The Times - UK (2022-04-30)

Liverpool have led the table for ten days this
term (plus six days dead level at the top). If
they match Man City until pipping them on
the final day they would be Premier League
champions with fewest days at the top
Fewest days leading table for champions
Man City, 2013-14

Man Utd, 2002-03

Man Utd, 1995-96

Arsenal, 2001-02

Arsenal, 1997-98

Man Utd, 1992-93

15 47

31

47 69

56

Newcastle United v Liverpool
Today, 12.30pm
TV: Live, BT Sport 1; Radio: talkSPORT

Newcastle (possible; 4-3-3)
M Dubravka — E Krafth, F Schär, D Burn,
M Targett — B Guimaraes, J Shelvey,
Joelinton — M Almíron, C Wood,
A Saint-Maximin
Injured K Trippier, C Wilson, I Hayden,
R Fraser, J Lewis

Liverpool (possible; 4-3-3)
Alisson — T Alexander-Arnold, J Matip,
V van Dijk, A Robertson — N Keita,
Fabinho, T Alcântara — M Salah, D Jota,
S Mané
Injured R Firmino
Doubt C Jones

Referee A Marriner 0 2 0 58

Steven Gerrard, who faces his Villa

predecessor Dean Smith here, has yet to

engineer a significant improvement at

Villa Park

Aston Villa managers’ league record since

start of last season

Dean Smith

Steven Gerrard

1.33pts per game(49 games, 65pts)

1.29(21 games, 27pts)

Aston Villa v Norwich City

Today, 3pm

TV: Highlights BBC1, 10.20pm

Radio: talkSPORT2

Aston Villa (possible; 4-3-2-1)

E Martínez — M Cash, E Konsa, T Mings,

A Young — J McGinn, D Luiz, J Ramsey

— L Bailey, P Coutinho — O Watkins

Injured L Digne, M Sanson, K Hause

Norwich City (4-2-3-1)

T Krul — S Byram, G Hanley, B Gibson,

D Giannoulis — M Normann, K McLean

— L Rupp, P Lees-Melou M Rashica —

T Pukki

Injured C Zimmermann, A Idah,

A Omobamidele, O Kabak

Doubt J Sargent

Referee J Brooks 0 0 0 16

Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse, who

found the net from a free kick against

Brighton last week, is nearly six times as

likely to score when shooting at a free kick

than the average top-flight player

James Ward-Prowse

Conversion rate of free kicks taken at goal

in top flight since November 2020

All other players

1 per 4.5 shots (8 in 36)

1 per 25.6 shots (22 in 564)

Southampton v Crystal Palace

Today, 3pm.

TV: Highlights BBC1, 10.20pm

Southampton (possible; 4-4-2)

F Forster — K Walker-Peters, J Bednarek,

Lyanco, R Perraud — S Armstrong,

J Ward-Prowse, O Romeu, N Redmond —

C Adams, A Broja

Injured T Livramento

Crystal Palace (possible; 4-3-3)

V Guaita — N Clyne, J Andersen,

M Guehi, T Mitchell — C Gallagher,

J McArthur, E Eze — M Olise, J-P Mateta,

W Zaha

Injured N Ferguson

Referee J Gillett 0 1 0 26

Watford’s Imran Louza has lived up to his

surname, losing 15 of his first 19 league games

since joining from Nantes

Most defeats in first 19 Premier League

appearances

J Bacuna, Huddersfield (debut Oct 2018)

O Burke, West Brom (Aug 2017)

J Drmic, Norwich (Aug 2019)

A Idah, Norwich (Jan 2020)

12 players, including I Louza, Watford

(Aug 2021)

17

16

16

16

15

Watford v Burnley

Today, 3pm.

TV: Highlights BBC1, 10.20pm.

Radio: BBC 5 Live.

Watford (possible; 4-3-3)

B Foster — K Femenía, C Kabasele,

Samir, H Kamara — M Sissoko, I Louza,

J Kucka — I Sarr, J King, E Dennis

Injured C Hernández, F Sierralta, S Kalu

Burnley (possible; 4-4-2)

N Pope — C Roberts, N Collins,

J Tarkowski, C Taylor — D McNeil,

J Brownhill, J Cork, J Rodriguez —

W Weghorst, M Vydra

Injured B Mee, A Westwood, E Pieters,

J B Gudmundsson

Doubt M Cornet, J Rodriguez

Referee C Pawson 0 2 0 101

The top-flight teams with most letters in their

names have the fewest goals in their games

this season. Wolves, top in both categories,

have had a stretch of low-scoring games back

to last season

Wolves in the league since late January 2021

Games Goals Goals per game

52 100 1.92

(for 48, against 52)

Wolverhampton Wanderers v

Brighton & Hove Albion

Today, 3pm.

