How far can Leicester City go? Will Man Utd extend their Boxing Day run? Are Aston Villa destined for the drop? Martin Tyler knows...
Wednesday 23 December 2015 22:33, UK
Martin Tyler returns with a bumper stats and facts column jam packed full of Christmas and Boxing Day trivia to see you through the festive period.
Give or take a game, Christmas marks the halfway stage of the season where clubs take stock, reflect and prepare for a flurry of matches up to New Year.
Three league fixtures in just over a week could change the standings for some teams, while recent Premier League history offers bottom-of-the-table Villa hope in their battle to avoid the drop...
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Martin's starting stats
I was at the Emirates on Monday to see Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech's 350th Premier League game and he was eight minutes away from setting a new record of shut-outs until being beaten by Yaya Toure's wonderful strike for Man City.
Cech is still on 169 clean sheets, which equals David James' Premier League record, with nine of those coming against City.
Meanwhile, City scored away from home in the Premier League for the first time since Kevin De Bruyne netted against Tottenham on September 26, meaning their last two goals on the road have both come in north London.
However, Manuel Pellegrini's side have gone five league matches on their travels without a victory, having started the season with wins at West Brom, Everton and Crystal Palace. So City's away record now reads - played: 8, won: 3, lost: 3, drawn: 2, scoring just eight goals, although they have conceded only eight times in those games as well.
Theo Walcott opened the scoring at the Emirates to make it 13 goals in his last 17 Premier League starts for Arsenal and Olivier Giroud has now scored 13 times in his previous 16 games, including six in his last four appearances.
And the Frenchman has also netted in three straight games against City, all wins, including the FA Community Shield in August 2014, at the Etihad in January and on Monday Night Football.
Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil assisted in both Arsenal goals against City, making it 15 for the season, with the German on course to beat the Premier League record of 20 held by former Gunners forward Thierry Henry.
Jesus Navas had a great chance to pull a goal back for City on Monday, but opted instead to pass to a team-mate when through on goal. And that is not that surprising given the winger has failed to score in his last 64 games in all competitions, including 61 in the Premier League.
However, Yaya Toure did score for the second time in 10 appearances against Arsenal, 12 years after having a trial with the club in a friendly against Barnet. It was elder brother Kolo, though, who ended up playing for the Gunners and not Yaya.
And finally, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has now lost only one of 10 managerial meetings with Pellegrini after Monday's win, with the Chilean having twice been eliminated from the Champions League by Arsenal while in charge of Villarreal.
What can table-topping Leicester achieve? Richard, Swansea
Leicester's remarkable rise from the verge of relegation to title contenders has been the standout story of 2015.
Saturday's victory at Everton ensured Claudio Ranieri's side would become the first Premier League team to be bottom at Christmas one season and top the next - only Norwich in 1987/88 and 1988/89 have achieved the feat before.
But how far can the Foxes go this season? Well, Premier League history suggests that if you're top at Christmas, it's a mixed bag in terms of going on to be crowned champions.
In the 23 seasons to date, 10 of the sides top of the tree have gone on to win the league, including Manchester United on five occasions, Chelsea four times and Blackburn Rovers once.
Many continue to write off the Foxes' title chances but the stats in recent seasons suggest they are well placed to end the season on a high. Five of the last six teams top at Christmas have gone on to be crowned champions, with Liverpool in 2013/14 being the exception.
But before the engraver starts etching Leicester's name on the trophy, it's worth noting that Norwich (1992/93), Newcastle (1995/96 & 2001/02) and Leeds (1999/00) have also been top of the league at Christmas, but none have gone on to win the title.
All, however, did finish in the top four, with Aston Villa the only side to have fallen outside of the top four having been No 1 at Christmas - they finished sixth in 1998/99.
So, in a season which continues to surprise, who's to say the King Power Stadium won't play host to Champions League football next season?
As a warning to Leicester, though, Arsenal have been top at Christmas twice in Premier League history (2002/03 and 2007/08), but did not go on to claim the title. However, the Gunners have also been second, as they are now, on Christmas Day the last two times they won the Premier League in 2001/02 and 2003/04.
Which current Premier League player has scored the most Boxing Day goals? Jane, Birmingham
Of the players still plying their trade in the Premier League, Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe is top of the pile with the most goals on Boxing Day with six.
The former West Ham, Tottenham and Portsmouth frontman was prolific during his two spells at White Hart Lane, scoring against Birmingham (2005), Aston Villa (two in 2006 and one in 2012) and Fulham (2007).
