If there is one thing that football fans love, it is a good record. Be it some kind of mind-boggling goalscoring feat or something just bizarrely out of the blue and making one do a double take, records keep us talking. The Premier League, in all its chaotic, high-paced, talent-packed glory, isn’t alien to them either.
Some of those records can be thrown into the middle of the ocean and shut behind the irons. They are not just tough to beat, but nearly impossible in today’s game. Hat-trick heroics that drop the jaw join goal droughts that would leave the cactus overwatered, as brilliant moments mix with misfortune and a sprinkling of good, old-fashioned football madness.
Today, we compile 25 unbelievable Premier League records that will hardly be broken, moments that beat all odds and shattered expectations, leaving the football world speechless.
Ready? Let’s go.
- 1. Most Consecutive Games Undefeated Record: 49 games – Arsenal (2003-2004)
- 2. Fastest Red Card Record: 13 seconds – Steven Gerrard
- 3. Most Times Hitting the Woodwork in a Single Game Record: 4 times – Darwin Nunez
- 4. Fewest Games to Score Three Hat-Tricks Record: 8 games – Erling Haaland (2022/23)
- 5. Smallest Title-Winning Margin Record: 0 points/8 goal difference – Manchester City (2011/12)
- 6. Most Own Goals by a Single Player Record: 10 own goals – Richard Dunne
- 7. Record for Most Consecutive Defeats: 20 games – Sunderland (2003-2005)
- 8. Oldest Player Record: 43 years, 162 days – John Burridge (1995)
- 9. Record for Most Consecutive Games Played: 310 games – Brad Friedel (2004-2012)
- 10. Fastest Goal Record: 7.69 seconds – Shane Long (Southampton vs Watford, 2019)
- 11. Fewest Points to Win the League Record: 75 points – Manchester United (1996/97)
- 12. Longest Home Unbeaten Run Record: 86 games – Chelsea (2004-2008)
- 13. Fastest Hat-Trick (continued) Record: 2 minutes, 56 seconds – Sadio Mane
- 14. Most Goals in a Season by a Team Record: 106 goals – Manchester City
- 15. Most Assists in a Season: 20 assists – Thierry Henry (2002/03), Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20)
- 16. Fewest Points in a Season Record: 11 points – Derby County (2007/08)
- 17. Most Goals in a Calendar Year Record: 39 goals – Alan Shearer (1995)
- 18. Most Consecutive Premier League Hat-Tricks Record: 3 hat-tricks in 3 consecutive games – Sergio Agüero (2019)
- 19. Youngest Goal Scorer Record: 16 years, 357 days – James Vaughan (2005)
- 20. Most Penalties Saved in a Single Season: 5 penalties saved – Ali Al-Habsi, 2010/11
- 21. Biggest Away Win Record: 9-0 – Leicester City vs Southampton (2019), Manchester United vs Southampton (2021)
- 22. Most Goals by a Substitute in a Single Match Record: 5 goals – Jermain Defoe
- 23. Most Consecutive Red Cards Record: 3 consecutive games – Vinnie Jones (1995)
- 24. Fastest Premier League Manager to Be Sacked Record: 2 games – Kenny Dalglish (1998)
- 25. Biggest Points Gap Between 1st and 2nd Place Record: 19 points – Manchester City (2017/18)
1. Most Consecutive Games Undefeated Record: 49 games – Arsenal (2003-2004)
Arsenal’s undefeated season is a record taken to mythical status. 49 games unbeaten is just ridiculous, considering the quality of the Premier League. Wenger’s men combined technical brilliance with gritty resilience to avoid defeat from May 2003 until October 2004.
Teams like Manchester City have gotten close, but in a league wherein even mid-table sides can shock the big boys, going unbeaten for over a season seems like a dream as far away as the skies.
One thing is being good, but to be flawless consistently for 49 games? That takes something special.
2. Fastest Red Card Record: 13 seconds – Steven Gerrard
It’s one thing to come off the bench and make an impact; it’s quite another to see red after just 13 seconds on the pitch. The fact that Steven Gerrard did this in 2015 against Manchester United is still hard to believe.
You would have barely had time to change your seating position when Gerrard was off for an early shower. In the chaotic nature of modern football, who knows, this one might just get broken. but probably not.
