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Robin van Persie's goal rush, Fernando Torres' goal drought - the amazing stats from football in 2011
A look back at the most incredible statistics from the last 12 months, including the Dutchman's remarkable scoring record and the Chelsea striker's woeful form in front of goal
Dec 31, 2011 9:25:00 AM
Getty Images
ANALYSIS
By Danny Hart
With a fascinating year in football set to come to an end, it is time for us to take a look back at some of the game's most incredible statistics from the last 12 months.
While the likes of Robin van Persie, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continued to dominate the goalscoring charts in 2011, Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll struggled to adapt at new clubs following big-money January moves.
From contrasting years for Van Persie and Torres to unwanted records for Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers, Goal.com picks out the most amazing stats from football in 2011.
0 - Torres is yet to score a goal for Chelsea while Didier Drogba has been on the pitch at the same time.
3 - The Spaniard has scored just three goals in the Premier League since his move to Chelsea from Liverpool in January, netting against West Ham in April and Manchester United and Swansea City in September.
4 - Remarkably, Torres scored more league goals for former club Liverpool in 2011 than Chelsea, despite spending 11 months of the year at Stamford Bridge. The striker was on target in matches against Bolton and Blackpool for the Reds in January, before grabbing a brace against Wolves in his penultimate appearance for the club.
17 - Including his loan spell at Bolton, Daniel Sturridge scored 17 Premier League goals in 2011 - the same number as Chelsea team-mates Torres, Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Nicolas Anelka and Romelu Lukaku combined.
10,000,000 - The average number of pounds spent on each goal scored by Torres since his £50 million (€59.9m) switch to Chelsea. In all competitions, the Spain international has netted just five times in 37 appearances.
9 - In contrast, Van Persie has had a year to remember. The Dutchman began 2011 by breaking compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy's Premier League record of scoring in consecutive away games, netting in nine matches on the road in a row between January 1 and May 22.
30 - The Arsenal captain became the fifth player in the history of the Premier League - after Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Van Nistelrooy - to score at least 30 goals in a calendar year.
100 - Van Persie also joined the likes of Henry and Ian Wright in scoring 100 goals for Arsenal, reaching the milestone with a brace in a 3-0 win over Bolton in September.
0 - Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Fulham at the Emirates Stadium in November saw Arsene Wenger's men start a Premier League match without a Frenchman in their side for the first time since September 2005.
0 - Tottenham defender Ledley King was never on the losing side in 2011, winning 11 and drawing two of the 13 matches he featured in.
1 - Blackburn won just one match away from home - a 3-2 victory against Wolves on the last day of the 2010-11 season - out of the 20 they played in all competitions in 2011.
5 - Anders Lindegaard holds a Premier League goalkeeper record for having not conceded a goal in the division, keeping clean sheets in each of his first five appearances since joining Manchester United from Aalesund in January.
8 - Bolton broke an unwanted top-flight record of losing eight of their first nine home games at the start of the 2011-12 season.
12 - Liverpool's 1-1 draw away to Arsenal in April had the most amount of additional time in the history of the Premier League. Referee Andre Marriner finally brought the match to a close after 12 minutes and 26 seconds of time had been added on due to two penalties being awarded in the closing stages.
19 - Manchester United's 19-match winning run at home - the best in Premier League history - was ended by the sensational 6-1 defeat against rivals Manchester City in October.
20 - Ryan Giggs, playing in his 20th Premier League campaign, maintained his remarkable record of scoring in every season by netting Manchester United's third in the 5-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on December 21.
21 - The number of hat-tricks scored in the Premier League in 2011, the most in a calendar year since the league's inception.
43 - League One club Huddersfield Town took their unbeaten run of league matches to 43 in November, breaking a long-standing Football League record held by Nottingham Forest. However, they lost their next game away to league leaders Charlton Athletic.
109 - Newcastle United striker Demba Ba has the best minutes-to-goal ratio in Premier League history. Since making his debut in the division for West Ham in January 2011, the Senegal international has scored 21 times in 30 games, averaging a goal every 109 minutes.
115 - Arsenal's extraordinary 8-2 defeat by Manchester United on August 28 was the first time that they had conceded eight goals in a match for 115 years, when they lost 8-0 away to Loughborough Town in 1896.
