Sheffield United are plummeting back towards the second tier after a disastrous return to the Premier League this season.
The Blades last week became the first top-flight team in English football history to concede 5+ goals in three consecutive home games in all competitions, while no team has ever conceded more goals (65) after 25 games of a Premier League campaign.
Chris Wilder’s struggling side are heading towards unwanted territory and we’ve decided to look back at the leakiest defences the division has seen.
5 – Sheffield United are the first English top-flight team in history to concede 5+ goals in three consecutive home matches in all competitions. Butty. pic.twitter.com/GdqP629EzF
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 19, 2024
The five teams to concede the most goals in a Premier League season:
5. Barnsley, Burnley & Wolves (82)
Barnsley, Burnley and Wolves begin our list of dodgy defences, with each having conceded 82 goals in a Premier League campaign.
Barnsley shipped in 82 goals during the 1997/98 season, though remarkably failed to finish bottom with Crystal Palace earning less points than the relegated Tykes. Their campaign included defeats by five or more goals to Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham and Manchester United, with the latter a 7-0 loss at Old Trafford that saw Andy Cole hit a hat-trick.
Burnley ended the 2009/10 campaign in the relegation spots after a league-leading 82 goals conceded, their wretched run including a 12-game streak without a win.
Wolves (2011/12) also conceded 82 goals on route to relegation. Terry Connor failed to stop the rot after replacing Mick McCarthy, as Wolves won just five times all season. Their campaign included a 5-1 hammering at home to Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion.
4. Norwich, 2021/22 (84)
Norwich have had a yo-yo existence between the top two divisions across the last decade, and that string was heading firmly south during the 2021/22 campaign.
The Canaries mustered five wins all season and ended the campaign with a -61 goal difference, having conceded a whopping 84 goals under Daniel Farke and Dean Smith.
A tough start saw Norwich lose their opening six games and never really recover.
3. Fulham, 2013/14 (85)
Three different managers tried and failed to stop Fulham falling out of the top division in 2013/14, as the Cottagers’ 13-year spell as a Premier League club came to an end.
Martin Jol, René Meulensteen and Felix Magath all struggled to stop the slide towards the Championship, as Fulham’s faltering backline conceded 85 goals in the Premier League alone.
2. Derby County, 2007/08 (89)
Derby County’s 2007/08 vintage are often regarded as the Premier League’s worst-ever side, having recorded a record low of just 11 points.
The Rams won just once all season in a dismal campaign at Pride Park, that saw leading scorer Kenny Miller end the campaign with only four league goals.
Derby failed to win in 32 straight games during the season, while the Rams were routed against Liverpool (6-0), Arsenal (5-0 and 6-2), West Ham (5-0), Chelsea (6-1) and Aston Villa (6-0).
Did you know? In the 2007-08 season of the Premier League, Derby County managed just one win in the entire season. They ended the season with just 11 points (W1 D8 L29). This is the worst record by a club in Premier League history in terms of wins in a single season. #DCFC pic.twitter.com/344ZPRLJ1r
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) September 3, 2021
No team has ever conceded more goals in a 38-game Premier League season.
1. Swindon Town, 1993/94 (100)
Swindon hold the record for the most Premier League goals conceded in a single season, shipping a CENTURY of goals in 1993/94.
The Robins’ record-breaking number of goals conceded was set in a 42-game campaign, though remains a record unlikely to ever be beaten.
100 – Swindon Town conceded 100 goals in the 1993-94 season; the only side to ever let in triple-figures in a single Premier League campaign. Centurial. #OptaPLSeasons pic.twitter.com/ygnVQixjZV
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 24, 2020
Promoted through the play-offs the previous season, Swindon found themselves out of their depth during a swift return to the second tier.
The club’s heftiest loss came at Newcastle, a 7-1 defeat that equalled the then-Premier League record for biggest defeat and saw Peter Beardsley, Rob Lee and Steve Watson all score twice.
