#OTD in 1892, Aston Villa became the first side to score 12 goals in an English top-flight game. It's happened just twice since, with one of them occurring 23 days later: Mar 12, 1892: Aston Villa 12-2 Accrington Apr 4, 1892: WBA 12-0 Darwen Apr 21, 1909: N Forest 12-0 Leicester

Mohamed Salah has now scored more goals for Liverpool than anyone has ever scored for Manchester United.

Tottenham's last relegation is closer in time to the Wall Street Crash than it is to today.

Saturday: Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite scores for first time since Apr 2024 with his previous goal coming at home against Liverpool in the PL Tuesday: Everton's James Tarkowski scores for first time since Feb 2025 with his previous goal coming at home against Liverpool in the PL

Enjoyed going on @bbc5live.bsky.social Breakfast this morning to talk about the World Cup, which gets under way in 100 days. Starts at 2:49:18: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Luka Modrić made his Croatia debut #OTD in 2006. He has played 194 games for his country overall, with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (226) the only European man with more international caps. Modrić has played in 52 per cent of Croatia's matches since independence from Yugoslavia.

Following the conclusion of their Champions League last-16 tie next month, Real Madrid and Manchester City will have played each other 13 times in the 2020s.

Bayern Munich and The Labour Party (UK) were both founded on this day in 1900. #OTD

James Milner has made more Premier League appearances than anyone else. But do you know he's played fewer minutes than Sylvain Distin? @willjeanes.bsky.social looks at the numbers behind Milner's 654. 🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...

I've taken a detailed look at James Milner's record-breaking Premier League career: 1⃣ How the appearance record has changed hands 🧮 The men he has played with and against the most 🤔 Could any current players break his record? Rice? Pickford? Free to read: www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...

Jimmy Greaves, arguably the greatest goalscorer in the history of English football, was born #OTD in 1940. He is the all-time top scorer in the English top flight with 357 goals and his six hat-tricks for the England national team is more than anyone else.

🔴 Arsenal since 1919-20 🔵 Everton since 1954-55 🔴 Liverpool since 1962-63 With Tottenham close to the relegation zone, I've taken a look at how long each current Premier League team has been in the top flight and when they were last relegated from it (free to read): www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

England have scored 13 goals in a game on two occasions, with both happening on February 18: February 18, 1882: 13-0 v Ireland February 18, 1899: 13-2 v Ireland Howard Vaughton (who was on debut) became the first England player to score five goals in a game in the 1882 match.

Here's my piece on Harry Kane's 500 career goals — an incredible achievement that began at Leyton Orient in January 2011 and was reached on Saturday in Bremen for Bayern Munich: www.nytimes.com/athletic/700...

Here's my piece on Harry Kane's 500 career goals — an incredible achievement that began at Leyton Orient in January 2011 and was reached on Saturday in Bremen for Bayern Munich: www.nytimes.com/athletic/700...

If Keir Starmer is replaced as prime minister there will have already been more UK PMs in the 2020s than there were in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s combined.

I've come up with 41 stats & facts about Cristiano Ronaldo to mark his birthday this week: ⚽️ More career goals than Henry, Del Piero & Rashford combined 🇵🇹 Played in 32% of games in Portugal's history 🌕 One team-mate born before humans walked on moon www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...

Games between Real Madrid and Benfica in the European Cup/Champions League from 1955 to 2025: Three Games between Real Madrid and Benfica in the European Cup/Champions League in the first two months of 2026: Three

On this day in 1986, England beat Egypt 4-0 in a friendly in Cairo — with the match the last time England played in the month of January. The two captains — Ray Wilkins and Moustafa Abdou — held up a double portrait of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. #OTD

In the first 70 years of the European Cup/Champions League, just two players scored 20+ goals for two different clubs: Neymar & Cristiano Ronaldo In the last five months, three more players have joined this list: Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski & Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé's 12 goals in the Champions League this season would already have been enough to be the top scorer in 62 of the previous 70 seasons of the European Cup/Champions League.

Here's a look at Kairat — Arsenal's opponents in the Champions League tonight — and just how remarkable it is that they are even in the competition. www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

Dixie Dean, arguably the greatest goalscorer in the history of English football, was born #OTD in 1907. He scored 310 times for Everton in the English top flight — a record for one club — and his 60 league goals in 1927-28 is 11 more than anyone else has netted in an English top-flight season.

