Fans Paying the Price?

How much a supporter of each team who attended all home
games paid for every goal scored at their club’s home ground. Did you see goals?

Bang for Your Buck?

*Match day ticket cost calculated by taking average of most expensive and cheapest tickets

The Results

ARSENAL – £10.16 per goal

With the average match day ticket costing a whopping £62 at the Emirates fans deserve to be entertained with a flurry of goals. A total of 58 goals were scored at the Emirates but the failure to score a 59th cost Unai Emery’s side a guaranteed place in next season’s Champions League. West Ham’s Marko Arnautovic scored the first at the Emirates this season while Glenn Murray scored the last from the penalty spot for Brighton in a 1-1 draw.

BOURNEMOUTH £10.71

Six of the 55 goals scored at the Vitality Stadium came in Bournemouth’s 3-3 draw with Watford when all six goals came in a crazy 26-minute spell that saw the Cherries come from 2-0 and 3-2 down to claim a point.

BRIGHTON £12.50

Fans who attended every Premier League game at the Amex Stadium may not have seen many goals, but they did witness Manchester City’s coronation as the champions of England for the second year running with Ilkay Gundogan’s stunning free-kick the pick of City’s four goals and arguably the best goal scored at the ground all season.

BURNLEY £10.51

Burnley supporters saw European football for the first time at Turf Moor and that clearly affected their league campaign. However, their place in next season’s Premier League was secured before their season finale against the Gunners where supporters witnessed the 1,072nd and final goal of another thrilling league season scored by Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah.

CARDIFF £9.98

It took the Bluebirds nine games to register their first win which came at home in a six-goal thriller against Fulham. Perhaps the most memorable goal scored in the Welsh capital was Sol Bamba’s last-minute winner in a 2-1 victory against Brighton.

CHELSEA £11.55

Maurizio Sarri’s side scored 39 of the 51 goals scored at Stamford Bridge this season with the most dramatic coming against Manchester United when Ross Barkley scored in the last minute. The celebrations that followed upset then United manager Jose Mourinho who had to be restrained following the melee.

CRYSTAL PALACE £14.02

The first 18 league games at Selhurst Park saw an average of 1.8 goals per game with three goalless draws included. Then came the season finale with Bournemouth that produced eight goals to please the Selhurst Park faithful who were on course to see the lowest number of goals scored at a Premier League ground.

EVERTON £11.55

Gilfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison scored 14 of the 30 goals Everton have scored the Toffees at Goodison Park. Everton’s biggest win of the 10 they achieved at home came against Manchester United when the Tofees scored twice in each half in a 4-0 win.

FULHAM £10.16

Days after being confirmed as the clubs’ new permanent manager, Scott Parker’s Fulham failed to end their season – that culminated in relegation – on a high as they were beaten 4-0 by Newcastle. The Cottagers were outscored 22-36 at home.

HUDDERSFIELD £14.37

As if relegation wasn’t bad enough for the Huddersfield fans to put up with, they also saw the lowest number of goals (41) scored with each goal costing an average £14.37 per goal. Only 10 of those goals were scored by a Terrier who drew a blank in nine of their 19 home games but their last home goal was Isaac Mbenza’s equaliser against Manchester United.

LEICESTER £13.39

Fans of the Foxes saw their side draw a blank six times at the King Power Stadium this season including their season finale goalless draw against Europa League finalists Chelsea. Eight of Jamie Vardy’s 18 league goals were scored at home as he finished the season as the highest scoring Englishman.

LIVERPOOL £9.06

With match day ticket prices from as low as £9 there was certainly plenty to cheer about for Liverpool fans this season. It wasn’t to be for Liverpool as their quest for their first ever Premier League title fell short on the final day when they rounded off their season with a 2-0 win over Wolves. Sadio Mane’s brace gave him a share of the Golden Boot award with team-mate Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on 22 league goals. Of Mane’s 22 goals, 18 were scored at Anfield. At only £9.06 per goals fans were definitely entertained.

MAN CITY £8.54

City fans who went to every home Premier League game this season saw more goals scored at their ground than any other with a total of 69. Each one may have worked out at just £8.54 per goal, but the final goal scored by Vincent Kompany turned out to be a priceless strike as it helped the Citizens successfully defend their title.

