Manchester City‘s 4-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday shattered Liverpool’s long-standing record for most Premier League victories in a calendar year, bringing the club’s total to 34 in 2021.
Breaking the Records
City easily dispatched the Magpies, with goals from Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez, and Raheem Sterling ensuring Pep Guardiola’s side remained top of the league at the end of the season – and continued their streak of breaking current records.
Bob Paisley’s Liverpool previously held the record for most top-flight victories in a calendar year, winning 33 games in 1982 to win back-to-back Division One titles.
Guardiola’s City won their first 13 league games in 2021, with their only defeat coming in March when they lost 2-0 to Manchester United. And the current Premier League champions have won 14 of their first 18 league games this season, including a thrashing of Newcastle, which was City’s eighth top-flight victory in a row.
What about Others?
Other notable calendar-year winners include Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2005 (32 victories), Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in 2019 (31 victories), and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 2005 (32 triumphs). In 1993, Ferguson’s United won 31 games in a calendar year, while Tottenham’s 1960 double-winning club did the same.
Meanwhile, Guardiola’s City has shattered their record for most goals scored in a calendar year. Sterling’s goal at Newcastle, their last of the afternoon, was City’s 106th goal of 2021, and the club still has two more games to play.
City also won their 18th league game away from home this season, breaking Tottenham’s 61-year record for the most top-flight road victory. Guardiola made history last Thursday by being the fastest manager in Premier League history to reach 150 wins in 204 games, a remarkable win ratio of 73.5 percent.
To put it in perspective, Jose Mourinho took 230 games to get 150 victories, Sir Alex Ferguson 247, and Arsene Wenger 258. These renowned managers have been blown out of the water by Guardiola.
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