Premier League data dive: Liverpool thump Southampton, Arsenal cruise past sorry Newcastle

The
result
meant
Jurgen
Klopp’s
men
became
just
the
second
English
top-flight
team
to
score
two
or
more
goals
in
17
consecutive
games
in
all
competitions,
after
Sunderland
in
1927.

Elsewhere,
rock-bottom
Newcastle
United’s
winless
start
to
the
Premier
League
season
continued
as
they
were
beaten
2-0
by
Arsenal
at
Emirates
Stadium.

Steven
Gerrard
secured
his
second
consecutive
win
since
taking
over
as
Aston
Villa
boss,
with
his
side
sealing
a
2-1
away
win
at
Crystal
Palace.

Brighton
and
Hove
Albion
and
Leeds
United
played
out
a
goalless
draw
at
the
Amex
Stadium,
as
did
Norwich
City
and
Wolves
at
Carrow
Road.

Here,
Stats
Perform
looks
through
the
pick
of
Saturday’s
Opta
facts…

Liverpool
4-0
Southampton:Jota
at
the
double
for
rampant
Reds

Liverpool
have
now
scored
39
goals
in
their
13
Premier
League
games
this
season
–
their
highest
total
at
this
stage
of
a
top-flight
campaign.

Diogo
Jota
got
them
on
the
way
with
their
earliest
goal
in
the
Premier
League
(one
minute
and
37
seconds)
since
Naby
Keita
netted
against
Huddersfield
Town
in
April
2019
(15
seconds).

Another
from
Jota
and
a
strike
from
Thiago
Alcantara
put
Liverpool
3-0
up
at
the
break,
before
Virgil
van
Dijk
rounded
off
the
scoring
early
in
the
second
half.

Netherlands
international
Van
Dijk’s
goal
was
created
by
Trent
Alexander-Arnold,
who
earned
his
40th
Premier
League
assist.
Only
Wayne
Rooney
(22
years
and
200
days)
and
Cesc
Fabregas
(21y
188d)
have
reached
such
an
assists
total
in
the
competition
at
a
younger
age
than
the
Liverpool
right-back
(23y
51d).

Salah
reached
150
Premier
League
goal
involvements
by
setting
up
Jota’s
second,
reaching
that
total
(108
goals,
42
assists)
in
just
171
games.
Only
Alan
Shearer
(148
games)
and
Thierry
Henry
(163)
have
got
there
in
fewer
games.

Southampton,
meanwhile,
have
lost
more
away
games
(14)
and
conceded
more
away
goals
(47)
than
any
other
side
in
the
Premier
League
side
this
calendar
year.

Arsenal
2-0
Newcastle
United:
Gunners
cruise
against
Howe’s
beleaguered
men

The
Gunners
continued
their
fine
home
form
under
Mikel
Arteta
with
a
routine
win
against
Eddie
Howe’s
struggling
side.

Since
Arteta’s
first
home
game
in
charge
in
December
2019,
only
Manchester
City,
Liverpool
and
Chelsea
have
won
more
points
at
home
in
the
Premier
League
than
Arsenal
(67).

Bukayo
Saka
got
them
on
their
way
before
Gabriel
Martinelli
added
a
second
just
93
seconds
after
coming
on
as
a
substitute.
It
was
just
Martinelli’s
second
Premier
League
goal
at
the
Emirates
Stadium
and
his
first
since
January
2020
against
Sheffield
United.

The
Magpies,
meanwhile,
became
the
sixth
different
team
to
fail
to
win
any
of
their
opening
13
games
to
a
Premier
League
season,
with
four
of
the
previous
five
sides
suffering
relegation
(only
Derby
County
in
2000-01
survived).

Crystal
Palace
1-2
Aston
Villa:
Gerrard’s
winning
start
continues

This
victory
meant
former
Rangers
boss
Gerrard
became
only
the
second
manager
to
win
his
first
two
Premier
League
games
in
charge
of
Villa,
after
John
Gregory
in
February-March
1998.

Matt
Targett
scored
the
opener
for
Villa
with
his
first
Premier
League
goal
in
his
last
75
appearances
in
the
competition,
the
full-back
having
not
netted
since
getting
a
late
winner
against
Brighton
in
October
2019.

John
McGinn
then
added
a
second,
the
Scotland
international
already
equalling
his
best
goal
tally
for
a
full
Premier
League
season
(three
in
both
2020-21
and
2019-20).

Marc
Guehi
pulled
one
back
in
stoppage
time,
but
it
was
too
late
to
prevent
the
Eagles
suffering
a
first
defeat
in
their
last
eight
Premier
League
games
(W2
D5),
since
a
3-0
away
loss
to
Liverpool
in
September.

42
–
Ashley
Young
now
has
more
Premier
League
assists
than
any
other
Aston
Villa
player
in
the
competition’s
history,
while
he’s
also
the
oldest
player
to
assist
in
consecutive
Premier
League
games
for
the
Villans
(36y
141d).
Irony.

#CRYAVL
pic.twitter.com/wxNixJiMFo

—
OptaJoe
(@OptaJoe)

November
27,
2021

Norwich
City
0-0
Wolves:
Smith
maintains
unbeaten
start

Dean
Smith
followed
up
a
win
in
his
first
game
in
charge
of
the
Canaries
last
weekend
with
a
hard-fought
point
at
home.

Norwich
have
now
taken
seven
points
from
their
last
three
Premier
League
games
(W2
D1),
more
than
they
had
in
their
previous
25
in
the
competition
(W1
D3
L21).

The
Canaries
have
also
kept
two
clean
sheets
in
their
last
four
Premier
League
home
games
–
as
many
as
in
their
previous
26
at
Carrow
Road
in
the
competition.

It
is
perhaps
no
surprise
they
could
not
find
a
way
past
Wolves,
with
only
Chelsea
(five)
and
Liverpool
(four)
keeping
more
away
clean
sheets
in
the
Premier
League
this
season
than
Bruno
Lage’s
men
(three).