Meanwhile, Defoe's other strike came early on in his career in West Ham's 4-0 drubbing of Derby in 2001, and he will be looking to add to his impressive Boxing Day record when the Black Cats travel to Manchester City this year.
Everton's Gareth Barry and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney are the only other current Premier League players that find themselves in the top 20 scorers on Boxing Day, both with four goals apiece.
Barry is yet to find the net on Boxing Day for the Toffees, with his strikes against Spurs (2006), Chelsea (2007), Arsenal (2008) and Newcastle (2010) coming during spells at previous clubs Aston Villa and Manchester City.
All of Rooney's four goals, meanwhile, against Sunderland (2007), Hull (2013) and two against Newcastle (2014), have come for United.
The pair, however, are both well short of former Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester City striker Robbie Fowler, who tops the charts with nine Boxing Day goals.
Rooney and Barry would have to double their tally in the forthcoming round of fixtures to draw level with those next on the list, with Robbie Keane and Alan Shearer the scorers of eight goals each.
Thierry Henry has seven, Dimitar Berbatov joins Defoe on six, while Andy Cole, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have five, with 10 others on four.
Can Manchester United extend their impressive Boxing Day run? Michael, Salford
Louis van Gaal's side head to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday looking to extend their formidable run of 11 consecutive Boxing Day wins in a match you can see live on Sky Sports 1 HD.
United are the undisputed kings of Boxing Day, winning 18, drawing two and losing just one - a 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough in 2002 - of their 21 games, picking up an average 2.67 points per game.
The Red Devils, who are without a win in their last four league games, will be trying to tap into their Boxing Day form and travel to the Potteries looking for a repeat of their 2008 triumph, where Carlos Tevez's late strike earned United a hard-fought victory for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
Of the Premier League clubs who have played more than five Boxing Day fixtures, Norwich are the only team without a win, losing four of their five.
West Brom, Leicester, Derby and Charlton won just one of their Boxing Day games and, despite playing 20 matches, Aston Villa have won just three.
Which Premier League ground has witnessed the most Boxing Day goals? John, London
Of the 10 Premier League grounds hosting games this Boxing Day, Stamford Bridge leads the way, playing host to 37 goals.
Old Trafford is the stadium to be at, though, with 43 goals taking place at the Theatre of Dreams in the Premier League era on the day after Christmas.
But with United playing away at Stoke, and with a resurgent Chelsea hosting free-flowing Watford on Saturday, could the gap at the top be closed?
It's worth noting the Bridge is no stranger to witnessing a flurry of Boxing Day goals, with the Blues' 4-4 draw against Aston Villa in 2007 the highest-scoring Premier League game held on December 26.
Are bottom-of-the-table Aston Villa destined for the drop? Max, Southampton
It used to be a given that clubs bottom of the Premier League at Christmas would find themselves playing in the Championship the following season. Only West Brom's 'Great Escape' in 2004/05 bucked this trend, with 20 of the first 21 Premier League seasons following suit.
Villa have a way to go to replicate the escapes staged by those before them - no club with their current points total has ever avoided the drop.
Remi Garde's men are already three points adrift of the 10 that West Brom (2004/05), Sunderland (2013/14) and Leicester (2014/15) had registered when they were at the foot of the table on Christmas Day.
But here is where I look to add some festive optimism for Villa fans. The last two clubs bottom at Christmas - Sunderland and Leicester - have gone on to avoid relegation, so perhaps we are witnessing a change in the trend.
The Baggies, Black Cats and Foxes secured their Premier League status with an average of 37.7 points in their respective campaigns. So the stats suggest Villa must somehow pick up another 31 points from their remaining 19 games, with even Remi Garde saying his side "need at least 10 victories" to beat the drop.
When was the first Boxing Day fixture played? Sam, Plymouth
Sheffield FC v Hallam FC wasn't just the first game played on December 26… it was the first ever game of association football. Sheffield were 2-0 winners at Sandygate Lane, still the home of Hallam FC.
It has since been one of the most highly anticipated sporting days of the year, sitting alongside the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park and, if you're lucky, the start of an Ashes Test match.
When was the last English game played on Christmas Day? Daniel, South Wales
You may think the Christmas Day fixture is an ancient concept. But you don't even have to go back half a century for the last game played on December 25.
The last matches played on Christmas Day in England were in 1959; Coventry 5-3 Wrexham in the Third Division sounded exciting, Blackburn 1-0 Blackpool in the First Division less so. But even later than that, Scottish League fixtures were last played on Christmas Day in 1976.