3. Most Times Hitting the Woodwork in a Single Game Record: 4 times – Darwin Nunez
Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez is something of an enigma. One day, he’ll scuff a sitter. The next, he’ll rifle in a volley from an impossible angle. But on 31st January 2024, Nunez might have felt like he was cursed.
He hit the post and crossbar a record four times in one match against Chelsea. Let that sink in. Four. Not only does that break your confidence, but it also makes you wonder if there was some sort of hidden force field around the goal.
The pace at which the modern game is played, chances come fast and thick, but four times onto the woodwork? It is like missing the bus by a hair four times in one day; frustrating, improbable, and unforgettable.
4. Fewest Games to Score Three Hat-Tricks Record: 8 games – Erling Haaland (2022/23)
Then Haaland came to England and started treating defenders like training cones. He scored three hat-tricks in eight games, half the number it took Michael Owen-its previous holder-, 48. Freakishly combining pace, power, and positioning that leaves defenders bewildered and statisticians running out of adjectives.
It’s a record that’s pretty safe for quite a while.
How do you beat this? Scoring three hat-tricks in less than eight games? Who does that? In a league that has produced the Thierry Henrys, Alan Shearers, and Harry Kanes, Haaland is built differently.
5. Smallest Title-Winning Margin Record: 0 points/8 goal difference – Manchester City (2011/12)
We can’t forget the Aguero moment, that day when Manchester City won the Premier League title off Manchester United on goal difference thanks to a last-minute goal against QPR. That very second provided the slenderest title-winning margin in history: tied on points, City won the league by an 8-goal swing.
It’s almost too perfect a script. For this to happen again, we’d need another thrilling final-day showdown where the title is decided in stoppage time.
Possible? Yes. Likely? Not at all. That moment was football poetry.
6. Most Own Goals by a Single Player Record: 10 own goals – Richard Dunne
Richard Dunne’s 10 own goals might be a record he wishes he didn’t hold.
Throughout his career, the Irish centre-back scored 10 unfortunate goals into his net. While scoring an own goal is often about bad luck or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Dunne’s record comes through his longevity in the league and dogged defensive work-sometimes too much so.
As defenders slowly but surely become adept with their feet and tactical systems designed to prevent any glaring defensive mistakes, this may be a record that will never be beaten.
7. Record for Most Consecutive Defeats: 20 games – Sunderland (2003-2005)
For those who might not be aware, Sunderland lost 20 consecutive games throughout two seasons. Losing streaks occur, yes, but this level of futility has no equal. Sunderland lost their last 15 games in the 2002-03 season and when they came back to the Premier League in 2005, they picked up where they had left off with five more losses.
That in a league that’s since become even more competitive, losing 20 games in succession is practically unimaginable. It’s one of those unwanted records unless you’re into that sort of self-inflicted torture.
8. Oldest Player Record: 43 years, 162 days – John Burridge (1995)
That was how old John Burridge was when he made his last appearance for Manchester City in the Premier League. Yes, goalkeepers usually play for longer than outfield players, but 43 is pushing the boundaries of human endurance.
Few players, if any, in this modern game because of the pressures on the body make it into their late 30s.
This is held by Teddy Sheringham for outfield players, who was 40 and played for West Ham in 2006. If anyone’s going to break this record, then they’d better start taking ice baths every night.
9. Record for Most Consecutive Games Played: 310 games – Brad Friedel (2004-2012)
Brad Friedel was the footballing equivalent of the Energizer Bunny: he just kept going and going. The fact that Friedel was able to make 310 consecutive goalkeeper appearances in the Premier League is mind-boggling, especially in today’s game where even goalkeepers get rotated.
The most an outfield player has managed is Frank Lampard’s 164 consecutive games-still impressive, but a far cry from Friedel’s Ironman run. With all the injuries, suspensions, and tactical rotations in this league, we might never see these kinds of endurance again.
10. Fastest Goal Record: 7.69 seconds – Shane Long (Southampton vs Watford, 2019)
Shane Long managed to score in only 7.69 seconds. Seven seconds! Southampton didn’t even get a kick-off! This record just sounds so insane that you are just left wondering if it wasn’t an accident. Watford had lost possession straight from kickoff, and Long struck like the cheetah who’d been made to wait far too long for his meal.
Barring direct goals from kick-offs, this is a record that’s most likely to stand for ages. Fast wingers take note—there’s no quicker way to etch your name into Premier League history.
