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Bouncing back
It’s often said that the truest test of a team’s overall quality is how they react after falling behind. Using data from Bwin from the last 10 Premier League seasons, this slideshow reveals which current top-flight clubs are most successful at mounting comebacks after letting in the game’s opening goal.
20. Huddersfield (0%)
Huddersfield have enjoyed a promising start to their first top-flight campaign in 45 years, but one area where David Wagner will know they can improve is their reaction to going a goal behind.
Indeed, the Terriers have conceded first in seven matches so far in 2017/18, but they’re yet to gain a single point from such situations. Interestingly, it wasn’t a particular problem in the Championship in Town’s promotion season, when they won three games after going 1-0 down.
19. Brighton (8.3%)
The 2017/18 season is Brighton’s first in the top flight in the 10-year period covered here, and they’re still awaiting their first Premier League victory after letting in the game’s first goal.
That’s something Chris Hughton’s men have done eight times this term, but the only thing Albion have to show for it is draws with Stoke and Southampton. Mounting more comebacks could be the difference between survival and relegation for the south coast side.
18. Burnley (8.7%)
Of teams who have spent at least a full season in the Premier League over the last decade, Burnley have the worst record when it comes to picking up points after conceding first. The Clarets have lost 79% of the games in which their opponents have opened the scoring, gaining just 19 points from a possible 219.
Sean Dyche’s men achieved a creditable 1-1 draw against Tottenham in August 2017 after Dele Alli broke the deadlock, while they also required an equaliser to draw 1-1 with West Ham the following month.
15. Newcastle (13.4%)
Newcastle have endured two Championship campaigns over the last 10 years, but there’s still a large sample size to work from. Indeed, the Magpies have faced a 1-0 deficit in 167 top-flight matches in the time covered here, with 67 points rescued from a possible 501.
The north-east outfit were responsible for one of the Premier League’s greatest ever comebacks, when Arsenal threw away a 4-0 lead at St James’ Park in February 2011. The current campaign has proved more of a struggle, with Newcastle taking only one point from games in which they’ve lost the opening goal.
14. Swansea (14.7%)
Conceding the first goal has been fatal for Swansea in their first 17 matches of 2017/18, with Paul Clement’s side having failed to register a single point in any of the games they’ve fallen behind.
The Swans' overall record during their present seven-season stay in the Premier League is also one of the poorest once recently promoted Huddersfield and Brighton are discounted: the Welshmen have collected 56 points from a possible 381 when their opponents have established a one-goal advantage.
13. West Brom (15.3%)
West Brom have leaked the opening goal 177 times in the last 10 years, with 15.3% of 531 possible points recovered during that time.
Part of the reason for the Baggies’ general struggles in 2017/18 is their inability to bounce back after conceding first, with West Brom yet to pick up a point after falling behind. Even when they finished 10th under Roy Hodgson in 2011/12, the West Midlanders only avoided defeat four times in matches where their opponents took the lead.
12. West Ham (15.4%)
The Hammers have only recovered from conceding the first goal once in 2017/18, drawing 1-1 with Leicester at the London Stadium in November. Not that being able to bounce back is necessarily conducive to a positive season: West Ham avoided defeat six times after falling behind in 2010/11, but even that wasn’t enough to prevent them from suffering relegation with a game to spare.
11. Stoke (15.7%)
Stoke have been the epitome of a mid-table Premier League side over the last few years, and halfway up the standings is exactly where they find themselves in this ranking after picking up 82 points from the 174 games they’ve gone 1-0 down in.
An example of the Potters’ fighting spirit came in a 2-1 triumph over Swansea in December 2017, when goals from Xherdan Shaqiri and Mame Biram Diouf cancelled out Wilfried Bony’s early effort against his former club.
10. Crystal Palace (16.5%)
Crystal Palace have conceded the first goal in 101 matches since their promotion back to the Premier League in 2012/13. The south London side have gone on to lose the majority of those encounters, but salvaging 50 points from a possible 303 is enough for them to sneak into the top 10 of this list.
