Goals galore

Tuesday, 24/11/2009

Following Tottenham’s 9-1 demolition of Wigan - remarkably turning round a 1-0 half-time disadvantage – we take a look at other major drubbings in the Premier League.

Manchester United 9–0 Ipswich, March 1995
Jermain Defoe took the headlines on Monday morning after his five-goal haul against the Latics, but he wasn’t the first to get five in a Premier League match.
Andy Cole, at the time Britain’s most expensive footballer following a £7m move from Newcastle, became the first man to notch five. A Mark Hughes brace and goals from Roy Keane and Paul Ince completed the scoring.
Cole’s five goals all came in succession, but there was some doubt over the goal that secured his hat-trick; with Town defender Frank Yallop appeared to get the final touch.
The victory, United’s biggest for over a century, was witnessed by the Premier League’s largest crowd at the time – the 43,804. Ipswich finished bottom that season, more than 20 points adrift of safety.

Nottingham Forest 1–8 Manchester United, February 1999
Andy Cole was again on the score-sheet for this United romp, as he and strike-partner Dwight Yorke grabbed a brace apiece to put the Red Devils in cruise control at 4-1 up with ten minutes remaining.
The pair were to be trumped, though, by another of United’s fantastic four forwards, with substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer grabbing four late goals in this treble winning season.

Newcastle 8–0 Sheffield Wednesday, September 1999
Alan Shearer became the second man to plunder five strikes in a game, as his Newcastle side secured their first league win for five months, their first at St James’ Park for seven months.
With each side at the foot of the table with a solitary point apiece after seven games, the tie was expected to be a close one, but Shearer’s finishing prowess powered the Toon Army to an emphatic victory that would kick-start a turnaround in fortunes. They finished the season 11th, just six points short of sixth-placed Aston Villa.

Arsenal 7–0 Everton, May 2005
No goal-greedy forward took centre stage in this one-sided show, as Arsenal, typically, shared the goals around the team with a demolition of Everton, who finished just two places behind the Gunners in the league at the end of the campaign.
Despite finishing fourth and earning Champions League qualification, David Moyes’ men were no match for their rampant hosts as goals from Dennis Bergkamp, Robin Van Persie, Edu, Robert Pires (two), Patrick Vieira and Matthieu Flamini secured the romp.

Blackburn 7–0 Nottingham Forest, November 1995
Another Alan Shearer inspired rout, as the forward grabbed a hat-trick in this mauling. Just two positions separated these teams at the end of the season, but Rovers were seven goals to the good after strikes from Lars Bohinen (two), Mike Newell and Graeme Le Saux.

There were two more 7-0 results in Premier League history: an Andy Cole hat-trick powering United to victory over Barnsley in October 1997, while Thierry Henry also struck three as his Arsenal side hammered Middlesbrough in January 2006.

*Lee Price runs www.football-previews.com

• 

• Have your say