Home of football statistics and historyWelcome to our weekly review of some of the leading stats and facts which this week includes the semi-finals of the FA Cup as well as six games in the Premier League.
The top two in the Premier League met in the last four of the FA Cup for the first time since 1999. Chelsea reached their seventh FA Cup final since 2000, more than any other team in the 21st century. Tottenham Hotspur lost a record seven consecutive FA Cup semi-final. Chelsea had set the previous record of six between 1920 and 1966.
While Arsenal will become the first club to play in a 20th FA Cup Final next month, Manchester City have the consolation of their own little piece of FA Cup history. Due to the new ruling that was introduced in this season’s competition, City’s Kelechi Iheanacho became the first-ever fourth substitute to be introduced in a game in senior English club football.
It wasn’t a super Sunday for Liverpool as their Champions League hopes were hit by defeat to Crystal Palace. The Eagles became the first visiting team to win three consecutive Premier League games at Anfield since Chelsea in 2005 while, with his match-winning brace, Christian Benteke has scored five goals in the Premier League at Anfield as a visiting player after netting only four at the home of the Reds when he was playing for Liverpool.
Liverpool’s loss was Manchester United’s gain as the Red Devils extended their unbeaten in the Premier League to 23 games with their win at Burnley. It’s the longest such sequence in the division in the same season since United’s 24-game run in 2010-11.
Hull City’s remarkable resurgence under Marco Silva continued with an against-the-odds win against Watford. They won a game by a two-goal margin after having had a player sent-off in the first-half for the first time since Dean Windass was dismissed after only ten minutes of a 3-1 win against Bradford City at Boothferry Park in League Division 2 on 2 October 1993. City have won four consecutive home games in the top division for the first time.
Swansea City remain hot on the Tigers’ tails with their fourth win in their last six home games. Visitors Stoke City obliged by failing to score in a sixth consecutive away league game for the first time since August 1997.
The game is all but up for Middlesbrough following their heavy defeat at AFC Bournemouth. Boro are the only team in the top five European leagues who have still to win a league game in 2017. They have also failed to score in ten away games so far in the Premier League this season; more than any other team.
There were no goals in a game at the London Stadium for the first time as West Ham United and Everton fought out a goalless draw for only the second time in their 42 meetings in the Premier League.
And finally, a consoling word for Leyton Orient. Their 112 years as a Football League club has come to an end after 4,380 games and two years and nine months under the ownership of Francesco Becchetti. We wish them well in the challenges that lie ahead.
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