TV: Highlights, BBC1, 10.20pm.

Wolves (possible; 3-4-3)

J Sá — W Boly, C Coady, R Saiss —

N Semedo, L Dendoncker, J Moutinho,

Jonny — R Jiménez, F Silva, Hwang

Hee-chan

Injured R Neves, D Podence, M Kilman

Brighton (possible; 4-3-1-2)

R Sánchez — J Veltman, A Webster,

L Dunk, M Cucurella — E Mwepu,

Y Bissuoma, M Caicedo — A Mac Allister

— L Trossard, N Maupay

Injured J Sarmiento, J Moder

Doubt T Lamptey, S Duffy

Referee S Hooper 0 0 0 43

CLASSIC KITS MAN UNITED, 1992-94

The first season of the Premier

League (1992-93) also marked

100 years since United,

originally known as Newton

Heath, had entered the Football

League. As a nod to the colours

that Newton Heath used,

United brought out a yellow

and green top as a third kit (the

first and second-choice jerseys

were red and blue

respectively), complete with

lace-up collar. United sported

this unusual shirt for a crucial

2-0 win away to Crystal Palace

that extended their lead at the

top of the table over Aston Villa

to four points with two games

left. They duly clinched their

first league title for 26 years.

12 1GS Saturday April 30 2022 | the times

BILL EDGAR’S GUIDE TO THE

PREMIER LEAGUE WEEKEND

Times De Bruyne has

scored in first five

minutes in past ten

City appearances

4

Liverpool points lost

in their past 13 league

games (draw with

Manchester City)

2

Places Newcastle

have risen in the

league since January

— 19th to ninth

10

A brief history of

Coventry City

Founded as Singers FC in 1883 by

workers at the cycle firm of that name,

they became Coventry City in 1898 and a

year later moved to Highfield Road

601

Goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic played

a record 601 games from 1984-2000,

and scored in 1986 against

Sheffield Wednesday

Coventry joined the league in 1919 and

their 34 top-flight seasons came in one

spell from 1967 to 2001.

Clarrie Bourton, who joined the club

ahead of the 1931-32 season, scored a

club high 182 goals in the 1930s.

Cristiano Ronaldo is close to United’s best

league goal tally in a season since Sir Alex

Ferguson retired

Most Man Utd league goals in a season

since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013

B Fernandes, 2020-21

C Ronaldo, 2021-22

W Rooney, 2013-14

Z Ibrahimovic, 2016-17

A Martial, 2019-20

M Rashford, 2019-20

18

17

17

17

17

17

Manchester United v Brentford

Monday, 8pm. TV:

Live, Sky Sports PL. Radio: BBC 5 Live.

Manchester United (possible; 4-2-3-1)

D de Gea — D Dalot, V Lindelof,

R Varane, A Telles — S McTominay, Fred

— A Elanga, B Fernandes, M Rashford —

C Ronaldo

Injured P Pogba, L Shaw, J Sancho (ill).

Doubt Fred, H Maguire, E Cavani,

A Wan-Bissaka

Brentford (possible; 4-5-1)

D Raya — K Ajer, P Jansson,

M B Sorensen, R Henry — B Mbeumo,

V Janelt, C Norgaard, C Eriksen, Y Wissa

— I Toney

Injured E Pinnock, S Canos,

M Jorgensen, F Onyeka, S Ghoddos

Doubt C Norgaard, K Ajer

Referee C Kavanagh 0 2 0 55

Arsenal are alone in having used the same

Premier League starting XI five times –

and they have done so with two different XIs

Most used XIs by any team in top flight this

season*

*At any point in season, not necessarily consecutively

Arsenal, five times

Ramsdale, Cedric,

White, Gabriel,

Tierney, Partey, Xhaka,

Odegaard, Saka,

Martinelli, Lacazette

Arsenal, five times

Ramsdale, Tomiyasu,

White, Gabriel,

Tierney, Partey, Xhaka,

Odegaard, Saka,

Martinelli, Lacazette

West Ham United v Arsenal

Tomorrow, 4.30pm.

TV: Live, Sky Sports PL.

Radio: BBC 5 Live.