MAN UTD £10.16

A season to forget for United fans was punctuated with a dismal 2-0 loss to Cardiff at Old Trafford. The season began with promise in August when Paul Pogba scored the first goal of the Premier League season from the penalty spot as the Red Devils beat Leicester 2-1. Only Liverpool and Crystal Palace failed to score a league goal at Old Trafford this season.

NEWCASTLE £12.02

Rafa Benitez worked wonders at St James’ Park steering the Magpies to 13th after taking just three points from a possible 30 in their first 10 games. The two most memorable goals of the 24 United scored at St James’ Park came in a memorable 2-1 win against champions Manchester City with goals from Salomon Rondon and Matt Ritchie’s penalty.

SOUTHAMPTON £10.33

The Saints were guided to safety by Ralph Hassenhuttl who replaced Mark Hughes in December. Southampton had scored six goals in seven home games under Hughes, but under Hassenhuttle, they ended the season with 21 in their final 12 league games at home, scoring at least once in each of them.

TOTTENHAM £11.78

South Korean Heung-min Son wrote his name in the club’s history by scoring the first goal in the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Spurs beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on April 3. At Wembley, games involving Tottenham averaged 2.71 goals per game which dropped to 2.4 following their move.

WATFORD £10.91

Season ticket holders at Vicarage Road not only saw their side reach their first FA Cup final since 1984, but they also saw history made when Shane Long scored the quickest goal in the history of the Premier League when he netted for Southampton after just 7.1 seconds in Saints’ 2-1 win.

WEST HAM £9.98

One of the games of the season came at the London Stadium when the Hammers come from 3-1 down against Huddersfield to win 4-3 thanks to three goals in the final 15 minutes from Angelo Ogbonna and two from half-time substitute Javier Hernandez.

WOLVES £12.02

At Molineux, Wolves scored against five of the sides that finished in the top six with Liverpool the only side not to concede to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. They were the first side to take points from champions Manchester City when Aymeric Laporte cancelled out Willy Boly’s opener in a 1-1 draw in August.

Player Value For Money

Taking the top earners from the 2018/19 season last season, we look at which player cost the most per minute.

2018/2019 Season Data

The Results

£18,849 per minute – Alexis Sanchez, Manchester United

Both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer struggled to find a place for the Chile forward who managed just 869 minutes in 20 appearances, scoring once and providing three assists and playing a full 90 minutes just once against Leicester in the season opener. With an annual salary of £16.3m his days are no doubt numbered at Old Trafford this season, and at a cost of £18,849 per minute tops our table.

£17,235 per minute – Kevin de Bruyne, Manchester City

With an annual salary of £16.6m the de Bruyne tops tha annual wages chart. The Belgium international missed half of Manchester City’s title defence because of injuries to his knee and hamstring and amassed 968 minutes in 19 matches so can be excused. But he did manage two goals and two assists while he was on the pitch.

£8,069 per minute – Mezut Ozil, Arsenal

Hindered by back and knee injuries, Ozil’s season was another stop/start campaign with a run of nine successive games the longest run he managed in the Gunners’ side. For the £42m Arsenal paid Real Madrid for him in 2013, fans are right to expect more from him as well his whopping £13.9m annual salary.

£6,480 per minute – Juan Mata, Manchester United

United are keen to keep the 30-year-old, but if the midfielder is to stay at Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer will want him to force his way into the first team more often after playing just 1,284 minutes last season with three goals and four assists to show in the 22 matches he featured in.

£6,393 per minute – Vincent Kompany, Manchester City

The man who lifted the Premier League title for the second year running is to discuss his future at the Etihad and scoring that goal in a 1-0 win over Leicester to keep their title defence on track will help his negotiations. His next deal may not earn him £7.8 million a year, but his performances at the end of last season demonstrates he still has a future at City.

£4,917 per minute – Paul Pogba, Manchester United

United fans who hoped Paul Pogba would bring the form he showed for France when winning last summer’s World Cup were left frustrated as Pogba laboured his way through the season. A run of eight goals and five assists in nine games shows he can impress when he wants to. His manager needs to get him playing like that for the full campaign next season. The Frenchman did play an energy sapping 3009 minutes of Premier League football, perhaps justifying his £15m annual salary but fans are expecting more from the World Cup winner.

£4,765 per minute – Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Arsenal

Arsenal fans have benefited more from the transfer with Alexis Sanchez that brought Mkhitaryan to the Emirates and the Armenian seems to be improving the more he plays under Unai Emery and after suffering a metatarsal injury midway through the season, he will want to kick on next season after contributing 10 league goals last season.

