The biggest wins in Premier League history

A look at the most lopsided scorelines in Premier League history, the teams involved, and the context behind each result. A fun, stat-heavy piece that taps into the audience's clear interest in PL records.

Nine goals scored, zero goals conceded. It’s happened four times in Premier League history, which is four more times than you'd ever expect in the most competitive league in the world. The biggest wins in the division's history are the kind of results that make you check the score twice, and they all have a story behind them.

The biggest Premier League victories

The record for the biggest win in Premier League history is 9-0, a scoreline that has been reached four separate times since the league began in 1992. 

Manchester United were the first to do it, beating Ipswich 9-0 in March 1995. Andy Cole, signed from Newcastle just weeks earlier, scored five of them. Eric Cantona wasn't even playing, serving his ban for the Crystal Palace incident, but United managed it without him anyway. The scoreline wasn't matched for another 24 years, then it happened three more times in quick succession:

• Leicester 9-0 Southampton (October 2019): Vardy and Perez both scored hat-tricks. For Perez, it came in his first season at Leicester having joined from Newcastle in the summer. He scored 12 Premier League goals for the Foxes across his entire time there. Three of them arrived in a single October afternoon.

• Southampton 0-9 Manchester United (February 2021): Southampton became the first club in Premier League history to lose by that scoreline twice. Both times at home and both times inside 16 months.

• Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth (August 2022): Eight different Liverpool players scored, breaking the record for most individual scorers for one team in a Premier League match.

Below the 9-0 threshold, several 8-0s creep into the top 10, and they deserve a mention. Chelsea beat Wigan in 2010 and Villa in 2012 by that scoreline. City demolished Watford 8-0 in 2019, going 5-0 up inside 18 minutes. Newcastle beat Sheffield Wednesday 8-0 in 1999, with Shearer scoring five in Bobby Robson's first home game in charge.

The stories behind the most shocking scorelines

The 9-0s share a common thread. In almost every case, one side was having a historically bad season and the other was at or near their peak. 

The 1995 Ipswich side that lost to United finished bottom of the league that season, 18 points from safety. The 2019 Southampton side were struggling badly under Ralph Hasenhuttl before finding form later in the season. The 2022 Bournemouth side had just been promoted and were in the middle of a difficult run.

What makes the City 8-0 against Watford particularly striking is how fast it happened. Five goals in 18 minutes is a pace of scoring that most teams don't manage in an entire match. By the time Watford had worked out what was happening, the game was already beyond any realistic recovery.

The Chelsea 8-0 win against Villa in December 2012 was pretty interesting too. Chelsea had just sacked Roberto di Matteo and replaced him with Rafa Benitez, a decision that went down badly with supporters. Seven different Chelsea players scored in the win, a record at the time. Frank Lampard marked his 500th Premier League appearance with a goal.

It was a strange and chaotic period at the club, and somehow they produced one of the biggest wins in the division's history right in the middle of it.

Which teams have the best and worst goal records?

Manchester City's 2017/18 season under Pep Guardiola produced the best attacking record the Premier League has ever seen. They scored 106 goals, won 32 of their 38 games, and finished with 100 points. Their goal difference that season was +79. As a single season performance, it has not been matched since.

At the other end, Derby County's 2007/08 campaign is the benchmark for futility. They finished the season with 11 points from 38 games, conceding 89 goals and scoring just 20. Their goal difference of -69 remains the worst in Premier League history. They won one game all season.

Sunderland ran Derby close during their back-to-back relegation seasons in the mid-2000s, but Derby's record still stands alone. It remains the kind of season that gets brought up any time a team is having a difficult run, as a reminder that however bad things look, they could be a lot worse.

All the biggest results and records in one place

The Premier League produces a heavy defeat somewhere in the division almost every season. But they tend to be forgotten quickly by everyone except the opposite team. The ones that reach 8-0 or beyond, though, tend to stick around.

Keep track of all the key results and records throughout the season. Download now!