116 - Stoke had more possession than Norwich City in their 1-1 draw at Carrow Road on August 21, marking the first time Tony Pulis' side had more of the ball than the opposition in their 116 matches in the Premier League.
20,000 - Marc Albrighton scored the Premier League's 20,000th goal in Aston Villa's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on December 21.
53 - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored 53 goals in all competitions in the 2010-11 season. The Barcelona and Real Madrid stars became the first players in the history of Spanish football to pass the 50-goal milestone in a single campaign.
58.13 - Odd Grenland midfielder Jone Samuelsen set a new world record by scoring a header from 58.13 metres against Tromso in September. It was believed later in the year that Fagiano Okayama defender Ryujiro Ueda had broken the record with a header from 58.6 metres, only for it to be measured again at 57.8 metres.
165 - The combined number of years of top-flight football that came to an end following the relegations of South American giants River Plate and America de Cali. River had been in the top division of Argentine football since 1909 while America had been ever-present in the first tier of the Colombian league since it started in 1948.
Follow Danny Hart on
By Danny Hart
With a fascinating year in football set to come to an end, it is time for us to take a look back at some of the game's most incredible statistics from the last 12 months.
While the likes of Robin van Persie, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continued to dominate the goalscoring charts in 2011, Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll struggled to adapt at new clubs following big-money January moves.
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From contrasting years for Van Persie and Torres to unwanted records for Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers, Goal.com picks out the most amazing stats from football in 2011.
0 - Torres is yet to score a goal for Chelsea while Didier Drogba has been on the pitch at the same time.
| MORE MISFIRING FORWARDS IN 2011 |
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TIM CAHILL Games: 28 Goals: 0 |
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ANDY CARROLL Games: 29 Goals: 5 |
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MAROUANE CHAMAKH Games: 32 Goals: 2 |
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MOUSSA DEMBELE Games: 41 Goals: 3 |
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EMILE HESKEY Games: 28 Goals: 2 |
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CAMERON JEROME Games: 39 Goals: 4 |
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DAVID N'GOG Games: 29 Goals: 1 |
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HUGO RODALLEGA Games: 32 Goals: 4 |
4 - Remarkably, Torres scored more league goals for former club Liverpool in 2011 than Chelsea, despite spending 11 months of the year at Stamford Bridge. The striker was on target in matches against Bolton and Blackpool for the Reds in January, before grabbing a brace against Wolves in his penultimate appearance for the club.
17 - Including his loan spell at Bolton, Daniel Sturridge scored 17 Premier League goals in 2011 - the same number as Chelsea team-mates Torres, Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Nicolas Anelka and Romelu Lukaku combined.
10,000,000 - The average number of pounds spent on each goal scored by Torres since his £50 million (€59.9m) switch to Chelsea. In all competitions, the Spain international has netted just five times in 37 appearances.
9 - In contrast, Van Persie has had a year to remember. The Dutchman began 2011 by breaking compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy's Premier League record of scoring in consecutive away games, netting in nine matches on the road in a row between January 1 and May 22.
30 - The Arsenal captain became the fifth player in the history of the Premier League - after Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Van Nistelrooy - to score at least 30 goals in a calendar year.
100 - Van Persie also joined the likes of Henry and Ian Wright in scoring 100 goals for Arsenal, reaching the milestone with a brace in a 3-0 win over Bolton in September.
Oh, Fernando... | Torres scored more league goals for Liverpool than Chelsea in 2011
0 - Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Fulham at the Emirates Stadium in November saw Arsene Wenger's men start a Premier League match without a Frenchman in their side for the first time since September 2005.
0 - Tottenham defender Ledley King was never on the losing side in 2011, winning 11 and drawing two of the 13 matches he featured in.
1 - Blackburn won just one match away from home - a 3-2 victory against Wolves on the last day of the 2010-11 season - out of the 20 they played in all competitions in 2011.
