There are many football records across different competitions. Footballers begin their careers with the hope of making history and being remembered. The English Premier League is a world of its own in the universe of football. No league is as competitive and physical as the EPL and it is the most watched in the world.
Various football records have been set in this league with many players etching themselves into the folklore of the competition. Shearer holds the record for most goals with 260, no goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets than Petr Cech (202), and no one has provided more goals than Ryan Giggs (162). These records are enviable and any footballer will want to equal or even break them. However, there are some players or teams that are remembered for setting football records no one would want. Here are 10 of such records in Premier League history.
1. Was he passing into the touchline?
So we kickstart our list with the man Jorginho. The midfielder is not the quickest or trickiest player around but he is known for his ability to control the tempo of a game. His style of play is basically to build up play from the base of the midfield by distributing the ball. He went too far at a time in 2017/2018 when he made 2,232 passes without making a single assist. Leon Britton will be happy someone has finally taken his place.
2. Scoring a lot and losing a lot
Jamie Vardy’s story has been a fairytale since he moved to Leicester City. It is safe to say the striker is a late bloomer with the way things have turned out. He holds the record for scoring in consecutive games but there is one he is definitely not proud of. He was on the losing end in nine different games after being on the scoresheet in 2017/2018. Vardy had to outdo Charlie Austin and Matt LeTissier to have a place on this list of unwanted football records.
3. He really loves putting the ball in the wrong net
Richard Dunne is probably one of the most underrated defenders to ever play in the Premier League. The former Irish international was a dependable player back in the day but football records can be so unmerciful. No player has scored more goals against his own team than the former Manchester City center-back. He put the ball into the back of his own net a record 10 times.
4. How many goalkeepers were in goal?
Numbers they say do not lie. Arsenal had one of the best attacks at the turn of the Millenium with Henry, Bergkamp, Ljungberg, Pires, and a host of others doing the business for the Gunners. Any defense would cringe at the prospect of facing Arsenal then but football can be full of surprises. West Ham faced Arsenal at the Emirates and shocked the Gunners winning by a 1-0 scoreline. The shocking fact is that Arsenal registered 35 shots on goal in that game and still managed to lose. One may want to ask if the Hammers had two men in goal.
5. 4-0 then 4-4
Arsenal make a second entry into our list of unwanted football records with a match that will live long in the memory of Newcastle fans. Wenger’s men traveled to St. James’ Park in 2010/2011 and they came out firing on all cylinders. They stormed into a 4-goal lead 26 minutes into the game but things would turn in the second half. Abiu Diaby got sent off in the 50th minute and with 40 minutes to go, Arsenal surrendered their lead with Newcastle score four goals in a crazy 19 minutes.
6. Denied by the post!
This record does not slight the holder but it is safe to say Robin van Persie was an unlucky player setting this record. Robin van Persie played for Arsenal and Manchester United between 2004 and 2015 winning just one Premier League trophy. The Dutchman scored 144 Premier League goals but was amazingly denied by the uprights 44 times. Had those shots led to goals, Van Persie would have had 188 Premier League goals and rank third on the all-time goalscorer’s list.
7. Ouch!
Joe Sheerin’s story again shows how a player unwittingly sets the worse of all football records. As a local lad, he made his Premier League debut for Chelsea in 1996/1997 coming on for Gianfranco Zola. He played just 60 seconds and never featured for Chelsea again until he was sold. He holds the record for the shortest Premier League career ever-1 minute.
8. Handball or Football
Leicester City began the 2019/2020 season with the form that saw them shockingly win the Premier League in 2015/2016. They were firing on all cylinders playing an amazing brand of football introduced by Brendan Rodgers. In October 2019, they put Southampton to the swords beating them 9-0 away from home. No Premier League team has suffered a home defeat as huge as this. The million-dollar question is- where was the defense?
9. Sent off after 12 seconds
How Keith Gillepsie managed to get a red card after being on the field of play for just 12 seconds is quite surprising. The winger holds the record for the quickest red card in Premier League history. He elbowed Reading’s Stephen Hunt in the face as he was making his way to the pitch as a substitute and did not touch the ball before he was dismissed.
10. What were the strikers doing?
Crystal Palace wraps up our list of unwanted football records and Zaha and co. should cover their face for this. Palace holds the record for the longest start without a goal in the EPL when they failed to score in the first seven games of the 2017/2018 season. They finally got their first goal in game week 8 when they defeated Chelsea by a 2-1 scoreline at home.