Barclays Premeir League Numbers Game - Week by week

I'll start with the action from just last weekend.

The BPL Numbers Game 15

1 - Djbril Cisse is the only Sunderland player to have scored first-half Premier League goals for his club this season (four).

2 - Chelsea have conceded for the first time in the second-half in the league this season after Arsenal's Robin van Persie scored two against them at Stamford Bridge. Also, Arsenal have now won twice in their last 14 meetings against the Blues.

3 - The number of away points Fulham have won in the league this season so far. Also, the number of successive league games Sunderland have lost at home.

4 - The number of away games Bolton have won this season - double of what they earned the whole of last season.

6 - Liverpool have now dropped six points at home this season so far after the goalless draw against West Ham.

8 - Man United have now won eight league games while their rivals City have now lost the same number of games.

9 - Blackburn have been without a win in nine successive league games - the longest winless streak in the league.

10 - Liverpool's Jose Reina has kept ten clean sheets - the most in the BPL so far.

12 - Man City have alternated between win and loss in their last 12 home league games.

13 - Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is unbeaten in his last 13 meetings with sides managed by his former players. He has won 12 and drawn one game. The last defeat was at the hands of Mark Hughes, then Blackburn boss, in a 4-3 defeat at Ewood Park in February 2006.

18 - Gareth Bale has not tasted victory in his last 18 league games for Tottenham.

42 - It has been 42 years since Fulham last won at Villa Park in the top division.

50 - Wigan recorded their first back-to-back wins in 50 Premier League outings.

100 - Man United striker Wayne Rooney scored his 100th goal in his football career against City. Also, Sunderland manager Roy Keane marked 100th game in charge of the Black Cats with a 4-1 home defeat to Bolton.

150 - Anton Ferdinand made his 150th career league appearance (West Ham and Sunderland). Pascal Chimbonda collected his 150th start in English club football (Wigan, Tottenham and Sunderland).

167 - Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel has set the record for the most number of consecutive Premier League appearances, taking the title away from David James.

200 - Fulham registered their 200th draw in top-flight football after holding Martin O'Neill's side at Villa Park. John O'Shea made his 200th career Premier League appearance for Manchester United. Craig Bellamy also joins this group on 200 BPL appearances (Coventry, Newcastle, Blackburn, Liverpool and West Ham).

300 - "The Chosen One" registered his 300th game in charge of Everton last weekend.

500 - Kevin Kilbane notched his 500th club career appearance (Preston, West Brom, Sunderland, Everton and Wigan).

Now you got me worried about the one starting with Number 9..just be our luck wouldn't it? 

BPL Numbers Game 16

0 - Martin O'Neill is a much hated figure in the blue-half on Merseyside. The Irishman has never lost to Everton as a Premier League manager.

1 - Benjani Mwaruwari scored Manchester City's first headed goal in the Premier League this season.

4 - Cristiano Ronaldo became only the fourth Manchester United player to win the Ballon d’Or after leading United to the Premier League and Champions League double.

5 - Tottenham are unbeaten in five Premier League matches against West Ham; they've won four and drawn one.

6 - The total number of ex-Sunderland and ex-Newcastle players, Stoke had on in their first eleven against Sunderland: Thomas Sorensen, Danny Higginbotham, Rory Delap (Sunderland); Andy Griffin, Amdy Faye, Abdoulaye Faye (Newcastle).

7 - Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia has been named Finnish Player of the Year for the seventh time. The Finnish FA gave him the award in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006.

11 - Chelsea have set the record for the most number of successive victories away from home - breaking the record of 10 set by Bill Nicholson's title-winning Tottenham in 1960. The Blues also scored 26 goals and only conceded one goal. The Londoners are the only unbeaten Premier League club on the road in 2008.

25 - The total number of yellow cards earned this weekend.

27 - Just 27 seconds separated Joleon Lescott's goal for Everton from Ashley Young's winner for Aston Villa at Goodison Park.

27 - Wigan have not beaten a 'Top Four' team in 27 attempts.

31 - Aston Villa's Steve Sidwell has scored the fastest goal in the Premier League this season at 31 seconds in the game at Everton. Tottenham's Ledley King still holds the all-time record in the BPL at 10 seconds in the game against Bradford - eight years ago.

50 - Liverpool recorded their 50th win over Blackburn in the league.

71 - Harry Redknapp has not been beaten as an opposing manager at Upton Park ever since he left West Ham on 9 May 2001 - 71 months ago.

100 - Wigan have now conceded 100 goals away from home in the Premier League. Arsenal's Robin van Persie made his 100th league appearance for the club while Emmanuel Adebayor made his 100th start for the Gunners. Gabriel Agbonlahor also made his 100th Premier League appearance - all in Villa colours.

187 - Last weekend marked the187th meeting between Everton and Aston Villa. This is the most-played fixture in the English top-flight.

200 - Matthew Upson made his 200th career league start (Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Reading, Birmingham and West Ham).