5 - Anders Lindegaard holds a Premier League goalkeeper record for having not conceded a goal in the division, keeping clean sheets in each of his first five appearances since joining Manchester United from Aalesund in January.
| LEDLEY KING IN 2011 |
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| TOTTENHAM WITH KING |
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| PLAYED WON DRAWN LOST WIN PERCENTAGE |
13 11 2 0 84.6 |
| TOTTENHAM WITHOUT KING |
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| PLAYED WON DRAWN LOST WIN PERCENTAGE |
38 14 12 12 36.8 |
12 - Liverpool's 1-1 draw away to Arsenal in April had the most amount of additional time in the history of the Premier League. Referee Andre Marriner finally brought the match to a close after 12 minutes and 26 seconds of time had been added on due to two penalties being awarded in the closing stages.
19 - Manchester United's 19-match winning run at home - the best in Premier League history - was ended by the sensational 6-1 defeat against rivals Manchester City in October.
20 - Ryan Giggs, playing in his 20th Premier League campaign, maintained his remarkable record of scoring in every season by netting Manchester United's third in the 5-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on December 21.
21 - The number of hat-tricks scored in the Premier League in 2011, the most in a calendar year since the league's inception.
43 - League One club Huddersfield Town took their unbeaten run of league matches to 43 in November, breaking a long-standing Football League record held by Nottingham Forest. However, they lost their next game away to league leaders Charlton Athletic.
109 - Newcastle United striker Demba Ba has the best minutes-to-goal ratio in Premier League history. Since making his debut in the division for West Ham in January 2011, the Senegal international has scored 21 times in 30 games, averaging a goal every 109 minutes.
115 - Arsenal's extraordinary 8-2 defeat by Manchester United on August 28 was the first time that they had conceded eight goals in a match for 115 years, when they lost 8-0 away to Loughborough Town in 1896.
116 - Stoke had more possession than Norwich City in their 1-1 draw at Carrow Road on August 21, marking the first time Tony Pulis' side had more of the ball than the opposition in their 116 matches in the Premier League.
20,000 - Marc Albrighton scored the Premier League's 20,000th goal in Aston Villa's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on December 21.
Midfield maestros | Barcelona had more possession than their opponents in every game
6 - Palermo have played under a staggering six different coaching reigns over the last 12 months. Delio Rossi was sacked in February, Serse Cosmi was dismissed in April, Rossi was fired again in June, Stefano Pioli was sacked in August, and Devis Mangia was axed in December. Bortolo Mutti is now in charge of the Serie A club.
8 - Cristiano Ronaldo scored at least one hat-trick in eight of the 10 months of club football he played for Real Madrid in 2011, netting three times in the same match in January, March, May, August, September, October, November and December.
36 - Brisbane Roar completed an Australian sporting record of going 36 matches unbeaten with a 4-0 victory over Perth Glory in November, but they have since lost their last five games. There is already ironic talk of the club breaking a record for consecutive defeats.
51 - Barcelona had at least 51 per cent of possession in every single match they played in 2011. Central to the club's possession stats was Xavi, who completed an incredible 142 passes out of 150 against Manchester United in the Champions League final.6 - Palermo have played under a staggering six different coaching reigns over the last 12 months. Delio Rossi was sacked in February, Serse Cosmi was dismissed in April, Rossi was fired again in June, Stefano Pioli was sacked in August, and Devis Mangia was axed in December. Bortolo Mutti is now in charge of the Serie A club.
8 - Cristiano Ronaldo scored at least one hat-trick in eight of the 10 months of club football he played for Real Madrid in 2011, netting three times in the same match in January, March, May, August, September, October, November and December.
36 - Brisbane Roar completed an Australian sporting record of going 36 matches unbeaten with a 4-0 victory over Perth Glory in November, but they have since lost their last five games. There is already ironic talk of the club breaking a record for consecutive defeats.
53 - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored 53 goals in all competitions in the 2010-11 season. The Barcelona and Real Madrid stars became the first players in the history of Spanish football to pass the 50-goal milestone in a single campaign.
58.13 - Odd Grenland midfielder Jone Samuelsen set a new world record by scoring a header from 58.13 metres against Tromso in September. It was believed later in the year that Fagiano Okayama defender Ryujiro Ueda had broken the record with a header from 58.6 metres, only for it to be measured again at 57.8 metres.
165 - The combined number of years of top-flight football that came to an end following the relegations of South American giants River Plate and America de Cali. River had been in the top division of Argentine football since 1909 while America had been ever-present in the first tier of the Colombian league since it started in 1948.
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