Who are the Boxing Day kings?
The annual Boxing Day fixture is one of English football’s most celebrated traditions, but supporters of some Premier League clubs have had more to celebrate than others in this post-Christmas clash.
Using data from bettingexpert.com which analyses 25 seasons of Premier League action, we can reveal which club tops the Boxing Day charts. Rather than looking at overall wins, we’ve ranked the current top-flight sides (excluding Huddersfield and Brighton, who are yet to play a Premier League game on December 26) by points per game.
18. West Brom
0.45 points per game
With just 0.45 points per game, West Brom possess the worst Boxing Day record of current Premier League outfits. The Baggies’ only success in 11 matches on December 26 came in 2012, when Steve Clarke steered his side to victory at QPR.
Eight of those encounters have ended in defeat, including each of the last three and a 3-0 reverse against Manchester United in 2005. We all know what West Brom fans will be asking Father Christmas for this year.
17. Leicester
0.45 points per game
Leicester supporters have learned not to expect too much on Boxing Day, with their side having won only one of a possible 11 post-Christmas games in the Premier League. Eight of those have been lost, although a superior goal difference edges them ahead of West Brom.
The Foxes weren’t even able to pick up a positive result in their title-winning campaign, with Christian Benteke scoring the only goal to give Liverpool three points when the two teams clashed at Anfield in 2015.
16. Bournemouth
0.5 points per game
Bournemouth have only played twice on Boxing Day in the Premier League, and they’re yet to score a single goal. A 0-0 draw with high-flying Crystal Palace was a good result in 2015, but Eddie Howe’s men were soundly beaten 3-0 by Chelsea 12 months later.
Defeat to West Brom on Tuesday would see the south-coast club fall to last place in this list, which is further incentive for Cherries players at the Vitality Stadium.
15. Newcastle
0.8 points per game
Newcastle have played 20 Boxing Day matches in the Premier League, with only four of those ending in success. Their last top-flight encounter on December 26 came in 2015, when the Magpies were beaten by a last-gasp Tom Cleverley goal for Everton. A year before they lost 3-1 to Manchester United.
Even when Kevin Keegan’s charges finished second in 1996/97, a post-Christmas triumph proved beyond them: Kevin Gallacher’s 75th-minute goal brought Blackburn victory at Ewood Park.
14. Southampton
1.2 points per game
Southampton’s last Boxing Day encounter ended in an emphatic 4-0 victory over Arsenal in 2015. They also beat Crystal Palace (3-1) the previous campaign, after Cardiff (3-0) in 2013, while a 1-1 draw with Fulham in 2012 means they’re yet to lose on the day since their top-flight return.
Saints weren’t always so adept at blowing away the cobwebs, though, having won only one of their first 10 Premier League games on December 26.
13. Watford
1.25 points per game
With two draws – including an admirable 2-2 at Chelsea in 2014/15 – and two defeats in their four Premier League games on Boxing Day, Watford are one of only two sides yet to experience the feeling of a post-Christmas triumph.
Their first attempt ended in a 4-0 battering by Tottenham in 1999, before Aidy Boothroyd’s Hornets side were edged out 2-1 by Arsenal seven years later. A 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace last time out may suggest they're slowly turning the corner.
12. Crystal Palace
1.25 points per game
A 3-1 home loss to Southampton on Boxing Day 2014 signalled the end for Neil Warnock’s second spell in charge at Selhurst Park, but Palace have bounced back with draws at Bournemouth and Watford since then.
The Eagles’ meeting with Arsenal has been moved to December 28 this year, which means they’ll have to wait at least another 12 months for their third Boxing Day win in the Premier League.
11. Everton
1.29 points per game
Everton have been one of the Premier League's better sides in the last two-and-a-half decades, but their record on Boxing Day is relatively poor. Although the Toffees have won their last two post-Christmas fixtures at Newcastle and Leicester, a return of six wins in 21 previous attempts is less than you'd expect.
One of their lowest St. Steven's Day moments came in 2005, when former Liverpool striker Milan Baros scored twice in Aston Villa's 4-0 thrashing of David Moyes' side. Sam Allardyce will hope Santa Claus is a little kinder this year, when Everton take on West Brom.