£4,656 per minute – Sergio Aguero, Manchester City

When it comes to value for money, look no further than Sergio Aguero. Earning £4,656 per minute on the pitch, the Argentine scored 21 league goals which equates to £544,762 per goal for Manchester City’s all-time leading goalscorer’s £11.4m yearly salary. Definite value for money.

£4,402 per minute – Romelu Lukaku, Manchester United

The Belgium international finished the season with 12 league goals – four short of his total at the end of his first season at Old Trafford. He failed to score in his last six league games and for United to be considered as serious challengers to their neighbours, Lukaku needs to deliver more.

£4,292 per minute – Harry Kane, Tottenham

Another ankle injury meant the England captain was not able to finish the season for Spurs, who reached the final of the Champions League final without him. When he’s fit, Kane delivers goals for his club on a regular basis proving his worth to the team and why he is paid £10.4 million a year.

£4,010 per minute – Eden Hazard, Chelsea

If last season was to be Eden Hazard’s last at Stamford Bridge, he certainly did all he could to make it a successful one for the Blues. He was the undoubted star for Maurizio Sarri’s side who finished third in the league and reached the final of the Carabao Cup and the Europa League. Finding a replacement for the Belgium star will not be easy and might cost more than the £4,010 per minute Hazard played last term.

£3,791 per minute – Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal

Lacazette cost Arsenal £46.5 million in the summer of 2017 when he joined from Lyon, but he has repaid them with 19 goals in all competitions last season including 13 in the league. His partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will give Gunners fans hope that they can mount a challenge for the Premier League title in the not too distant future.

£3,453 per minute – David Silva, Manchester City

The imperious David Silva once again looks value for money having played almost 2,500 minutes of Premier League football last season and guiding Manchester City to a successive league title. His salary of just over £8m a year looks excellent value, and as he approaches almost 10 years at the Etihad, his transfer fee of £25.8m from Valencia in 2010 looks one one of the deals of the decade.

£3,384 per minute – Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk answered Liverpool‘s SOS call for a centre-half to make them a force domestically and in Europe. His price tag of £75 million in January 2018 raised a few eyebrows, but his consistent performances are making it look like one of the best pieces of business done by any Premier League club in recent years.

£3,196 per minute – Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

The Egyptian collected his second successive Golden Boot award after finishing the season with 22 goals. Salah has proved he is no one-season wonder and if Liverpool are to go one better than runners-up next season, Salah is going to have to deliver the goods once again. Costing just over £3,000 a minute, his salary of £10.4m looks plenty of value for the Reds.

£3,041 per minute – David de Gea, Manchester United

The once reliable goalkeeper ended the season with a crisis of confidence with many costly errors ending up in goals. De Gea last kept a clean sheet in United’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford on February 24 and was beaten three times in United’s final two games of the season against relegated pair Huddersfield and Cardiff.

£3,009 per minute – Luke Shaw, Manchester Utd

The Manchester Utd left back endured a torrid time at time at Old Trafford under the leadership of Jose Mourinho but is now enjoying a new lease of life under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, putting in some stellar performances down the left side, however the ex Southampton man is still looking to justify his £33.75m price tag Utd paid the Saints in 2014.

£3,009 per minute – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal

Ever since joining the Gunners in January 2018, the Gabon international has made an immediate impact with 41 goals in 64 matches. He ended the season in great form netting five goals in his last five league games to be one of three recipients of the Premier League’s Golden Boot award.

£2,816 per minute – Raheem Sterling, Manchester City

The England forward enjoyed his best ever season last season with 29 goals in all competitions with 17 of them coming in the league to help his side become the first side to successfully defend their title since Manchester United won three in a row from 2006 to 2009. With a cost of only £2,816 per minute played and putting in a huge 2776 minutes on the pitch this season the ex Liverpool youngster is definitely justifying his £7.8m annual salary.

£2,670 per minute – Jamie Vardy, Leicester

Jamie Vardy’s decision to retire from international football to concentrate on playing for Leicester paid dividends for the Foxes as he finished the campaign as the Englishman with the most league goals. His 18 league goals came at an average of one every 1.88 matches.