West Ham (possible; 3-4-3)

L Fabianski — B Johnson, K Zouma,

A Cresswell — V Coufal, T Soucek,

M Noble, A Masuaku — A Yarmolenko,

P Fornals, S Benrahma

Injured A Ogbonna, I Diop

Suspended C Dawson

Arsenal (possible; 4-2-3-1)

A Ramsdale — Cedric, B White, Gabriel,

N Tavares — M Elneny, G Xhaka —

B Saka, M Odegaard, E Smith Rowe —

E Nketiah

Injured T Partey, K Tierney

Referee M Dean 0 2 0 70

Everton could become the first team since
1911 to be relegated after three wins and a
draw or better in their opening four games
Top-flight collapses

Everton, 2021-22:

Nottingham Forest, 1910-11:

First four games: 10pts

First four games: 10pts*

*Assuming 3pts for a win

Present position: third bottom

Finished: bottom

Everton v Chelsea
Tomorrow, 2pm. TV: Live, Sky Sports
PL. Radio: BBC 5 Live

Everton (possible; 4-3-3)
J Pickford — S Coleman, Y Mina,
M Keane, V Mykolenko — Allan,
A Doucouré , A Iwobi — A Gordon,
D Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison
Injured B Godfrey, D van de Beek,
A Gomes, A Townsend, T Davies,
N Patterson

Chelsea (possible; 3-4-3)
É Mendy — C Azpilicueta, T Silva, A
Rüdiger — R James, R Loftus-Cheek,
Jorginho, M Alonso — M Mount, K
Havertz, T Werner
Injured M Kovacic, C Hudson-Odoi, B
Chilwell. Doubt A Christensen

Referee K Friend 0 20 63

The frequent swings in Tottenham’s league

race with Arsenal this season are partly a

result of the pair taking it in turns to win

10

9

7

6

6

4

Both won in a round of Premier League

matches this season*

Arsenal/Chelsea

Tottenham/Chelsea

Tottenham/West Ham

Arsenal/West Ham

Chelsea/West Ham

Arsenal/Tottenham

*Among

London’s top

four clubs

Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City

Tomorrow, 2pm.

TV: Highlights BBC1, 10.30pm.

Tottenham (possible; 3-4-3)

H Lloris — C Romero, E Dier, D Sánchez

— E Royal, P-E Hojbjerg, R Bentancur,

B Davies — D Kulusevski, H Kane,

Son Heung-min

Injured S Reguilón, O Skipp, M Doherty,

J Tanganga

Leicester (possible; 4-3-3)

K Schmeichel — J Justin, W Fofana,

C Soyuncu, L Thomas — Y Tielemans,

N Mendy, K Dewsbury-Hall —

J Maddison, P Daka, A Lookman

Injured W Ndidi, R Bertrand

Referee J Moss 0 4 0 52

FANS OF THE DAY

If Wycombe Wanderers reach

the Sky Bet League One play-

offs, that will be partly thanks

to a group of Spaniards.

There were 100 of them

present at Wycombe’s final

home game of the season

against Sheffield Wednesday

last week, all because of Ilie

Oleart. The Spanish journalist

runs a site on English football,

La Media Inglesa, and in 2018

he sent an email to all 92

professional clubs asking them

which English team they

should support. Wycombe

were the only ones who replied

in Spanish, and since then they

have forged an unlikely

partnership.

HOW THEY STAND

P W D L GD Pts

(^1) Man City 33 25 5 3 59 80
2 Liverpool 33 24 7 2 63 79
3 Chelsea 33 19 9 5 40 66
4 Arsenal 33 19 3 11 12 60
5 Tottenham 33 18 4 11 18 58
6 Man United 35 15 10 10 2 55
7 West Ham 34 15 7 12 8 52
8 Wolves 33 15 4 14 4 49
9 Newcastle 34 11 1013 -15 43
10 Leicester 32 11 9 12 -4 42
(^11) Brighton 34 9 14 11 -11 41
12 Brentford 34 11 7 16 -8 40
13 Southampton 34 9 13 12 -16 40
14 Crystal Palace 33 8 14 11 2 38
15 Aston Villa 32 11 4 17 -4 37
16 Leeds 33 8 1015 -30 34
(^17) Burnley 33 6 13 14 -16 31
(^18) Everton 32 8 5 19 -21 29
19 Watford 33 6 4 23 -36 22
20 Norwich 33 5 6 22 -47 21
TOP SCORERS
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 22
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) 17
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) 17
Diogo Jota (Liverpool) 15
TOP ASSISTS
Salah 13
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) 12
Andy Robertson (Liverpool) 10
Mason Mount (Chels), Paul Pogba (Utd) 9
A club high sixth-place
finish in 1970 brought
their only European
campaign, where
Bayern Munich beat
them in the Fairs Cup.
They won the 1987 FA
Cup by beating
Tottenham Hotspur 3-2
in their only major final.