11. Fewest Points to Win the League Record: 75 points – Manchester United (1996/97)
Can you imagine winning the Premier League with 75 points today? You’d probably finish fourth. Yet, back in 1997, Manchester United won the title with 75 points.
These days, with teams like Manchester City and Liverpool clocking up 90+ points for fun, it’s the stuff of fantasies that 75 could ever be enough. There is simply too much competition as the gap between the top teams and mid-table sides widens further and further.
A title-winning haul like that? Forget it.
12. Longest Home Unbeaten Run Record: 86 games – Chelsea (2004-2008)
Chelsea’s run of 86 unbeaten home games between 2004 and 2008 is one of those records that make Stamford Bridge sound as though it had some sort of magical force field.
Teams would arrive, and before they’d even laced up their boots, they’d already mentally checked out.
Jose Mourinho’s ruthless streak turned their home ground into an impenetrable fortress, and as good as teams like Liverpool have had home records, 86 games unbeaten at home does feel like an insurmountable peak.
13. Fastest Hat-Trick (continued) Record: 2 minutes, 56 seconds – Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane’s improbable hat-trick against Aston Villa in 2015 took less than three minutes; he scored his first in the 13th minute, his second 84 seconds later, and his third 79 seconds after that.
Highly surprising was the speed and ruthlessness of his finishing. Even in the modern game, with its increased focus on quick transitions and high-pressing football, beating this record seems almost out of the question.
Putting up three goals in such a short period, it is almost more of a video game accomplishment than an actual incident that occurred in football.
14. Most Goals in a Season by a Team Record: 106 goals – Manchester City
The 2017/18 “Centurions” team of Manchester City from Pep Guardiola broke not only the 100-point barrier but also managed to run in 106 goals in one season.
The relentless City attack, led by Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, and Sergio Agüero, with precision passing, rapid movement, and lethal finishing, overwhelmed defences.
While offensive records continue to be stretched by the likes of Liverpool and this present Man City squad, repeating another 106 goals will be a tall order to expect. It requires an outrageously consistent attack, supplemented by weak opposition defences, which are becoming less easy to come by now.
7 Famous Clubs Still Chasing Their First Premier League Title
15. Most Assists in a Season: 20 assists – Thierry Henry (2002/03), Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20)
Both Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne top this prestigious chart for most assists in a Premier League season; both did so with 20.
Henry was at his creative best during Arsenal’s Invincible run, and De Bruyne’s vision, crossing, and passing precision saw him equal that feat almost two decades later. Assisting 20 goals requires a perfect mix of skill, consistency, and having clinical finishers up front.
While De Bruyne managed to get close again with many elite playmakers plying their trade in the league, this record will remain one that even the most creative midfielders struggle to accomplish.
16. Fewest Points in a Season Record: 11 points – Derby County (2007/08)
If you want to be taught a lesson in how not to play in the Premier League, then look no further than Derby County’s 2007/08 season. The Rams still hold the unenviable record of having the lowest points total in one Premier League season.
One win. Eleven points. That’s it. They were so bad it became a running joke. The one victory, a 1-0 win over Newcastle, was the lone bright spot to an otherwise abysmal season.
To get under 11 points, a team would have to be historically incompetent—and Derby’s disaster has become a Premier League yardstick of incompetence. One can hardly contemplate that someone could ever be this bad again. Or, at least, we hope not.
17. Most Goals in a Calendar Year Record: 39 goals – Alan Shearer (1995)
Alan Shearer was an absolute goal-scoring machine, and his 39 goals back in the calendar year 1995 remain untouched. He scored with both feet, his head, and from long-range: Shearer was the complete striker.
With modern football physical demands, squad rotations, and choc-a-block schedules, the chances of replicating Shearer’s pure volume in one year are very slim.
Even someone like Erling Haaland or Harry Kane would need to sustain a freakish run of form to get close.
18. Most Consecutive Premier League Hat-Tricks Record: 3 hat-tricks in 3 consecutive games – Sergio Agüero (2019)
This run of three successive hat-tricks which Agüero achieved in the calendar year of 2019 showed how he can pop up at the right place and finish with clinical precision.
It is rare enough for a player to score hat-tricks in back-to-back games, but for him to do it in three consecutive games is an altogether different level of scoring.