Scoring 20+ goals for two clubs in the European Cup/Champions League: Neymar: 22 for PSG & 21 for Barcelona Cristiano Ronaldo: 105 for Real Madrid & 21 for Manchester United Harry Kane: 26 for Bayern & 21 for Tottenham Robert Lewandowski 🆕 69 for Bayern & 20 for Barcelona

Premier League games won in 2026 by the current top five: 3 Premier League games won in 2026 by the current bottom five: 4

Only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are on longer unbeaten runs in the Premier League than Wolves.

CONFIRMED: Manchester United will play just 40 games this season — their fewest in a campaign since 1914-15 (39 games). (This excludes seasons impacted by war).

Delighted to achieve a lifetime ambition and get Wally Hammond in The New York Times. Here’s my look at the recent Ashes series and where some of the crazy numbers and statistics to emerge from it sit in an historical context 🏏: www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

Alex Carey in this Ashes became the first player in the history of Test cricket to score 300+ runs and take 25+ catches in a series. 🏏

Wolves are on track to get more Premier League points than Derby’s 11 in 2007-08.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be the first Manchester United manager to return for a second spell at the club since Matt Busby.

❌ Fewer wins than Moyes despite taking charge of 12 more games 🧮 Second-lowest win % by a #MUFC manager in last 50 years 0⃣ No back-to-back PL wins in 2024-25 Had a look at the numbers behind Ruben Amorim's time as Man Utd boss with @cweatherspoon.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...

Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United tenure in numbers: Unwanted records and unwelcome firsts w/ @willjeanes.bsky.social for @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...

514 different players scored in the Premier League between Harrison Reed's last two goals in the competition.

Cristian Stellini was a Premier League manager when Harrison Reed last scored a goal before today.

James Milner has now played in the Premier League in 25 calendar years — a quarter of a century's worth. The original Xbox was released in the last year he didn't feature in England's top flight (2001).

Wolves would be top of a Premier League table for 2026.

📈 Haaland's incredible strike rate 🇦🇺 Unwanted history for Postecoglou 📆 Milestones for Milner & Modric @oilysailor.bsky.social & @willjeanes.bsky.social look back at football in 2025 through a statistical lens 🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/689...

Here is a look at each month in football in 2025 through numbers... some serious, some less so:

On this day in 1980 the World Champions' Gold Cup started. Held in Montevideo to mark 50 years since the first World Cup, the six previous world champions were invited to play — with the Netherlands replacing England (who decided not to compete). Uruguay beat Brazil in the final.

Sunderland have been enjoying life back in the Premier League. They have 28 points from their 18 matches back in the top-flight so far, the same number of points Wolves have picked up from 37 games in 2025. (Stat: @willjeanes.bsky.social)

Newly-promoted Sunderland have now got the same number of Premier League points as Wolves in 2025… from 19 fewer games: Sunderland in the PL in 2025: 28 points from 18 games Wolves in the PL in 2025: 28 points from 37 games

Enjoyed contributing to @theathleticfc.bsky.social's Christmas quiz! See how you get on:

The Super Ballon d'Or, which has only been awarded once, was given to Alfredo Di Stéfano on this day in 1989. Players who had won the Ballon d'Or more than once were eligible, and Di Stéfano was placed ahead of Johan Cruyff (second) and Michel Platini (third) in the top three.

Erling Haaland’s goals this season would already have been enough to win the Premier League Golden Boot in both 1997-98 and 1998-99. It’s not even Christmas yet and he could still play another 21 games.

This is the first Ashes Test without either Steve Smith or Stuart Broad playing since January 2007 at Sydney. 🏏

Manchester United haven’t lost a game at Old Trafford that they were winning at half-time since Wham! released Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go as a single.

Casemiro has now scored the same number of Premier League goals this season as Mohamed Salah.

Ted Drake scored seven goals for Arsenal vs Aston Villa in the First Division on this day in 1935 — the only time in the 137-year history of the English top flight a player has scored seven in a match. Drake's goals came in the 15th, 28th, 34th, 46th, 50th, 58th & 89th minutes.

Is Erling Haaland the greatest goalscorer in the history of English club football? 🔵 Dixie Dean's 60-goal season 🎯 Jimmy Greaves' top-flight record of 357 📈 Haaland's trajectory I've examined what the data says about some of the best strikers ever: www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...