Top ten: Hearts party like it’s 1991, as Wolves play name game

2 Carrick’s Theatre of Dreams

Michael Carrick has hit the ground running as both player and manager for Manchester United to a greater extent than any other person at one club in English League history. Carrick is alone in having won eight of his first ten games as both player and manager for one League club — no one else has recorded more than six wins in their first ten matches in both roles. The septet in that latter category: Allan Brown, Alan Ball (both Blackpool), Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish (both Liverpool), Graham Hawkins (Wolves), Alan Pardew (Crystal Palace) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United).

United have not lost a home game in all competitions where they led at half-time since May 1984 but Sunday’s victory over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford — Carrick’s tenth game as manager over two spells — was their 37th win at home having trailed at half-time in that period.

3 Rosenior’s Arsenal curse

Those who only watch Arsenal’s matches may be confused at the claim that Liam Rosenior has had a decent start at Chelsea. He is the first manager since Norwich City’s John Bond in 1973 to suffer his first three defeats with a top-flight club against the same opponent (Rosenior against Arsenal, including both Carabao Cup semi-final legs; Bond against Burnley).

When Arsenal, the league leaders, kicked off late on Sunday afternoon, the Premier League’s three games earlier in the day had all been won 2-1 by the home team, while the other two divisional leaders to play at home this weekend had both won 2-1 (Coventry City in the Championship, Bromley in League Two). So Arsenal, naturally, won 2-1 at home.

4 Liverpool learn to share

Liverpool tend to share goals around and they swept West Ham United aside 5-2 without any player scoring more than once. In fact, their past 170 league games have featured only one hat-trick — and that wasn’t even scored by them (Brighton & Hove Albion’s Leandro Trossard was responsible). Manchester City have scored 15 league hat-tricks (eight by Erling Haaland) since Liverpool’s last one, by Salah in October 2021. Salah would be grateful for any goal now: 212 different players have scored in the Premier League since the Egyptian last did so, on November 1.

5 Name of the game

Not since Everton’s Adrian Heath scored and Stoke City’s Phil Heath equalised in the teams’ 1-1 draw in January 1984 had there been a top-division fixture in which each goalscorer shared a surname (when there were at least two scorers). Then João Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes gave Wolverhampton Wanderers a 2-0 win over Aston Villa this weekend. West Bromwich Albion team-mates Alistair Brown and Tony Brown produced the previous two cases in 1976 and 1978; in the one before that, in 1973, Wolves’ Kenny Hibbitt scored before his brother Terry Hibbitt replied to earn Newcastle United a 1-1 draw.

6 England stand strong

Footballing power is hardly spread equally across Europe. The Premier League’s tally of nine clubs remaining in Uefa competitions this season is more than double the combined number still standing from Europe’s lowest-ranked 40 nations (four). England is the first country with nine clubs in European action as late as March (beating Spain’s eight in 2003-04).

A handful of clubs dominate the Champions League and matches proliferate; thus new rivalries are developing. Manchester City had played more than 100 times against each of Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke City and West Brom before they first met Real Madrid, yet by next month City will have faced Real 11 times since they last played any of those historic English clubs.

7 Best of times

Of the 233 times that exactly three games have kicked off simultaneously in the Premier League era, the trio on Saturday at 3pm was the first to produce as many as 19 goals. Then Sunday’s three games to start at 2pm provided the first case of a goal scored in the opening seven minutes in each match.

8 City don’t leave it late

Manchester City’s two late strikes to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield last month are their only second-half goals in ten games in the Premier League in 2026 — the fewest among the division’s 20 teams.

9 Everton’s B team thrive

The source of Everton’s goals in their 3-2 win away to Newcastle? Branthwaite’s bonce, Beto’s boot and Barry’s backside (Jarrad Branthwaite’s header, Beto’s tap-in and Thierno Barry’s bottom).

10 Owls’ anguish

Sheffield Wednesday, bottom of the Championship, are the first league team to lose their first 13 matches of a calendar year. Sunday’s date (March 1) was evident in two scorers on Saturday: Crewe Alexandra’s Josh March and Lincoln City’s Ryan One.

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