The crazy record we can improve against Newcastle

As well as aiming to string together a sixth successive Premier League win when Newcastle United visit Emirates Stadium on Saturday, there is another little statistic against the Magpies our defenders would like to maintain.

That’s because you have to go back to 2014, when David Cameron was Prime Minister, Thierry Henry retired and everyone was posting on Vine and participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge, for the last time a Newcastle player netted at Emirates Stadium.

That will equate to 3,360 days by the time kick-off comes around this weekend, with the encounter in question seeing us run out 4-1 victors. Olivier Giroud had netted twice and Santi Cazorla also got on the scoresheet before the Toon’s Spanish striker Ayoze Perez bagged what would prove to be his club’s last goal at our home for the next nine years - and counting.

That particular encounter is mostly remembered for Cazorla cheekily netting a Panenka late on to restore the three-goal advantage over Alan Pardew’s side, but should our defensive solidity continue then it could also become more infamous for Perez’s consolation.

Since the moment the striker headed in Jack Colback’s free-kick, 657 minutes have elapsed in league matches between the sides in north London and Newcastle have failed to net, with the Magpies failing to convert any of their 63 attempts on goal in that time. We also recorded a 2-0 win in the FA Cup back in 2021, which takes the total up to 777 minutes if you factor in all competitive meetings.

A goalless draw last season ended a 10-game winning run for ourselves in this fixture, but ensured we have kept seven consecutive home clean sheets against the Tynesiders. That means we’re on the brink of a little piece of club history this weekend, as we’ve never kept eight successive shutouts on home soil against the same opponent in our league history.

Most consecutive PL clean sheets against an opponent

However the current nine-year-long shutout has seen us already claim one little milestone - our 30 clean sheets against Newcastle is the most any side has kept against another in the history of the Premier League.

Most PL clean sheets against an opponent

As the stats show, the travelling Toon Army have had little to cheer on their recent visits to us, and indeed you have to go even further back to November 2010 for the last time they returned to the north-east celebrating three points. Back in November 2010, Andy Carroll’s header sealed a 1-0 success for Chris Hughton’s newly-promoted team, which remains their only triumph at our new home since it was opened in 2006.