan Shawcross picked up Stoke’s fifth red card of the season to send the Potters to the bottom of the division’s disciplinary table. Only Sunderland, who are second on the league’s naughty list, have had more sending offs this term (seven).
Match-winner Danny Rose became the 18th different player to score in the league for Spurs this season. He is the sixth Englishman to find the net for Tottenham this term, after Jermain Defoe, Harry Kane, Aaron Lennon, Andros Townsend and Kyle Walker.
Swansea City 4-1 Aston Villa
Jonjo Shelvey stole the show at the Liberty Stadium by scoring a stunning long-range volley from near the halfway line. The 22-year-old’s last five league goals have all come from outside the penalty area.
Villa have now taken just one point from their last six games, leaving them on their longest winless streak in the Premier League in over 13 months.
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 West Ham United
Saido Berahino’s 11th-minute strike meant that the Hammers failed to keep a clean sheet for the ninth successive game in the Premier League.
The result was the Baggies’ first home win under Pepe Mel, who had seen his side draw six of their previous seven games at the Hawthorns.
Manchester United 4-0 Norwich City
Ryan Giggs began his interim term as Red Devils manager by breaking the club’s record for the biggest win under a new boss. Such a statistic should be taken with a pinch of salt, considering David Moyes began his ill-fated 10-month spell by winning the Community Shield and then thrashing Swansea City 4-1, while Sir Alex Ferguson’s first game in charge was a 2-0 loss to Oxford United.
Home supporters at Old Trafford were encouraged by the attacking intent shown by Giggs’ side, as they registered 11 shots on target – more than United had mustered in any of their 34 league matches under Moyes.
Sunderland 4-0 Cardiff City
Having spent 74 consecutive days in the bottom three, Sunderland finally came out of the drop zone after thrashing one of their fellow relegation-scrappers on Saturday.
Connor Wickham bagged his second brace of the month, meaning that, after scoring just once in his first 37 Premier League matches, he has now netted five goals in his last three top-flight outings.
Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea
Sunday’s defeat to a much-changed Chelsea side saw Liverpool fail to score a first-half goal for the first time in 26 Premier League games.
Steven Gerrard made a dreadful mistake from which Demba Ba opened the scoring at Anfield. The Reds captain tried his utmost to atone for his error, registering nine shots. No player has had more shots in a Premier League game without scoring this season.
Chelsea’s clean sheet was their 17th top-flight shutout of the campaign. The Blues boast the league’s best defensive record this term and are the only team that has conceded less than one goal per game on average.
Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester City
Yaya Toure’s early opener at Selhurst Park was the 17th league goal that Man City have scored within the first 15 minutes of games this season. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have scored more and conceded fewer (one) than any other top-flight team during this section of matches.
City began the weekend with title odds of 9/2, but, following Liverpool’s defeat and their win, they have been slashed to 4/5 favourites with most bookmakers.
Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle United
The Gunners closed in on a top-four finish and their 17th consecutive season in the Champions League by extending Newcastle’s losing streak to six league games, which is the Magpies’ worst run of form since 1987.
Arsenal’s victory also guaranteed that they will finish above North London rivals Tottenham for the 19th successive campaign.
Newcastle forward Shola Ameobi made a 20-minute cameo off the bench at the Emirates. It was his 138th Premier League appearance as a substitute, which is a record.