The post-Christmas schedule delivered joy for some and frustration for others in another action-packed cluster of Premier League clashes
Here’s a look at some of the key stats you might have missed from gameweek 18…
Stats you might have missed
Calvert-Lewin can’t stop scoring
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored more Premier League goals (8) than any other English player this season.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin continued his sizzling form in front of goal after he found the back of the net for the sixth successive game in Leeds’ draw against Sunderland.
The Englishman has now accrued eight Premier League goals this season – more than any of his fellow countrymen – and is enjoying the longest scoring streak by an English striker since Jamie Vardy (8 games between October and December 2019).
A 50/1 long shot back in mid-December, Calvert-Lewin is now priced at 9/2 to make Thomas Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup England squad.
Villa match 111-year club record
- Aston Villa have equalled a long-standing club record of 11 straight wins in all competitions.
Ollie Watkins is also looking to force his way into the England squad after he came off the bench to fire in a second-half brace to give in-form Aston Villa a superb 2-1 win away to Chelsea.
The comeback win means that Villa have now accumulated 18 points from losing positions this season – six more than any other side – and they’ve equalled their club record for consecutive victories across all competitions (11), which was set way back in 1914.
Villa remain third, one point behind Man City, and three points off leaders Arsenal, who they face on Tuesday.
Tottenham’s teenage kicks
- Teenager Archie Gray became the youngest Englishman (19y 291d) to score for Tottenham in the Premier League since Dele Alli in January 2016 (19y 287d).
Tottenham fans finally had something to smile about as Archie Gray gave them a much-needed 1-0 win away to Crystal Palace.
In the process, Gray became the youngest Englishman (19y 291d) to score a Premier League goal for the club since Dele Alli back in January 2016 (19y 287d).
Funnily enough, both goals came against Palace.
Saka chasing club legends
- Bukayo Saka is now 5th on Arsenal’s all-time Premier League assist list.
Arsenal held on to beat Brighton 2-1 in a game which saw Bukayo Saka accumulate his 47th Premier League assist for the club.
The assist fired the winger into the club’s all-time top-5 Premier League assist-makers, and it surely won’t be long until he catches Mesut Ozil (54).
Dennis Bergkamp remains Arsenal’s leading Premier League creator with 94 assists, ahead of Thierry Henry (74) and Cesc Fabregas (70).
Wolves hit new low
- Wolves are the first top-flight side in English Football League history to record as few as two points 18 matches into a campaign.
Wolves battled hard at Anfield but once again left empty-handed, leaving them anchored to the bottom of the Premier League table.
With a measly two points from a possible 54, they have set a new record for the fewest points ever after 18 matches in English top-flight history.
Wolves, who have lost their last 11 games and all seven under Rob Edwards, are also the first top-flight side to go 18 league games into a season without a win in 123 years.
Cherki on fire
- No player has more Premier League assists (7) this season than Rayan Cherki.
Rayan Cherki produced a stellar Man of the Match display in Man City’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.
The in-form winger set-up Tijjani Reijnders’s opener and then scored a late winner to give City their eighth straight victory in all competitions.
Cherki now has 50 goal contributions across Europe’s top five leagues during his career (16 goals, 34 assists), while no player has more assists in the Premier League this season than the 22-year-old (7 – level with Bruno Fernandes).
Andrews has the Bees buzzing
- Brentford are two points better off at this stage than they were last season.
Brentford thrashed Bournemouth 4-1 to soar up to 8th in the table and within three points of the top-5.
Keith Andrews, who took over in the summer from long-serving Thomas Frank, has silenced his doubters. The Irish manager now has Brentford ahead of his predecessor in the table, with more wins (8 vs 7) and more points (26 vs 24) after 18 games than at the same stage last season.
United win without Bruno
- Man Utd won a Premier League game without Bruno Fernandes for the first time since 2022.
Inconsistent Man Utd claimed an important 1-0 win over Newcastle despite the absence of their influential captain Bruno Fernandes.
United have previously struggled badly without Fernandes, failing to win any of their last six games without him, five of which they’ve lost. The victory over the Toon not only ended that run but moved the Red Devils level on 29 points with 5th-placed Chelsea and also meant they’ve still never lost a Premier League home game on Boxing Day.
Nuno’s winless woes
- Nuno Santo has the lowest points per game tally of any permanent West Ham manager in their Premier League history.
West Ham’s struggles continued as a late Fulham goal handed them a third consecutive defeat, extending their winless run to seven games and leaving them five points from safety.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo, now the favourite to be sacked, is overseeing a worrying low point-per-game record. With just 0.76 points per league game, he has the lowest average of any permanent West Ham manager in the club’s Premier League history.
Lowest Points Per Game Records of Permanent West Ham Managers (Premier League)
| Manager | Points Per Game |
|---|---|
| Nuno Santo | 0.76 |
| Avram Grant | 0.89 |
| Graham Potter | 1.0 |
| Gianfranco Zola | 1.11 |
| Julen Lopetegui | 1.15 |
Everton’s holiday hoodoo
- Everton haven’t won any of their last seven Premier League matches between Christmas and New Year.
Burnley and Everton played out a largely forgettable goalless draw at Turf Moor in a game of few chances.
The result means that the Toffees have now failed to win any of their last seven Premier League matches between Christmas and New Year (D3 L4), dating back to a 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Boxing Day 2020.
Everton do, however, have the chance to end this mini-curse when they travel to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
