After nearly 24 seasons of the Premier League, Manchester United could become the first team to score 1,000 goals in home games if they beat Watford tonight. The Red Devils are currently on 998 goals await the Hornets to reach a remarkable landmark.
Their 3-2 win over Arsenal on Sunday saw them score a total of 998 goals in only 456 games. Louis van Gaal’s side have not been at their goal scoring best this season and have only scored 36 goals in 27 league games this season.
The club’s average since 1992 is close to 2 goals per game (1.97) but this season that has fallen down to 1.3 goals per game with many fans and pundits criticizing the club’s philosophy of keeping possession for too long without doing much with it.
This season, they have scored just 18 times at Old Trafford with six more home games to go before the end of the season.
Arsenal are in second place on the list and are the only other club with more than 900 goals. In the same number of matches, they have scored 911 times at Highbury and the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners were long known for being a boring side who managed to accumulate many 1-0 wins, even giving rise to the chant ‘One-nil to the Arsenal’.
But soon after Arsene Wenger joined the club in 1996, he revolutionised the club and its style of play. Today, the north London club are known for their attacking game and regularly make the top four.
Chelsea are third with 893 goals. They are the only other team to win the Premier League title at least three times, having won it one more time than their London rivals.
Only seven teams have played all 24 seasons in the Premier League so far. Apart from United, Arsenal and Chelsea, even Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Aston Villa. Even though clubs like Newcastle and Manchester City have been relegated, they are still ahead of Everton and Villa while West Ham makes up the top 10.
| # | Team | Goals | Games played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 998 | 456 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 911 | 456 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 893 | 457 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 864 | 455 |
| 5 | Tottenham | 755 | 457 |
| 6 | Newcastle | 702 | 416 |
| 7 | Everton | 698 | 457 |
| 8 | Man City | 632 | 362 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 601 | 457 |
| 10 | West Ham | 547 | 378 |
Wayne Rooney one goal short of Old Trafford century
Among the players of Manchester United who have played in the Premier League, Wayne Rooney leads the list of most goals scored at Old Trafford. The club captain, who also captains England, is on 99 goals after 181 games at home.
Rooney is not expected to make it 100 goals any time soon after he was sidelined with a knee injury. The initial prognosis was that he would be out for six-to-eight weeks but Van Gaal confirmed that Rooney was still a month away from returning to action.
However, he does not need to worry about any other player scoring 100 goals at Old Trafford before him. The next best player is club legend Paul Scholes and he has scored just 59 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo, who spent only six seasons at United and also won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2007/08, has scored 57 goals in 101 appearances.
The only other players to score at least 50 goals at Old Trafford are super-sub Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (53) and Ryan Giggs (50).
| # | Player | Goals | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne Rooney | 99 | 181 |
| 2 | Paul Scholes | 59 | 248 |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 57 | 101 |
| 4 | Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | 53 | 126 |
| 5 | Ryan Giggs | 50 | 308 |
Stats courtesy Sky Sports