£2,292 per minute – Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea

The Chelsea goalkeeper played a whopping 3,403 minutes in the Premier League last season, securing the number 1 shirt at Stamford Bridge. The £18m Chelsea payed Athletic Bilboa looks like one of the bargains of the season, with the Spaniard costing only £2,292 a minute played.

At the start of every new season, the onus is to get the first win as quickly as possible. Failing that, get a draw from your opening game and hope that the first three points will follow quickly.

Whataretheodds.co.uk has analysed all 27 opening weekends in the history of the Premier League to find out which of the current top flight teams are used to getting off to a winning start and which teams are slow out of the blocks.

Research suggests Manchester City should add to their impressive run at West Ham while their neighbours Manchester United will be looking to stay top of the win percentage table when they host Chelsea this weekend and the Blades will be hoping to be as sharp as they have in previous opening weekends as Sheffield United mark their return to the top flight at Bournemouth.

With their name etched 13 times on the Premier League trophy, it’s perhaps no surprise to discover Manchester United top of the table when it comes to the percentage of opening weekend fixtures won since the restructure in 1992/93.

But seeing Sheffield United alongside the Red Devils will surprise many.

Granted, the Old Trafford side have been an ever-present in all 27 seasons to win 66.6 per cent of their games while the Blades have featured in just three campaigns. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope his side can get off to another winning start at home to Chelsea this weekend and add to the 18 wins they have already registered on the opening weekend including their last four.

They have only failed to score in three of their 27 matches. Chris Wilder’s side have taken seven points from a possible nine in their opening fixtures in the top flight and a trip to Bournemouth offers the Blades a chance of improving to 75 percent of opening day wins with victory at the Vitality Stadium.

Chelsea, under the management of Frank Lampard, have won 62.9 per cent of their opening day fixtures.

The Blues travel to Old Trafford this weekend knowing their record away from home on the first day is one of the best in the league. Coventry were the last team to defeat Chelsea when the Sky Blues won 2-1 at the start of the 1998/99 campaign.

Since then, the Stamford Bridge club has taken 19 points from a possible 21 with a 0-0 draw at Stoke in 2011 the only time they dropped points.

Liverpool beat West Ham 4-0 a year ago to start what turned out to be their best season ever in the top flight with just one defeat in 38 matches. But it wasn’t enough to finish ahead of champions Manchester City who pipped them to the title by a single point.

Since losing 3-0 at West Brom in August 2012, Liverpool have won five and drawn one of their last six openers. The Reds have only lost four of their first games in the Premier League and only once at Anfield when Chelsea beat them 2-1 in 2003 thanks to goals from Juan Veron and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Arsenal have notched 14 opening day wins over the years, but they have been slow starters in recent campaigns with just two wins in their last nine openers.

Four of their seven defeats have come in the last six seasons which has dragged their winning percentage down to 51.8 per cent.

Only one other team has managed to win at least half of their opening day games in the Premier League and that is the defending champions Manchester City. The Citizens travel to West Ham hoping to start their ninth successive league season with a win.

They have only conceded one goal in their last six openers when Jermain Defoe equalised for Sunderland before a Paddy McNair own goal gave City a 2-1 win.

City’s recent form is in stark contrast to their early days in the Premier League when they had to wait until their seventh season to get their first win on the first weekend.

At the other end of the table, Brighton hope it is a case of third time lucky. The Seagulls have not taken a point or scored a goal on the opening weekend of a Premier League season – although this will be just their third campaign in the top flight.

Last season they lost 2-0 at Watford 12 months after losing 2-0 at home to Manchester City in August 2017.

Southampton are entering their 21st Premier League season but their opening day record is poor with just two winning starts managed in the previous 20 with both coming away from home – at West Brom in 2013 and at Coventry in 1999.

The Saints have drawn half of their games including the last four they’ve played at St Mary’s where they will face Burnley in their first game of the new season.

Norwich won their first ever Premier League game 4-2 at Arsenal in 1992, but since then, they have struggled on the opening weekend. Four defeats and three draws has left the Canaries with a 12.5 per cent winning record. Opening day wins have been hard to come by for Leicester and Watford who both start the season having won just 16.6 per cent of their first games.

Leicester’s last opening day win came at home when they beat Sunderland 4-2 in 2015 – the season they won the league.

Watford’s 2-0 win over Brighton at Vicarage Road 12 months ago was the first time in six seasons they began a Premier League season with a win and they will be favourites to do the same this season at home to the same side.