The English Premier League, with its flare and attacking football, makes it one of the most exciting and followed football leagues in the world, with many punters visiting non Gamstop casinos to place their football bets. The British mentality of playing physical football and always looking to score more goals rather than defend the standing score is the perfect recipe for football fans to stay glued in front of their television sets season after season. The performances of great teams like Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal, together with the talent and skills of players who have had the honour to play in the top English leagues, make the Premier League the envy of other football leagues organised in Italy, German, Spain, and Germany.
It is sound to state that the Premier League served as a beacon and benchmark to other European tournaments to assess the level of football in respective countries. It is no surprise that some of the greatest and most talented players have played in England, including George Best, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Denis Bergkamp, Erling Haaland, and Sergio Aguero. The best strikers in the world have flocked to join English football clubs and demonstrate their scoring skills in Old Trafford, Emirates Stadium, or Anfield.
The English Premier League is a playground for greatness
Having an attacking mentality and the best strikers in the world playing in the Premier League, it is no surprise that big scores have been registered in English football over the last decade or two. Some of the highest scores recorded, including Manchester United, two of the three most significant wins in the Premier League sealed by nine goals within twenty-six years, including the following:
- In March 1995, the Red Devils beat Ipswich Town by nine goals to nil. On the day, Manchester United hosted the low-standing team from Ipswich and was missing through suspension one of their most talented forward, the Frenchman Eric Cantona. To replace the Frenchman, the Red Devil’s manager Sir Alex Ferguson deployed Mark Hughes to play alongside Andy Cole. Both strikers had a bad season, with Huges scoring only five goals in twenty-two games, while Cole had only scored two goals in his six league games following his transfer from Newcastle United. One has to spare a thought to Ipswich Town goalkeeper Craig Forrest who conceded nine goals on that particular day, and another seven goals when he played for West Ham in April 2000 against the Red Devils. The dismal performance in March 1995 had a tremendous negative impact o Ipswich Town who went on to win just four points from eleven games and finished at the bottom of the league.
- In September 1999, Newcastle United battered Sheffield Wednesday eight nil at St. James’ Park. In that campaign, Newcastle United and Sheffield Wednesday had a very bad start, winning just one point. The game against Wednesday was the first home game that Newcastle FC played under the late Bobby Robson. Robson’s recruitment as the Toon Army manager gave the team the impetus it required to recover from their terrible start to the season. He replaced the Dutchman Ruud Gullit. Under Gullit’s guidance, one of the most prolific strikers in English football, Alan Shearer, only scored fifteen times in thirty-two matches. In the game against Sheffield Wednesday, Shearer netted five goals for the first in his four hundred and forty-one Premier League games. Alan Shearer moved on to secure eleven hat-tricks in the English competition, but the first hat-trick against Wednesday was the only one he scored entirely in the first half. With Bryan Robson at the helm and Shearer firing on all pistons, Newcastle United finished eleventh in league with Shearer scoring twenty-three goals. Unfortunately, for Sheffield Wednesday, they finished the league being relegated.
- English and worldwide supporters of the English Premier League had to wait a decade to see another win of eight or more goals. The unfortunate victims were Wigan Athletic, trashed by Tottenham Hotspurs nine to one at White Heart Lane in November 2009. At half-time, the score was one nil to Spurs, and Wigan was most probably thinking of securing a draw in the second half. This was not to be as Jermain Defoe fired up his striking skills to sink Wigan with a brilliant win by his team of nine goals to one. Tottenham Hotspurs still holds the record of the only team in the Premier League to score six goals in a single half.
- Wigan Athletic was once again on the wrong side of Premier League history. In May 2010, the team lost to Chelsea eight nil. Chelsea’s striker Didier Drogba managed a hat-trick, and the game became even more difficult for Wigan when the team was left with ten men on the pitch after the dismissal of Gary Caldwell. The hat-trick assisted Drogba in reaching twenty-nine goals in the season and winning the golden boot ahead of Wayne Rooney, who scored twenty-six goals. Incidentally, of the nine wins, by a margin of eight or more goals, this is the only occasion where the team, in this case, Chelsea, proceeded to win the title.
- The trashing of Wigan Athletic was not enough for Chelse. In December 2012 the team repeated the score this time against Aston Villa. It was a Christmas present that the Blues gave to their fans across the British Isles and the world. At the same time giving the Villa team and fans a sour Christmas spirit. Prior to the game against Chelsea, Aston Villa was riding high with a five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League and sustained by a brilliant win of three – one against Liverpool at Anfield. Seven different Chelsea players scored against Villa on the day – Fernando Torres, David Luiz, Branislav Ivanovic, Frank Lampard, Oscar, Eden Hazard, and Ramires – thus establishing a record for the highest number of players on a single team scoring within a match. This result remains the most significant defeat the team has ever suffered for Aston Villa.
- In October 2019, Leicester City overcame Southampton by nine goals to nil. In this game, Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez netted a hat-trick each and equalled the feat of Arsenal’s players Robert Pires and Jermaine Pennant when they also scored a hat-trick each against Southampton in May 2003.
- Southampton was again on the receiving end when the team was trashed by Manchester United by nine goals to nil in February 2021. On this occasion, Old Trafford witnessed the second nine-nil score line in the Premier League’s history. Seven Red Devils players scored on the day to match the record established by Chelsea’s players against Aston Villa in December 2012.
Other English Premier League show-stopping moments worth a nod
Other notable big wins worth mentioning are the victory of Southampton against Sunderland in October 2014. Southampton defeated the opposing team by eight goals to nil; Manchester City won over Watford in September 2019 by eight goals to nil. No wonder the Premier League is one of the most popular football leagues in the world.
