On another fascinating weekend of Premier League football, the stats tell their own story. Here is the story they've chosen to tell.
Big Sam is relegation proof
Hull were officially relegated yesterday, which means Big Sam has avoided relegation again. Amazingly Allardyce has never been relegated. What makes this stat so impressive is that former Limerick FC boss Big Sam has been the go-to man for struggling teams throughout his remarkable career.
Sam Allardyce has managed in the PL for (at least part of) 15 seasons. He's still never been relegated. Terrific record.
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) May 14, 2017
He brought Bolton and West Ham into the Premiership and managed to instill some stability (although Bolton didn’t go too well after his departure) and managed to save a doomed 19th place Sunderland with games to spare last year (also didn’t fair too well after his departure) and now he has resurrected Crystal Palace who were only a point clear of the drop when he took over in December.
Allardyce’s value is apparent by the fate of his previous clubs after he left. He’s spent the majority of his career flirting with the relegation zone but yet somehow has gone 15 years avoiding it.
John Stones is England's best passer
Stones gets a lot of slack from pundits for trying to play the ball out of the back, but the statistics show that he is better and moving to ball on than any other player in the league.
Although the centre-back has only featured in 23 games this season, he’s managed an average of 57 passes a game which is higher than most, and has an accuracy rate of 91.9% which is higher than Xabi Alonso’s peasantly 89.3%.
ier League Clubs since 2006.
Chelsea show quality is better than quantity when it comes to shots
It may have gone out of the window against West Brom as Conte’s men registered 14 shots in the first half with only one on target, but let it be known that Chelsea are currently 5th in the Premier League Table when it comes down to shots per game.
Chelsea stats this season.Defensive team.Tottenham played the best football. pic.twitter.com/9NjW1ybIUV
— Popa Cosmin (@notHAZARDD) May 12, 2017
Manchester United, Liverpool, City and Spurs all took more shots than the champs, and even had more shots on target than them, but Chelsea’s decision making in front of goal paid off and they managed to score more than any other team.
Hull City and penalties haven’t been getting along
Hull’s fate was officially confirmed by Crystal Palace after they were drubbed 4-0 in Selhurst today but one thing the Tigers won’t miss about the Premier League has been their terrible luck with penalties.
No team has conceded more penos than Hull, and only Middlesbrough and Everton have won less than Hull, who have only managed to win 3 all season.
Today was no different as Luka Milivojevic slotted Palace’s 3rd goal in the 85th minute from the spot.
Tottenham will miss White Hart Lane
It was certainly noticeable that Spurs struggled in Wembley in their Champions League campaign this season, and today’s final goodbye at White Hart Late saw them beat Manchester United 2-1, which means they have ended the season with an unbeaten home record.
The Tottenham fans aren't prepared to say goodybye just yet...
They are on the pitch. #TheLaneThefinale
Reaction: https://t.co/CkCYMDBKLs pic.twitter.com/a1q3Oj4MlB— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 14, 2017
Bottling reputation aside, they’ve been very solid in 'The Lane’. This is the first time they’ve managed an unbeaten home record the 1963-64 season, and it’s also their 14th consecutive home win, which has equaled the club record set in 1987.