250 - Ledley King marked his 250th club career start - all for Spurs.

300 - Arsenal's Kolo Toure recorded his 300th league appearance. Sylvain Distin made his 250th English league start and 300th appearance in English club football (Newcastle, Manchester City and Portsmouth).

350 - Joleon Lescott marked his 350th career club appearance (Wolves and Everton) with a brace. Newcastle's Shay Given also made his 350th career Premier League appearance (Blackburn and Newcastle).

500 - Sir Alex Ferguson's recorded his 500th top-flight win as manager of Manchester United in the 1-0 victory over Sunderland.

500 - Nick Barmby made his 500th club career appearance (Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Everton, Liverpool, Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Hull) after starting the game against his old club Boro.

BPL Numbers Game 17

0 - Hull City came close to ending their record of never winning a competitive game against Liverpool after the 2-2 draw at Anfield.


1 - Arsene Wenger was awarded the title of best French manager in 2008 by France Football magazine for the first time in his managerial career.


1 - Newcastle recorded their first away win in the league this season. Their last win at Fratton Park was on 23 March 1991 - a 1-0 result in Jim Smith's last game in charge.

3 - Bolton had three ex-Aston Villa players in their first eleven when they visited Villa Park (Gavin McCann, Jlloyd Samuel, Gary Cahill).

4 - Four Chelsea old-boys represented West Ham on and off the pitch at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (Gianfranco Zola, Steve Clarke, Carlton Cole and Scott Parker).

4 - Four of the last five games between Middlesbrough and Arsenal were 1-1 draws.

5 - Tottenham's Heurelho Gomes kept his fifth clean sheet in the league this season after the 0-0 draw against Manchester United.

6 - The number of own goals Liverpool's Jamie Carragher has scored in the BPL (11 in all competitions).

6 - Gabriel Agbonlahor is something of a lucky charm for Aston Villa this season. Whenever he gets on the score-sheet, Villa will go on to win the game. The record is now six victories.

11 - Blackburn have equalled their longest winless sequence in Premier League history at 11 matches.

13 - Liverpool now hold the record of amassing the most number of Premier League points after coming back from losing positions (Four wins and one draw). Hull are second with three wins and three draws.

16 - Tottenham have failed to beat Manchester United in 16 meetings.

28 - Stoke last recorded three successive 0-0 draws in the top-flight 28 years ago - drawing against Birmingham (a), Liverpool (h) and Sunderland (a) between 25 October and 8 November 1980.

50 - Roque Santa Cruz made his 50th Premier League appearance for Blackburn.

100 - Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka has notched his 100th career Premier League goal - (Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton and Chelsea).

150 - Middlesbrough achieved their 150th draw in Premier League history after holding Arsenal 1-1.

150 - Bolton recorded their 150th loss in Premier League history after going down 4-2 at Villa Park.

150 - Everton's utility player Phil Neville recorded his 150th appearance for the Toffees.

200 - Kerimoglu Tugay recorded his 200th start in English and Scottish league football (Rangers and Blackburn).

250 - West Ham have notched 250 points away from home in their Premier League history.

250 - Shaun Wright-Phillips made his 250th career league appearance over the weekend (Manchester City and Chelsea).

250 - Stoke's 0-0 draw with Fulham marked Tony Pulis' 250th game in charge of the Potters.

400 - Lucas Neill made his 400th career league appearance (Millwall, Blackburn and West Ham).

600 - Liverpool have totalled 600 home goals all-time in the Premier League.

701 - Arsene Wenger recorded his 701st game in charge of Arsenal.

I like the 600 one

Phil Brown
When your team is four goals down at half-time, what do you do? Well, Hull manager Phil Brown did the unthinkable - he ordered his players to stay on the pitch at half-time. Brown then proceeded to give them a 'Fergie special' right in front of their own bemused supporters. It clearly had a positive effect on the players who improved in the second half and even managed to score a goal. But it will be Brown's bizarre stunt that the good people of ESPN STAR Sports will be discussing for a long, long time to come.

Manchester City
Mark Hughes must be severely confused by his team. One week they look like true world-beaters, the next they look as if they couldn't beat eggs if their lives depended on it. At least Hughes will be encouraged by how motivated Robinho is. When the Brazilian is in the mood, he is almost untouchable. So too is Stephen Ireland who seems to be playing to his true potential now that Robinho is in the team. Perhaps that Brazilian magic is rubbing off on him. A special mention also goes to 20-year-old Ecuadorian striker Felipe Caicedo who has got not one but two goals to his name in his first league start for the Citizens.

West Ham
West Ham were perhaps lucky to survive the endless barrage from Portsmouth and a 4-1 score-line certainly flattered them. But to some, Gianfranco Zola's side is getting their just rewards for sticking to a brand of football that's easy on the eye. Although Craig Bellamy was the headline grabber with two goals, it was a truly team display. Matthew Upson was again magnificent in defence while Scott Parker was almost everywhere. Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green technically added another penalty save to his resume although Jermaine Defoe missed his spot-kick. No one will mind one bit if Zola sneaks in an Italian word or two to Fabio Capello regarding the form of his English players.

Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane is finally among the goals, just as Fernando Torres is poised to make his comeback for the Reds. But do Liverpool really need Torres now that the Irishman is on fire? His two goals killed off Bolton in Liverpool's 3-0 win at Anfield. It was an important victory as both Chelsea and Manchester United also won in the Boxing Day early kick-offs. Any talk of Keane making a premature Merseyside exit was squashed by assistant manager Sammy Lee and, on this kind of form, he may even force Liverpool to keep Torres on the bench.

Didier Drogba
Needing a win to put pressure on title-rivals Liverpool, Chelsea knew they had to win against relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion. Luiz Felipe Scolari finally unleashed Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in his starting eleven for the first time this season. It paid off with Drogba scoring his first league goal this season after just three minutes. Drogba's return from injury is like having a new signing in the team, and he undoubtedly gives the Blues another dimension in attack. Watch out Premier League, the Drog is back with a vengeance!

Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez came to the rescue of Manchester United yet again when he grabbed a late winner at Stoke to ensure his team made a winning return to the league. It means Tevez's cult status among the Old Trafford faithful has risen to yet another level. Dimitar Berbatov's arrival at United effectively pushed the Argentinean down the pecking order leading to rumours of his departure from the newly-crowned world champions. United fans have been distinctly underwhelmed by Berbatov's contributions so far, and some of them are mystified as to why Alex Ferguson seems to favour the Bulgarian. Based on this display, Ferguson should really consider giving temp staff Tevez a permanent contract.

Aston Villa
Martin O'Neill's side came from two goals down to deservedly hold Arsenal to an exciting 2-2 draw and ensure more frustration for Arsene Wenger. With this result, fourth-placed Aston Villa maintain their three point lead over Arsenal. On this form Villa look more and more likely to pip the Gunners to fourth place. With Champions League football, Villa could hang on to not only Gareth Barry but also their other key players.

The BPL Numbers Game 19

Wigan Athletic's Ryan Taylor is proving to be the scourge of Newcastle United, Eugene YS Han points out.

0 - West Bromwich Albion have not picked up a single point on Boxing Day in Barclays Premier League history.

1 - Aston Villa have only won one of their last nine Boxing Day fixtures, a 4-0 home win over Everton in 2005.

4 - Chelsea won for the first time in four home games, ending their worst home run since the start of the 2001-02 season.

4 - Wigan's Ryan Taylor has scored four goals in four games against Newcastle. The midfielder only scored six goals in his Wigan career so far.

6 - Manchester United have won their last six league games on Boxing Day.

8 - Fulham have equalled their Premier League record of eight unbeaten games set between 21 October and 12 December 2001.

9 - Bolton have lost more away games to Liverpool, than to any other club in the Premier League (nine).

9 - Chelsea have beaten WBA for the ninth successive time and have a 100% BPL record against them.

10 - Arsenal are unbeaten in ten league games at Villa Park.

11 - Everton have only scored one first-half goal in their last 11 matches - their lone goal was scored by Joleon Lescott against Aston Villa on 7 December at Goodison Park.

13 - Fulham have gone 13 Premier League games without conceding more than a single goal - the least in the BPL currently. The last time they conceded more than one was in the 2-1 home defeat to West Ham on 27 September.

19 - Before the dour 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane, a total of 19 goals were scored between Spurs and Fulham in their last four matches (Premier League and FA Cup).

21 - Liverpool have gone through 2008 without defeat in 21 games at Anfield.

50 - West Ham have finally won a top-flight game at Fratton Park in 50 years.

50 - Gareth Barry scored his 50th goal in his Villa career after scoring a penalty against Arsenal.

100 - Stephen Ireland notched his 100th Premier League appearance - all in Man City colours.

100 - Yossi Benayoun recorded his 100th start in England (West Ham and Liverpool).

100 - Ashley Cole made his 100th appearance for Chelsea.

150 - Phil Neville made his 150th start in an Everton shirt.

171 - Brad Friedel extended his record breaking run to 171 consecutive Premier League appearances.

250 - Jimmy Bullard recorded his 250th career league appearance (Peterborough, Wigan and Fulham).

300 - Craig Bellamy notched his 300th appearance in English and Scottish league football (Norwich, Coventry, Newcastle, Celtic, Blackburn, Liverpool and West Ham).

303 - Manchester City have now scored 303 goals in Premier League history.

350 - Mark Schwarzer made his 350th appearance in the Premier League (Middlesbrough and Fulham).

400 - Frank Lampard recorded his 400th career league start (West Ham, Swansea and Chelsea).

450 - Emile Heskey has played 450 times in the league (Leicester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Wigan).