“Viktor Gyökeres and Leandro Trossard are Arsenal’s top scorers in the league with just five goals each,” writes Steven Pye. “This seems quite a low total for a team that could go on to win the league. I was wondering which winner of the top flight in England has had the lowest top goal scorer, both before and after the start of the Premier League?”
Arsenal’s 40 Premier League goals have been shared among 13 players – 16 if you include own goals from Sam Johnstone, Yerson Mosquera and Georginio Rutter. Only Everton, Sunderland and Wolves have a leading scorer with fewer than the five goals scored by Gyökeres and Trossard.
An infinitely more important number is seven – the number of points by which Arsenal lead the league. They are on course to continue a longstanding tradition of the English champions not having the golden boot winner in their squad. It’s striking how many serial champions – Arsenal in the 1930s, Liverpool in the 1970s, Manchester United in the 1990s, José Mourinho’s Chelsea, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City between peak Sergio Agüero and the signing of Erling Haaland – spread the goals around their team.
Don Revie’s Leeds were not quite serial champions but their 1973-74 triumph was a perfect example of sharing the load. No player scored 15 league goals, yet four reached double figures: Billy Bremner (10), Peter Lorimer (12), Allan Clarke (13) and Mick Jones (14). Manchester United did something similar in 1995-96 when Eric Cantona, one of four players in double figures, led the way on 14.
That’s one of three Premier League seasons in which the champions’ main man has scored fewer than 15. That record is shared between Mourinho and Guardiola. Frank Lampard hit 13 for Chelsea in 2004-05; another goalscoring midfielder, Ilkay Gündogan, did likewise for City in 2020-21.
Here’s a list of the least productive top scorers among Premier League champions.
13 Frank Lampard (Chelsea, 2004-05); Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City, 2020-21)
14 Eric Cantona (Manchester United, 1995-96)
15 Mark Hughes (Man Utd, 1992-93), Teddy Sheringham (Man Utd, 2000-01), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City, 2021-22)
16 Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal, 1997-98), Frank Lampard (Chelsea, 2005-06)
17 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, 2006-07)
Before the Premier League, the top flight went through different phases. Sometimes the champions’ top scorer would routinely hit 30 goals; that happened in 12 of the 14 seasons before the second world war, including Dixie Dean’s famous 60-goal season.
At other times they struggled to reach 20 goals; that was the case for eight consecutive seasons in the 1970s. Kevin Keegan was Liverpool’s top scorer with 12 when they won the championship in 1976-77; Nottingham Forest unwittingly followed Liverpool’s template the following season when Peter Withe and John Robertson managed a similar haul.
In 1901-02, when Sunderland became champions for the fourth time, their biggest goal threats were Jimmy Gemmell and Billy Hogg. Sunderland scored 50 goals in 34 league games, with Gemmell and Hogg notching 10 apiece. They unwittingly set a record that looked highly unlikely to be broken, until now.
10 Jimmy Gemmell and Billy Hogg (Sunderland, 1901-02)
11 Albert Shepherd (Newcastle United, 1908-09)
12 Walter Bennett (Sheffield United, 1897-98); Kevin Keegan and John Toshack (Liverpool, 1976-77); John Robertson and Peter Withe (Nottingham Forest, 1977-78)
13 Harry Davis (The Wednesday, 1902-03); Cliff Bastin and Ray Bowden (Arsenal, 1933-34); John Toshack (Liverpool, 1972-73); Frank Lampard (Chelsea, 2004-05); Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City, 2020-21)
14 Bill Appleyard (Newcastle United, 1904-05); Mick Jones (Leeds United, 1968-69 and 1973-74); Trevor Steven (Everton, 1986-87); Eric Cantona (Manchester United, 1995-96)
Legends’ funerals on state TV
“The funeral of the former Norway player and manager Åge Hareide, who died in December, was shown live on Norwegian state television. Have the funerals of other footballing figures been broadcast on terrestrial TV?” asks Kári Tulinius.
We had dozens of responses to this question, the majority referring to one man. “The obvious one in this part of the world would be Manchester United and Northern Irish legend George Best,” writes Martin Nicholas. “His funeral in December 2005 was broadcast live on BBC, UTV and Sky News, and was one of the few high-profile funerals of that period (or any) to unite the community.”