Their most memorable comeback came against Liverpool in 2013/14, a 3-3 draw which put a significant dent in the Reds’ title hopes. This season, Palace have bounced back from conceding first to defeat Stoke and Watford.
9. Southampton (17.3%)
With 44 collected from a possible 255, Southampton have a 17.3% success rate in gathering points after going behind. Saints recovered from falling 1-0 down on five occasions under Mauricio Pochettino in 2013/14, including when Dani Osvaldo’s strike earned them a point against future champions Manchester City.
Southampton have only bounced back once so far in 2017/18, with Manolo Gabbiadini’s brace earning them a 2-2 draw against a Newcastle side who broke the deadlock.
8. Leicester (18.8%)
Leicester relied heavily on scoring the first goal in the second half of their triumphant 2015/16 season; once Claudio Ranieri’s side edged ahead, they could play their natural game of sitting deep and counter-attacking at pace knowing their opponents would be forced to come onto them.
7. Everton (24%)
Everton may have been dominated for the majority of December’s Merseyside derby, but a Wayne Rooney penalty earned them a draw against Liverpool after going 1-0 down. That was the 119th point they have collected from a possible 495 following the concession of the first goal, with November’s come-from-behind victory over Watford another example of their ability to bounce back.
6. Man City (26.7%)
Manchester City are threatening to run away with the Premier League title this season, but even they aren’t perfect: as far as the big six clubs are concerned, the Sky Blues struggle most when it comes to converting a losing position into a winning one.
Despite winning the league twice in the last 10 years, City have lost 58% of matches in which they’ve conceded first. Pep Guardiola’s side have shown greater resilience in 2017/18, though, coming from 1-0 down to beat Bournemouth, Huddersfield and West Ham.
5. Liverpool (27.3%)
In the last 10 years, the Reds have earned 100 points from the 122 encounters in which they’ve let in the first goal.
In terms of 2017/18, Liverpool are yet to win a game after conceding the first goal, although they did salvage draws against both Watford and Burnley. Last season was more successful, as Jurgen Klopp’s men triumphed over Arsenal, Swansea, Stoke (twice) and Burnley despite going 1-0 down.
4. Tottenham (30.1%)
The derogatory term ‘Spursy’ refers to Tottenham’s perceived lack of resilience and mental strength, but the north Londoners’ percentage of points won after conceding the first goal is among the highest in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side earned 17 points after their opponents drew first blood in 2016/17, including victories over West Ham, Burnley, Southampton and Swansea. So far in 2017/18, meanwhile, Spurs have overturned one-goal deficits to draw against West Brom and Watford.
3. Man United (31.9%)
United rank third in the Premier League for bouncing back from conceding the first goal, taking 110 points from a possible 345 in the last decade. The Red Devils beat Newcastle after going 1-0 down in November 2017, but they were unable to repeat the feat against Huddersfield, Chelsea and Manchester City.
United’s 5-3 victory over Tottenham in 2001 is one of the Premier League’s most famous comebacks, but they also beat the same opposition after falling behind in the 10-year period covered – a 5-2 win at Old Trafford in 2009.
2. Arsenal (35.7%)
Along with the first-placed team in this list, Arsenal are the only side who have lost fewer than the half the games they conceded in first. The Gunners have won 26% of such matches in the last 10 years, including a Robin van Persie-inspired 2-1 victory over Chelsea in November 2008.
More recently, Arsene Wenger’s men recovered from a goal down to overcome Swansea in October 2017, before salvaging a 1-1 draw at Southampton with a late leveller two months later. In total, the north Londoners have taken 137 out of a possible 384 points after falling 1-0 behind.
1. Chelsea (39.3%)
It’s official: Chelsea are the Premier League’s comeback kings. The Blues have picked up 132 out of a possible 336 points after conceding the game’s first goal, while equally impressive is the fact they have won 33% of the matches in which they’ve fallen behind.
Antonio Conte’s charges fought back to earn a draw against Liverpool in November, but they have been unable to take anything from meetings with Burnley, Manchester City, Crystal Palace and West Ham after seeing their backline breached first in 2017/18.
