The Analyst: See where your team ranks in a Premier League table of New Year’s Day games

Paul Okey
1 January 2022

Alexandre Lacazette Arsenal vs Fulham Jan19

January 1 heavyweights set to clash at the Etihad, while Southampton clash comes a day too late for Newcastle.

The top two clash on New Year's Day when Arsenal entertain Manchester City.

However, it is not the Premier League table but the January 1 table that the two sides lead.

Planet Sport has gone back over the New Year's Day results from the launch of the Premier League to compile a league table based on points per game and it has thrown up one or two surprises.

Arsenal first when it comes to January 1

While Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool are some way clear of the rest when it comes to the Premier League table, it is Arsenal who are sitting pretty at the top of our standings.

The Gunners have won ten of their 13 New Year's Day fixtures, losing just two, to give them a points per game average of 2.38.

City are next on 2.17 on the strength of eight wins and two draws from their 12 matches.

Tottenham and Leicester complete the Champions League spots with only goal difference separating them.

Third-placed Spurs have picked up 28 points from their 14 January 1 games, twice kicking off the new year with 4-1 wins and hitting five in both 2005 and 2015.

Leicester also average two points per game, but have only played five qualifying matches, winning three of them.

Both sides will be looking to improve their records at the turn of the year when they take on Watford and Norwich, respectively.

New Year's Day, new Newcastle

There is little to separate Liverpool and Chelsea, either, with the Reds averaging 1.92 to the Blues' 1.9.

The two teams won't be able to add to their tally of wins this season, however, with their clash taking place a day later on January 2.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is Newcastle's seventh place.

The Magpies were a lowly 15th in our table which concentrated on Boxing Day results. However, when it comes to starting the new year with a bang, the north-east side are firmly in the realms of European contenders. Five wins and two draws from their nine fixtures gives them an average of 1.89 points per game.

It also sees them edge out Manchester United, who on the back of three defeats and four draws from their 15 games, only average 1.87.

Unfortunately for Toon fans, Newcastle have to wait until January 2 to get their 2022 under way.

New Year's Day proves a headache for Everton

Aston Villa (1.69ppg), Leeds (1.5), Southampton (1.4) and Watford (1.33) come next, with West Ham (1.23) 13th on the back of a terrible run of form between 1996 and 2008 which saw them lose six consecutive New Year's Day games. The nadir was a 6-0 defeat to Reading but the Hammers' form has picked up recently and victory at Crystal Palace will make it three January 1 wins on the bounce.

Palace (0.6, 17th), meanwhile, have yet to win in five New Year's Day outings.

Norwich (1.2) are 14th having won one and drawn three of their five, while Brighton average a point per game having drawn both their Premier League New Year's Day games.

However, spare a thought for the hungover fans of Everton who have played 17 games on January 1 - the most in the division - and have suffered defeats in 12 of them. The Merseyside club average a paltry 0.65 points and are in the midst of a five-game losing streak dating back to 2015.

Thankfully, they kick off 2022 on January 2.

Burnley (0.33), with one point from three games and Wolves, who have lost both theirs, bring up the rear, with Brentford yet to break their Premier League New Year's Day duck. That will have to wait until 2023 at the earliest with Thomas Frank's side entertaining Aston Villa on January 2.