Jeff Stephens points out that Sir Tom Finney’s funeral in 2014 was streamed by both BBC and ITV. Finney was not the only member of England’s 1958 World Cup squad whose life was celebrated in such fashion. “The funeral of Sir Bobby Robson was covered live on Sky News,” Tom Reed adds. “The broadcast was also streamed to screens at former clubs Newcastle, Ipswich and Fulham.”
Record wins and losses in recent times
“Following on from Manchester City’s joint-record win against Exeter (or Exeter’s joint-record defeat if you prefer), it feels like most of these record victories occurred many moons ago when it was more common to see teams score 10 goals in a game. Who has the most recent outright record victory/defeat?” asks Dan Taylor. “Let’s not include phoenix clubs.”
If ever there was a question for Chris Roe’s Magic Database, this is it. “There are many teams who have suffered their worst league defeat outright since 2000,” Chris writes. “Many of those are recent league entrants, but there are a few longstanding teams who qualify. Aston Villa’s 8-0 loss against Chelsea in December 2012, Cambridge United’s 7-0 defeat to Luton Town in November 2017 and Watford’s 8-0 thumping by Manchester City in September 2019 are notable examples. The most recent is Sheffield United’s 8-0 defeat against Newcastle United in September 2023.
“Outright league victories are rarer among established clubs, but Cambridge beat Morecambe 7-0 in April 2016, Bournemouth thrashed Birmingham 8-0 in October 2014 (their record win in all competitions is 11-0 versus Margate in the 1971-72 FA Cup) and Wigan Athletic trounced Hull City by the same scoreline in July 2020.
“Incidentally, Manchester City’s 10-1 win over Exeter came on 10 January, a great example of the scoreline matching the date. In league matches there has been a 5-4 win in April 1930 and a 6-3 win in March 1937 for Leicester City and Northampton Town, respectively.”
Knowledge archive
“Has a referee ever scored a goal, either accidentally or in more controversial circumstances, in a top-flight European match?” asked Daniel Turner in 2005.
While José Mourinho bitterly claims “the linesman scored for Liverpool” to win their Champions League semi-final, we haven’t stumbled across any record of such a real incident taking place in the professional game.
However, an official did take the law into his own hands during an amateur match in Essex in 2001. The referee Brian Savill volleyed home from a corner, bringing Wimpole 2000 back into their Great Bromley Cup tie against Earls Colne Reserves. Well, sort of; Wimpole were 18-1 down before Mr Savill’s intervention. Luckily, players from both teams saw the funny side as Earls Colne clung on for a 20-2 win.
The referee said later: “I just signalled a goal and went roaring up the field. Half of the fans were standing in bewilderment, the other half were cheering.” The FA wasn’t smiling as it charged Savill with bringing the game into disrepute, giving him a seven-week ban. Savill duly resigned in protest.
Referee Gordon Shaw proved far more decisive in the Swindon and District Under-12s league, when he inadvertently scored the only goal of the game between Park Youth Centre and Dorcan Boys. Shaw stuck his leg out at the wrong moment during a goalmouth scramble and put the ball past the stranded Dorcan keeper – and then ruled that his goal had to stand.
Can you help?
“Sunderland’s penalty shootout against Everton in the FA Cup was over after six kicks, the earliest a penalty shootout can finish,” writes Mark Fawcett. “What are the highest-profile games in which only six penalties were taken?”
“Bournemouth’s draw at Brighton means no team in the Premier League has won their last two games. How common is this?” asks Roger Kirkby.
“Who was the first player to be loaned with the expectation of a transfer after the loan period?” wonders Adrian Burns.
“Twelve of the 18 Bundesliga teams have a negative goal difference,” notes Damian Cerase. “I suppose this is down to Bayern handing out weekly drubbings, given that their GD is +57 after only 18 games. What’s the greatest disparity in a full season between the number of teams registering positive or negative GDs?”
“Last weekend’s Eredivisie game between Feyenoord and Sparta Rotterdam featured two fathers and their sons: Sparta manager Maurice Steijn and his son Sem (playing for Feyenoord) and Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie and his son Shaqueel (also playing for Feyenoord, and scoring a fabulous bicycle kick). Has there ever been a game before in which both managers had their sons playing?” asks Fausto van Bronckhorst.
