Monday marks the 30th anniversary of the first Premier League game.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the top teams and players statistically in the competition’s three decades to date.
All-time table
Despite a difficult few years, Manchester United remain the Premier League’s most successful team with 13 titles out of the 30 contested and a big lead in the all-time points table.
Their 2,366 points from 1,153 games leaves them over 200 clear of nearest challengers Arsenal on 2,144, with Chelsea close behind in third on 2,141.
Liverpool are the final team over 2,000 on 2,110, with a big drop-off to the Premier League’s other ever-presents Tottenham (1,790) and Everton (1,574).
Indeed, the latter have slipped to seventh behind Manchester City after the recent success of Pep Guardiola’s side – they rank sixth on 1,632 points and, on a points-per-game basis, climb to fifth ahead of Spurs.
Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Ham complete the top 10 while Leeds and Blackburn, respectively 13th and 12th overall in total points, are the biggest climbers on points per game thanks to Rovers’ 1995 title win and Leeds’ turn-of-the-century run of European finishes before both clubs suffered relegation.
Southampton rank 11th while Leicester, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Sunderland, Bolton, Crystal Palace and West Brom would be the other teams in a Premier League drawn from the top 20 in overall points.
The Baggies are the only one of those teams averaging less than a point per game, 490 in 494, with only eight teams below that mark overall. Huddersfield’s 0.70 points per game is the lowest average with Swindon on the lowest overall points total, 30.
Only nine of the 50 teams have a positive goal difference, with United almost 250 clear on 1,118 ahead of Liverpool’s 874. Last season’s newcomers Brentford remarkably rank 10th by that measure on -8.
The average Premier League team has 639 points and 620 goals in their time in the competition. Fulham, with 641 and 633, are the closest team to average by those measures.
Leading players
Current players rank in the top five for some of the Premier League’s major statistics, with Tottenham striker Harry Kane fifth in the goals chart as he chases Alan Shearer’s record and Liverpool veteran James Milner fourth for appearances – where Gareth Barry’s record of 653 appears unbeatable.
Appearances
1 Gareth Barry 653
2 Ryan Giggs 632
3 Frank Lampard 609
4 James Milner 589
5 David James 572
Goals
1 Alan Shearer 260
2 Wayne Rooney 208
3 Andy Cole 187
4 Sergio Aguero 184
5 Harry Kane 183
Assists
1 Ryan Giggs 162
2 Cesc Fabregas 111
3 Wayne Rooney 103
4 Frank Lampard 102
5 Dennis Bergkamp 94
Clean sheets
1 Petr Cech 202
2 David James 169
3 Mark Schwarzer 151
4 David Seaman 141
5 Nigel Martyn 137
Fergie time
United’s long-serving former manager Sir Alex Ferguson unsurprisingly dominates the Premier League record books for the men in the dugout.
The Scot led the Red Devils to all 13 of their titles, while his 410 wins and 1,752 points as a Premier League manager are also records.
His long-time rival Arsene Wenger has the edge in terms of games managed in the competition with 828, with Ferguson’s Old Trafford arrival in 1986 coming six years before the top flight’s rebranding.
Sam Allardyce holds the record for managing the most Premier League clubs with eight after spells at Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Brom.
