December 26th as a matchday is something unique to English football. When team across the continent enjoy a winter break, English clubs will be in the middle of a hectic festive period where the games will come thick and fast.
Until last year, it was the norm for all teams in the Premier League to play on Boxing Day, but this year, it is slightly different. The league’s obligations to television broadcasters means that Liverpool will play Stoke on the 27th and Tottenham will play Southampton on the 28th.
Trending
But there has been no shortage of fantastic action from Boxing Days in previous years. We take a look at some of those statistics that have made Boxing Day among the days most looked forward to in the English football calendar:
1 – Liverpool headed into Boxing Day in 2013 top of the league in the Premier League. But they went into the New Year outside the top four. Liverpool endured consecutive 2-1 defeats against Manchester City and Chelsea, and City went on to win the league as Liverpool finished second.
2 – In the Premier League era, Manchester United have lost only two games on Boxing Day in the Premier League era. The first was in 2002, when they lost 3-1 to Middlesbrough. The second one was last year, as Stoke beat them 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium to condemn the Red Devils to a fourth straight loss in the darkest phase of Louis van Gaal’s time at Old Trafford.
1 – This will be the first time since 1995 that Liverpool don’t have a game scheduled on Boxing Day. They didn’t play on Boxing Day in 2010 as the pitch at Bloomfield Road was frozen, ensuring that their game against Blackpool did not happen.
4 – The number of goals that Southampton scored against Arsenal on Boxing Day last year. That hampered the Gunners’ chances of closing ground on Leicester who had lost to Liverpool earlier that day. Arsenal will play West Brom this year at the Emirates Stadium, with the wounds from last year still rather fresh. That is Arsenal’s heaviest loss on a Boxing Day
6 – The number of goals Jermain Defoe has scored on Boxing Day – making him the highest Premier League goalscorer on the 26th of December. Be very scared, Jose Mourinho!
7 – With 7 losses on Boxing Day, Sam Allardyce has lost more than any other manager on this particular date. He makes his return to the Premier League this Boxing Day, as he takes over as Crystal Palace manager.
7 - The last seven teams to be at the bottom of the Championship table on Christmas Day have been relegated.
30 – It has been 30 years since Watford last won a Boxing Day fixture in any levelof English football. They last won in 1986, when they beat Luton Town 2-0.
50% – In the 24 years of the Premier League era, only half the teams that were top at Christmas have eventually gone on to win the league. Liverpool (three times), Newcastle, Arsenal and Manchester United (all twice) were all top at Christmas in different years, but could not close the league out in the second half of the season.
66 – The number of goals that went in on Boxing Day in 1963. It was a crazy day as Fulham beat Ipswich 10-1, Burnley beat Manchester United 6-1 and Liverpool beat Stoke 6-1. The Reds will be hoping that is a good omen as Stoke are their opponents in what was supposed to be their Boxing Day fixture this year.
