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While the 2015/15 Premier League season started rather slowly with the majority of the teams struggling to get going, the campaign exploded into life this weekend as fans saw 35 goals being scored in eight matches on Saturday. Pundits couldn’t understand what was going on as television networks tried their best to show viewers highlights of all games with the very limited time they had between halves.
The game between Arsenal and Leicester City, the only undefeated team in the league before the weekend, saw the most goals as the Gunners ran out 5-2 winners in their away fixture. It was a game with end-to-end football that did not fail to entertain. Arsenal’s North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur also go in the act, scoring four goals against league leaders Manchester City in a 4-1 win at White Hart Lane.
Liverpool and Manchester United also scored three goals apiece in wins over Aston Villa (3-2) and Sunderland (3-0) respectively. In fact, Sunderland were the only team not to score on Saturday. Meanwhile, defending champions came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw against Newcastle at St James’ Park.
But looking at such weekends in Premier League history puts Saturday’s goal fest only ninth in the list with respect to most goals scored on a single matchday in the EPL. The top spot has been uncontested for 22 years now, ever since the final stages of the inaugural 1992/93 season. 8 May 1993 saw a combined total of 47 goals scored on one day!
Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 6-2 with Ian Rush and John Barnes grabbing a brace each, Oldham Athletic beat Southampton 4-3 with Matthew Le Tissier’s late hat-trick not enough to save the Saints while Everton won 5-2 away at Manchester City. These three games themselves saw almost half the goals (22 goals) scored on that day.
The second spot in the table is 5 February 2011, a day Arsenal fans would like to forget. It was the day Newcastle came back from 4-0 down in the first half to draw 4-4 in a game filled with controversy and a red card for Abou Diaby after which the Gunners capitulated. The other high scoring games on that day included Everton’s 5-3 win over Blackpool and Wigan Athletic’s 4-3 win over Blackburn Rovers.
The only other matchday to see 40 or more goals scored was 3 October 1992 – again, in the very first EPL season. All 20 teams played on this day, unlike the first two in the list, with Blackburn Rovers leading the way with a 7-1 thrashing of Norwich City.
Kenny Dalglish’s side tore them apart at Ewood Park with notable names such as Alan Shearer (2 goals) and Tim Sherwood getting on the score sheet. Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers also scored 4 goals each as they beat Leeds United (4-2) and Tottenham Hotspur (4-1) respectively.
In case you’re wondering, the day Manchester United beat Arsenal 8-2 and Manchester City beat Tottenham 5-1, only 20 goals were scored as it was a Sunday with only four games played. And the final day of the 2009/10 season that saw Chelsea humiliate Wigan 8-0 to win the title, a day all 20 teams played, only 32 goals were scored.
| # | DATE | MATCHES | GOALS | GOALS PER GAME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 May 1993 | 9 | 47 | 5.2 |
| 2 | 5 February 2011 | 8 | 41 | 5.1 |
| 3 | 3 October 1992 | 10 | 40 | 4.0 |
| 4 | 22 August 1992 | 10 | 38 | 3.8 |
| 5 | 27 November 2010 | 8 | 36 | 4.5 |
| 6 | 12 April 1993 | 9 | 36 | 4.0 |
| 7 | 19 May 2013 | 10 | 36 | 3.6 |
| 8 | 29 December 2012 | 8 | 35 | 4.4 |
| 26 September 2015 | 8 | 35 | 4.4 | |
| 10 | 26 December 1999 | 10 | 35 | 3.5 |
Stats via OptaJoe and the official Premier League website
