I love these sorts of things and keep a mental note of potential ones that might make quirky features on
@BlueMoonPodcast and that can go on a recent Twitter thread I started.
Most of these are Premier League era (I know football wasn’t invented in 1992, but it was 28 years ago so it’s a decent sample size and a good marker).
So here’s a few off the top of my head:
City have the record for the biggest Premier League title-winning margin and the narrowest.
In 2011-12, City finished ahead of United in second on goal difference, winning the title by 0pts and +8 goals. In 2017-18, City again finished ahead of United, this time by 19pts - and as long as they beat Norwich on Sunday, City will hold on to this record.
City are the team for Premier League draw records.
City have the most draws in a Premier League season (18, 1993-94, joint record with Sheff Utd and Southampton), the fewest draws in a Premier League season (2, 2018-19, joint record with Tottenham), and the most consecutive draws in a Premier League season (7, 2009-10, joint record with Norwich and Southampton).
City are proof that a tight defence is better for struggling teams than scoring lots of goals.
We all know City hold the record for the fewest home goals in a Premier League season (10, 2006-07 - joint now with Huddersfield’s 2018-19 season), but they are also the team that’s finished the lowest in the Premier League table with a positive goal difference (16th in 2003-04 with +1).
Social Distancing.
Fittingly, no team has been more socially distant that City are RIGHT NOW. They trail the team above them by 18pts, but lead the team below them by 15pts. I’m not sure if they will lose the record if one of those numbers changes on Sunday.
City have had plenty of brothers play together, but...
Kolo and Yaya Toure are the first brothers to score for the same team in the same game in the Premier League, as City beat Wolves 4-3 in 2010-11.
It’s the squad number era.
And Jose Pozo’s squad number of 78 for City In 2014-15 is the highest ever used in the Premier League.
Some legends scored their first goals at the Etihad earlier than you think.
David Silva scores for Valencia as they beat City 1-0 in the Thomas Cook Trophy in August 2007 - three years before he joined City. Meanwhile, Yaya Toure opened the scoring when Olympiakos lost 3-1 in the same pre-season ‘cup’ in August 2005 - five years before he joined City.
All-foreign team
The first City manager to name a starting XI with no English players was Kevin Keegan. It was the final Manchester Derby at Maine Road, which City won 3-1.
Goal scoring goalkeepers
I wanted Pep to put Ederson on penalties, but the killjoy wouldn’t have it. Either way, he’d not be the first goalkeeper to score for City: Harry Dowd did it - but he was playing outfield by then after an injury in a time when there were no substitutes. Charlie Williams, though, was the first EVER goalkeeper to score from open play in a first class match - as City lost to Sunderland 3-1 at Roker Park in April 1900.
Biggest scorers and biggest conceders.
Some times have scored more in a Premier League game than City, some have conceded more in a Premier League game. But City are the only team to have conceded eight in one match (Boro 8-1 City, 2007-08) and scored eight in another (City 8-0 Watford, 2019-20). No team has scored and conceded a higher number.
Goal of the Month
Georgi Kinkladze was the last player to win the BBC's goal of the month competition while playing outside of the Premier League (winning in January 1998 for his goal in City's loss to West Ham in the FA Cup Fourth Round).
Anfield is an horrific bogey ground.
When David Silva leaves this summer, the only player in City’s squad that will have played at Anfield and experienced being in the lead there for City is Sergio Aguero. City have played 13 hours, 46 minutes of football at Anfield since they were last in the lead there.
They win there so infrequently too.
Since City were founded in 1894, there have been more monarchs on the British throne (6) than there have been seasons where City have won home and away against Liverpool in the league (5).
(Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI, Elizabeth II)
Beating the Champions
City’s 4-0 win over Liverpool a few weeks ago was the biggest Premier League win against the newly-crowned Champions in their first game as Champions when the title was won early (joint with Liverpool over Arsenal). City’s 6-1 win at Old Trafford in October 2011 is also the heaviest Premier League defeat suffered by the reigning champions.
Just on big wins...
City’s 7-0 win over Norwich in 2013-14 had seven different scorers, which is the most for one team in the Premier League (joint with Chelsea and Southampton, both of theirs in 8-0 wins).
Still on big wins...
Taking the home fixture and away fixture as two legs, the biggest aggregate score now belongs to City. The 8-0 and 4-0 wins over Watford in 2019-20 give City a combined 12-0, which has never been bettered.
Kelechi Iheanacho is a pub quiz question in the making.
He was the FA Cup’s first ever fourth substitute (replacing Raheem Sterling in the FA Cup semifinal loss to Arsenal in 2016-17). He also scored the first originally-disallowed goal to be overturned and awarded by VAR (but this was for Leicester). He’s also the only player to score in the Premier League whose full name contains all the letters of the word ‘chicken’ (Michael Frontzeck never scored in the Premier League).
While we’re on technological firsts...
The first goal awarded by goal line technology (Goal Decision System/Hawkeye) was scored by Edin Dzeko in City’s 4-2 win over Cardiff at the Etihad in 2013-14.
...that’s all I’ve got for now.
