Ten landmarks and records in sight on Sunday
Think there’s nothing to play for? There are records and landmarks all over the place…
Chelsea: The most wins in a Premier League season
Easy, this one. They current have 29 – equal with the Chelsea teams of 2004/05 and 2006/06 – and they simply need to beat Sunderland at home on Sunday. They deserve to have their medals taken away if they don’t get over this particular line.
Manchester United: Most home draws in a 38-game season
They drew level with a record set by Newcastle United in 2003/04 and then matched by Aston Villa first in 2006/07 and then in 2011/12 when they drew 1-1 with Swansea, but they could claim the record as their very own should they draw against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Now wouldn’t that be something to tell the grandchildren?
Arsenal: A 20th year in the Champions League
They already hold the English record for consecutive Champions League seasons at 19, but wouldn’t 20 be bloody lovely? All it would take is a not-unlikely combination of results on Sunday to breach the one-point deficit to fourth-placed Liverpool. And then everybody would get very confused indeed about whether this has actually been a disastrous season at all for Arsenal.
Tottenham: Best Tottenham defence ever
Well, technically they conceded only 22 goals in 1901/02 in the Southern League but that was a 30-game season. So barring a total and utter disaster on Sunday against Hull, Tottenham will fly under last season’s pretty respectable 35-goal mark with some distance to spare.
Romelu Lukaku: A Golden Boot double
Neither an Everton player nor a Belgian has ever won the Premier League Golden Boot. Lukaku still has a chance to claim it for himself, but…
Harry Kane: First Golden Boot retainee since Robin van Persie
Lukaku is on 24 goals, and his Everton side face Arsenal on the final day. Tottenham play Hull, with Harry Kane looking to improve on his 26 goals. It is surely his for a second straight year.
Liverpool: Second-most Liverpool season goals in the Premier League era
They could not get near the 101 of the Luis Suarez/Daniel Sturridge feast of 2013/14 but three goals against Middlesbrough on Sunday would take this Liverpool past the Rafa Benitez side that finished second in 2008/09 after scoring 77 goals. Not bad for a team without a frontline striker; Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane have all hit double figures in the absence of a Fernando Torres or Suarez.
Leicester City: Joint-second-highest finish in their Premier League history
Which kind of puts last season into perspective. If they can haul themselves into eighth then they will have matched the finish of Martin O’Neill’s 1999/2000 side, who finished behind seventh-placed Sunderland that year. How long ago does that feel now?
Bournemouth: 41st-best team in Premier League history
There is very rarely a move on the all-time Premier League table but on Sunday, Bournemouth could leapfrog Oldham into 41st with a win over Leicester. They will have accumulated 90 points in just two seasons. Next season, they will have Burnley, Reading and Sheffield United in their sights. Good luck, Cherries.
West Brom: Joint-highest Premier League finish
In 2012/13, Steve Clarke’s West Brom finished eighth; they had Romelu Lukaku and Romelu Lukaku usually helps. This season, the Baggies could finish eighth again, though they are relying on Southampton’s result as well as their own. A word of warning for Tony Pulis: Clarke was sacked in the December following that impressive finish.
Middlesbrough: Most goals in a Premier League season
All Boro need to do is score 77 goals on Sunday at Anfield and they will beat the 103-goal total set by Carlo Ancelotti’s free-scoring entertainers back in 2009/10. And you thought there was nothing to play for on Sunday…