Arsenal recorded their biggest ever away win in the Premier League against West Ham United following a 6-0 demolition at the London Stadium, in what was arguably the worst defeat for West Ham since they moved to their new stadium.
Arsenal could not etch their name further into the record books by scoring seven away from home in the Premier League, which only Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and Liverpool have achieved. But for West Ham, this was a humiliation.
Following Arsenal’s statement result, we thought it’d be suitable to look at some of the most embarrassing home defeats we’ve seen in the history of the Premier League.
Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool
With Sir Alex Ferguson watching on, Manchester United suffered one of their heaviest home defeats against their biggest rivals. The result piled pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjær given the magnitude of the result and how tactically incompetent United were for 90 minutes.
Liverpool feasted on some inept defending and questionable pressing from United as goals from Naby Keita, Diogo Jota and a hat-trick from Mohamed Salah did the damage. Paul Pogba’s red card after being subbed on at half-time further compounded United’s misery.
It was a flashpoint in what was a dismal period for United, as toxicity had spread throughout the dressing room and Cristiano’s Ronaldo glamourous return to the Premier League proved disastrous.
Southampton 0-9 Leicester City
This Leicester side was a stark contrast from the side that are now down in the Championship. When Jamie Vardy netted Leicester’s ninth against Southampton, they moved up to second in the Premier League and broke the record for the highest-ever away win in the Premier League.
Leicester’s goal fest was aided by the dismissal of Ryan Bertrand after just 12 minutes, when the game was only 1-0 courtesy of Ben Chilwell’s smart finish. Eight more goals flashed by Angus Gunn in the Southampton goal as Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez both helped themselves to a hat-trick whilst James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans completed the rout.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe scoreline itself and the way Southampton caved in was alarming, with then-head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl saying it was “100% his fault.” It didn’t prove to be too detrimental as Southampton finished the season in 11th but it’s a result that will live long in the memory of Saints fans for all the wrong reasons.
Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City
Talk about a changing of the guard. This result more than any other signified the start of a new dynasty in Manchester as Roberto Mancini’s side ran riot against United at Old Trafford in what would be Sir Alex Ferguson’s second last season at the club.
Goals from Mario Balotelli (2), Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko (2), and David Silva completed the City rout, which at the time inflicted United’s worst home defeat since 1955. Bizarrely, it was the first time United had conceded six goals at Old Trafford since 1930, when Huddersfield won 6-0 and Newcastle 7-4 within four days of each other.
Embed from Getty ImagesCity led just 1-0 at half-time, but the second half was completely one-sided, and the eventual margin of victory could have been even more convincing. It proved costly for many reasons, but more so as it proved decisive in the title race as Aguero’s iconic last-minute winner against QPR on the final day won City their first Premier League title on goal difference.
Liverpool 0-3 West Ham United
In what was a masterclass of counter-attacking football from Slaven Bilic’s side, Brendan Rodgers’ reign as Liverpool manager started to quickly deteriorate following a dismal day at Anfield.
Liverpool had fallen short in the title race two seasons before and Rodgers was backed by the board to carry Liverpool into the new season, but questionable recruitment and his failure to tactically tweak a side that were so reliant on the prolific frontline of Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling signalled the end for Rodgers.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was West Ham’s first league win at Anfield since 1963 and it ended Liverpool’s long unbeaten run at home at the time. Anfield has always been a fortress and getting a result is difficult, let alone in the manner that West Ham did. Rodgers was sacked less than two months later and was replaced by Jurgen Klopp. What a decision that proved to be.