In a league where defenders are always learning and tactics are tweaked to the last detail, hat-tricks over several matches are a real mountain to climb.
19. Youngest Goal Scorer Record: 16 years, 357 days – James Vaughan (2005)
James Vaughan burst into the Premier League in 2005 at the tender age of 16 for Everton, netting a goal and setting a record that still stands.
While we have seen some incredible talents from teenagers in recent years, such as Wayne Rooney, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden, the demands of top-flight football mean managers are often reluctant to field players so young, so it’s difficult to imagine somebody younger than Vaughan scoring anytime soon.
20. Most Penalties Saved in a Single Season: 5 penalties saved – Ali Al-Habsi, 2010/11
Saving penalties is always an uphill task for goalkeepers. Ali Al-Habsi became the unlikely hero of Wigan when he saved five spot-kicks during the 2010/11 season.
While the occasional penalty heroics can change the momentum of a match, saving five in a season requires not only ability but also plenty of opportunities—which are not guaranteed.
In today’s league, with teams like Manchester City and Liverpool never missing from 12 yards, this could be a record to last for a long period.
21. Biggest Away Win Record: 9-0 – Leicester City vs Southampton (2019), Manchester United vs Southampton (2021)
A 9-0 scoreline is usually never seen in any competition, but Leicester City’s demolition of Southampton in 2019 and Manchester United’s drubbing of the same team in 2021 set the standard in terms of the biggest away wins in Premier League history.
In the more balanced squads, top-tier fitness, and tactical depth of today, it is really hard to imagine a team finding themselves on the wrong side of such a lopsided defeat, most especially in front of their home fans.
Teams are simply too organized defensively for any such record to be repeated without much fuss.
22. Most Goals by a Substitute in a Single Match Record: 5 goals – Jermain Defoe
Defoe’s clinical show against Wigan Athletic saw him come off the bench and score five goals in one match to seal his status as one of the best finishers in Premier League history.
This would require a performance from the substitute that was almost out of this world, along with an opposition collapse of massive proportions. In fact, it would go a long way towards making Defoe’s feat virtually unassailable.
23. Most Consecutive Red Cards Record: 3 consecutive games – Vinnie Jones (1995)
Vinnie Jones wasn’t just tough; he was aggressive, and for that, he holds the record of being sent off in three consecutive matches.
It’s hard to ever imagine, considering the way that discipline and VAR are scrutinized in today’s game, that a player would ever commit three straight red cards and not have some serious punishment from their club or any governing bodies.
24. Fastest Premier League Manager to Be Sacked Record: 2 games – Kenny Dalglish (1998)
In the dog-eat-dog world of Premier League management, a gaffer’s life span can be a lot shorter than a half-time orange. Kenny Dalglish has the dubious honour of the fastest sacking, shown the door at Newcastle United after a mere two games back in 1998/99.
Meanwhile, Peter Reid, Bobby Robson, Frank de Boer, Javi Gracia, and Scott Parker all got their marching orders after four matches. It’s a tough gig; one minute you’re planning your tactics, the next packing your bags, wondering if you will ever get out of football’s craziness.
25. Biggest Points Gap Between 1st and 2nd Place Record: 19 points – Manchester City (2017/18)
That 100-point season of Manchester City under Pep Guardiola did not just break records but really annihilated the competition, eventually finishing a full 19 points ahead of second-placed Manchester United.
While the likes of City and Liverpool are raising the bar with each passing season, the league is getting tighter, with far more teams capable of holding their own and taking points off top sides. That type of dominance will not be seen anytime soon.
You Might Also Want To Read This
- 10 Players With The Most Ligue 1 Titles In History
- 10 Players With The Most Bundesliga Titles In History
- 10 Players With The Most Serie A Titles In History
- 10 Players With The Most Premier League Titles In History
- 10 Managers With The Most UCL Titles In History
- Top 10 Best Strikers (Centre-Forward) In The World 2024
- Top 10 Goalkeepers In The World 2024
- Top 10 Right Wingers In The World 2024
- Top 10 Best Left Back In The World 2024
- Top 10 Best Right Back In The World 2024
- Top 10 Attacking Midfielders In The World 2024
- Top 10 Defensive Midfielders In The World 2024
- Leeds United’s 10 Greatest Players Of All Time