10. Burnley
1.33 points per game
Burnley have sampled the highs and lows of Boxing Day football in their three Premier League games on December 26, beating Middlesbrough in 2016, losing to Liverpool in 2014 and drawing with Bolton in 2009.
This season’s encounter could therefore have a big impact on the Clarets’ position in this table, but the fixture computer has done them no favours by handing Sean Dyche’s side a trip to Old Trafford.
9. Swansea
1.4 points per game
With 1.4 points per game on December 26, Swansea are slap bang in the middle of this Premier League table – which is where they’d love to be in the actual standings this season.
A 4-1 thrashing by West Ham in 2016 was just their second defeat on Boxing Day, but they’ve also only won twice: both 1-0 triumphs over West Brom in 2015 and Aston Villa in 2014.
8. West Ham
1.59 points per game
West Ham fans will be quietly confident of picking up a positive result against Bournemouth on Tuesday, what with the Hammers boasting a reasonably strong record on Boxing Day.
The Hammers didn’t play on December 26 in three of their first four Premier League campaigns, so their first win came against Coventry in 1997. More recently, the east Londoners beat Swansea 4-1 in 2016 and drew with Aston Villa the year before.
7. Stoke
1.63 points per game
Under-fire Stoke boss Mark Hughes desperately needs a win against West Brom on Tuesday, but he’ll take solace in the Potters’ excellent record in Boxing Day matches.
Indeed, Stoke’s 1.63 points per game means they’re stronger on December 26 than any other non-big-six side, with Robert Huth’s goal against Blackburn in 2010 helping the club to one of four victories.
6. Chelsea
1.7 points per game
Chelsea’s ratio of 1.7 points per Boxing Day game is better than most, but they have the worst record of the Premier League’s big six. Victories over Aston Villa (2004/05, with a Damien Duff winner), Fulham (2005/06), West Ham (2014/15) and Bournemouth (2016/17) helped the Blues on their way to the title, but they’ve failed to win 13 of their 23 games on December 26.
Antonio Conte will be hoping to boost the club’s overall record when his side do battle with Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
5. Man City
1.78 points per game
Manchester City have been in imperious form so far in 2017/18, and Newcastle will probably be grateful that their upcoming meeting with the league leaders has been moved to December 27 given their previous record on Boxing Day.
The Citizens have emerged victorious in 10 of 17 games played on the day after Christmas, including a 2-1 defeat of Liverpool in 2013 which – although they didn't known it at the time – proved pivotal to their eventual title triumph.
4. Tottenham
1.9 points per game
Tottenham’s status as regular Champions League challengers is still relatively new, but they make the top four in terms of Boxing Day results over the last 25 years. A 2015 victory over Norwich – against whom Harry Kane (pictured above) netted – made it 10 wins from 20 for Spurs, whose meeting with Southampton was moved to December 28 in 2016.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side face the same opponents on Tuesday, as the Argentine eyes a Boxing Day triumph over his former employers.
3. Liverpool
1.95 points per game
Future Leeds frontman Robbie Fowler scored twice to help boyhood club Liverpool defeat George Graham’s charges in 1997, a result which contributes to the Reds’ excellent Boxing Day record.
Twelve of the Merseysiders’ 21 encounters on December 26 have yielded three points, and they've only lost four times. Liverpool didn’t play on Boxing Day in 2016, so they’ll be champing at the bit to get going against Swansea on Tuesday.
2. Arsenal
2.05 points per game
Arsenal tend to fare well when it comes to running off their pigs in blankets. The Gunners have averaged more than two points per match on Boxing Day in the Premier League era, with a Thierry Henry-inspired triumph over Wolves in 2003 one of many high points.
A record of 13 victories in 20 attempts places the north Londoners above all but one of their top-flight rivals. But even Arsenal have endured occasional bad moments on December 26, though, most notably when they were thrashed 4-0 by Southampton in 2015.
1. Man United
2.57 points per game
With a brilliant points-per-game ratio of 2.57, United comfortably top this list. If the Red Devils were able to maintain the same rate across the whole season, they’d amass 98 points - a Premier League record.
United have only lost twice on Boxing Day since 1992/93, with 19 wins – including a thrilling 4-3 defeat of Newcastle in 2012 – and two draws. Jose Mourinho’s men face Burnley on Tuesday, when they’ll be aiming to continue their fabulous record on December 26.
