#360stats: Man Utd's resurgence, Newcastle Utd's nosedive

Sport360 staff 13:11 17/04/2015
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  • Contrasting fortunes: Mata is on fire but Fabregas has gone quiet ahead of their clash.

    Ahead of every round of Premier League games, Sport360 – with some help from our friends at Opta Stats – will provide the pick of the facts and figures. Here are this week's highlights:

    Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion 

    • ​The Eagles have won both of their previous Premier League games against WBA at Selhurst Park, scoring exactly three goals on both occasions. 
    • West Brom have won just one of their previous five Premier League meetings with Crystal Palace (L2 D2). Glenn Murray has scored six goals and assisted three more in his last six Premier League appearances.
    • Alan Pardew has now won 51 points in the Premier League this season; enough to put him eighth in the table had he been at one club all season.
    • However, Crystal Palace have kept only one clean sheet under Alan Pardew (in 12 PL games).
    • Tony Pulis is looking to avoid losing four Premier League games in a row for the first time since he was Stoke manager (did so four times with the Potters).
    • If Palace score four goals in this game they will have matched their total under Tony Pulis last season (26 goals in 26 games) in only 13 matches under Alan Pardew (22 so far) West Brom conceded seven goals in Tony Pulis’s first nine PL games in charge but have conceded 10 in the last three.
    • WBA have conceded 3+ goals in each of their last three league games. They have not done in four successive top-flight games since September 1985.
    • Last weekend Yannick Bolasie became the first Congolese player to score a Premier League hat-trick, the 39th nation to contribute one in the competition’s history.

    Everton v Burnley

    • Everton have won more points in their last four Premier League games (10) than they had in their previous 12 (7).
    • Burnley have failed to score in five of their last six league matches, netting once against Man City in the other.
    • Aaron Lennon has netted two goals in his last three PL games after failing to score in his 32 previous league appearances, a drought which went all the way back to the end of 2013.
    • Everton have made only three errors leading to a goal in their last 12 Premier League games after making 11 in the 20 matches before that.
    • Burnley have outrun their opponents in all 32 of their Premier League games this season. Everton have conceded only two goals in their last five Premier League home games.
    • However, the Toffees have taken only two wins from their last seven at Goodison Park (D4 L1). Burnley have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 13 Premier League away games.
    • The Clarets have only ever won two of their 34 Premier League away games. Ben Mee has been booked in four of his last five Premier League appearances for Burnley.

    Leicester City v Swansea City

    • The home side has won the last seven competitive meetings between Leicester City and Swansea City.
    • Swansea are unbeaten in their last three PL games (W2 D1) – They haven’t gone four PL games without a defeat in a single season since January 2013.
    • Leicester have scored 2+ goals in three successive Premier League games for the first time since November 2003. They have not done it in four consecutive PL games since May 2000.
    • Esteban Cambiasso has scored four goals from five shots on target in the Premier League.
    • Leicester have won both of their games so far in April this season, after a run of 17 Premier League games in April without a win before that. Swansea have taken 10 points from their last four Premier League games in April (W3 D1).
    • Swansea have conceded exactly one goal in their last six Premier League games in April. David Nugent needs one more goal to match his best total of six goals in a Premier League campaign.
    • Four of his five PL goals this season have come away from home, though. Bafétimbi Gomis has three goals in his last three Premier League appearances. Last season the team who were bottom after 31 games avoided the drop (Sunderland).

    Stoke City v Southampton

    • On the last occasion that these two sides met at the Britannia Stadium in the Premier League, goalkeeper Asmir Begovic scored in the opening minute.
    • Four of the previous five Premier League meetings between these two clubs have ended in a draw. Stoke have gone four games without a win (L3 D1), their longest run without one in the Premier League this season.
    • Only Tottenham (seven) have picked up more points courtesy of goals netted in the 90th minute or later than Stoke (four). Stoke have kept only four clean sheets in their last 17 Premier League home games.
    • Southampton have only conceded 22 goals in 32 games this season.
    • This is the same record that Arsenal had on their way to the title in 2004. Saints have conceded just two goals in their last five games and have not conceded more than once away from home since the opening weekend of the season.
    • Graziano Pelle has had more shots off target than any other Premier League player this season (53).
    • Pelle and Stoke’s Peter Crouch have made 325 flick-ons between them this season, more than 11 Premier League sides have in total. Stoke have hit the target with only 37% of their shots this season, the lowest rate in the division this season.

    Chelsea v Manchester United

    • Chelsea have lost just one of their last 12 Barclays Premier League home games against Manchester United (W7 D4 L1).
    • Manchester United have suffered more Premier League defeats against Chelsea than versus any other side (15).
    • Chelsea have scored 100 goals in 47 games this season (2.13 per game) while United have 68 in 38 matches (1.79).
    • Juan Mata has three goals and an assist in his last three Premier League games.
    • Manchester United have 65 points, one more than they collected in the whole of 2013-14 (64).
    • No duo have combined for more goals than Fabregas and Eden Hazard in the Premier League this season (six times, level with Costa & Fabregas).
    • Chelsea’s last home defeat in the Premier League came almost exactly one year ago (April 19, 2014 vs Sunderland).
    • Wayne Rooney has scored or assisted 120 Premier League goals away from home, the fourth highest total in the division’s history.
    • Cesc Fabregas has not scored or assisted a goal in any of his last seven Premier League games at Stamford Bridge. Manchester United now have the best shot conversion rate in the Premier League (18.6%) this season.

    Manchester City v West Ham United

    • Man City have lost two league matches in April this season already – they have not lost three PL games in a single month since November 2008.
    • West Ham defeated Man City 2-1 in the Premier League earlier this season – they have never won both games against them in a single PL campaign.
    • Man City have won Frank Lampard’s last three starts in the Premier League, scoring eight goals in the process. Man City have already lost five league games in 2015, one more than in the whole of 2014 (4).
    • West Ham have lost seven points from goals scored in the 90th minute (and injury time) this season, more than any other team. Man City have outrun their opponents only six times in the Premier League this season, fewer than any other side.
    • Sergio Aguero has scored 100 goals in 158 competitive games for Manchester City.
    • If the season had started on Boxing Day, West Ham would be only one point clear of the relegation zone. If the season had started on Boxing Day then Man City would be ninth, 17 points behind leaders Arsenal.
    • West Ham have scored a league-high 15 headed goals this season, 11 more than Manchester City have (4).

    Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur

    • Newcastle have lost just one of their last eight PL home games against Spurs (W5 D2 L1), but this defeat came last season. Since defeating Arsenal in February, Tottenham have won just three of their eight Premier League matches (W3 D2 L3).
    • Since the start of last season Newcastle have picked up 11 Premier League red cards, more than any other team in that period.
    • If the season had started on Boxing Day Newcastle would be only one point clear of the relegation zone.
    • Newcastle have lost their last five games. If they lose this it will match their worst ever Premier League run of defeats, set last spring. Tottenham have gone 202 minutes without a goal away from home in the Premier League. 
    • Harry Kane has not gone three Premier League appearances without scoring since December. Kane is tied with Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa on 19 goals currently.
    • The last season to see the top scorer end with fewer than 20 goals was 2008-09 (Anelka finished with 19).
    • Newcastle substitutes have contributed a league-high nine goals this season. Tottenham have conceded seven penalties in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.

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