PREMIER LEAGUE
Which month has seen the most goals in Premier League history?
With a rare three-horse race for the title and an Arsenal team that have collectively found their shooting boots, the English top flight has been a net-bulging extravaganza.
With the match between West Ham and Brentford on Monday, the 2023-24 Premier League drew the curtain on the action for February, and Matchday 27 will open up March at the weekend, with some midweek cup fun keeping us entertained in between. And what a second month of the calendar year it has been for those people who love to see the goalkeeper left stranded. As we tot up the final count, February ‘24 has broken the monthly record in the English league for most goals per game. In that period we have seen a stunning set of performances by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, the top scoring team despite being criticised for not having a proven striker, as the league reached a milestone of 158 goals in a total of 42 matches.
According to the records of OptaJoe and the league itself, this marks the highest goal average in a single month of the EPL, with 3.8 goals per match. It is worth noting that in this statistic, the Gunners scored a total of 18 goals as they swatted away the likes of West Ham (0-6), Burnley (5-0), and Newcastle (4-1), as well as securing a convincing 3-1 victory over Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool, battling with them and Man City for the title.
Behind the London club come Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton, who scored a total of 12 and 11 goals, respectively. Having these teams as the highest scorers in February is evidence of the excellent work they’ve been doing, with the Seagulls currently in seventh place, the Villans (no, that is not a typo) in fourth place and contending for a Champions League adventure next season.
It was fitting the manner in which the Premier League bid farewell to the month too, as West Ham defeated Brentford 4-2 in a thrilling match at the London Stadium, the same scoreline for Emery’s men who overcame Nottingham Forest.
Premier League welcomes March with Manchester derby
While it’s true that the first weekend of March features matches like Newcastle vs Wolverhampton, Tottenham vs Crystal Palace, and Nottingham vs Liverpool, each with their own valuable stakes, the most enticing fixture that will garner the most attention is undoubtedly the Manchester derby between City and United at the Etihad Stadium. The showdown between Pep Guardiola’s champions and Ten Hag’s strugglers will take place on Sunday 3 March at 10:30 a.m. ET.