The Highest Scoring Matchdays in Premier League History - Ranked

The goals were flying in left, right and centre over the weekend, so much so that the six-goal 4-2 thriller between Leicester and Burnley was last on the Match of the Day 2 running order.

Premier League sides found the net a total of 39 times, making matchday 2 of the 2020/21 season the joint sixth highest scoring matchday in Premier League history.

And that was just over the course of eight games, meaning this matchday has the highest average goals per game (4.88) in Premier League history.

If there are 11 or more goals across the two games between Aston Villa and Sheffield United and Manchester City and Wolves on Monday evening, then matchday 2 of the 2020/21 season will become the highest scoring matchweek in Premier League history.

Let's take a look at the other 10 currently keeping 19-21 September 2020 off top spot...and who was number one in the UK charts at time, just for a bit of historical context.

5 = Matchweek 32, 2008/09

Goals: 40
Average Goals Per Game: 4.00
UK Number One: Poker Face, Lady Gaga

Tottenham and Liverpool were the only two teams to keep a clean sheet on this matchday back in April 2009, as Spurs beat West Ham 1-0 thanks to a Roman Pavlyuchenko goal, while the Reds sauntered past Blackburn with a 4-0 victory, Fernando Torres grabbing a brace - including a particularly memorable worldie of a volley.

The highest scoring game of the matchday was the seven goals shared between Chelsea and Bolton in a 4-3 victory for the Blues. Guus Hiddink's side had raced into a comfortable 4-0 lead within 64 minutes, only for Bolton to pull back three in the space of nine minutes.

5 = Matchweek 14, 1997/98

Goals: 40
Average Number of Goals: 4.00
UK Number One: Barbie Girl, Aqua

November 1997 threw up nine absolute goal fests in the English top flight... and Wimbledon (presumably) sh*thoused their way to a 1-0 win at Leicester.

Andy Booth was 1997's answer to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, as he hit a hat-trick in a 5-0 win for Sheffield Wednesday over Bolton, while Leeds were 1997's answer to Leeds as they recorded a 4-3 victory over Derby - staging a stunning comeback after trailing 3-0 within 33 minutes.

Honourable mentions go to Arsenal, who let a 2-0 lead slip against Manchester United inside the first half, but recovered to find an 82nd minute winner through David Platt, while everybody's favourite pundit /women's football advocate/Homes Under the Hammer presenter Dion Dublin grabbed a brace for Coventry in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle.

5 = Matchweek 8, 2014/15

Goals: 40
Average Goals Per Game: 4.00
UK Number One: All About That Bass, Megan Trainor

Sergio Aguero was October 2014's answer to Son Heung-min by scoring four for Manchester City against Tottenham in a 4-1 win. The Argentinian also missed a penalty, as did Roberto Soldado for Spurs.

Sunderland were put to the sword by Southampton in a crushing 8-0 defeat, which included three own goals. Six players in total found the back of their own net across the weekend's action, with the other three all coming during Liverpool's 3-2 win over QPR - two of which were in the space of three second half injury time minutes.

4 = Matchweek 7, 2015/16

Goals: 41
Average Goals Per Game 4.1
UK Number One: What Do You Mean? Justin Bieber

Spurs and Manchester City once again played out a 4-1, but this time it was Tottenham who emerged victorious.

Eventual league champions Leicester lost 5-2 at home to Arsenal, with Jamie Vardy grabbing a brace and Alexis Sanchez netting a hat-trick. Vardy was one of four players to score twice over the matchday, alongside Romelu Lukaku, Daniel Sturridge and Rudy Gestede.

4 = Matchweek 26, 2003/04

Goals: 41
Average Goals Per Game 4.1
UK Number One: With a Little Help From My Friends, Sam & Mark

High scoring draws pulled up February 2004's goal average. Southampton and Everton played out a thrilling 3-3, a fresh faced Wayne Rooney bagging a brace either side of a Duncan Ferguson goal for the Toffees.

Spurs and Leicester shared eight goals in a stunning 4-4 draw; the Lilywhites led 3-1, the then Foxes 4-3, and Jermaine Defoe grabbed an 89th minute equaliser in a chaotic 90 minutes at White Hart Lane. There was also a spot of role reversal on Leicester's behalf, as striker James Scowcroft was sent off and notorious hard man Ben Thatcher was on the scoresheet.

4 = Matchweek 15, 2010/11

Goals: 41
Average Goals Per Game 4.1
UK Number One: Love You More, JLS

Eventual Golden Boot winner Dimitar Berbatov hit five goals as Manchester United beat Blackburn 7-1, Chris Samba restoring a bit of pride for the visitors with an 83rd minute consolation. We don't reckon he urgently grabbed the ball out of the net and charged back to the half way line.

Most unexpected brace of the matchday goes to Aston Villa centre back Ciaran Clark during his side's 4-2 defeat to Arsenal, while West Brom claim the most unexpected victory award after a crushing 4-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park. Mikel Arteta was 2010's answer to Kieran Gibbs after he saw red for a stamp on Gonzalo Jara.

4 = Matchweek 20, 2012/13

Goals: 41
Average Goals Per Game 4.1
UK Number One: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, The Justice Collective

Arsenal and Newcastle played out the second highest game in Premier League history to contribute nearly a quarter of the goals from this matchday in December 2012, as the Gunners ran out 7-3 winners at the Emirates, Theo Walcott grabbing a hat-trick.

The 10-men of Stoke came back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Southampton, while Norwich have clearly come on leaps and bounds at the back over the last eight years as they lost 4-3 to Manchester City, despite a Russell Martin inspired second half comeback.

3 - Matchweek 31, 2013/14

Goals: 42
Average Goals Per Game: 4.2
UK Number One: Tsunami (Jump), DVBBS & Borgeous ft Tinie Tempah

Kieran Gibbs was at it again six years ago as he saw red for Arsenal during their 6-0 defeat to Chelsea - but this time it was infamously not his fault as Andre Marriner mistakenly sent him off instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Jordon Mutch scored twice during Cardiff's 6-3 defeat to Liverpool, but wasn't even the most surprising brace-grabber of the game, let alone the matchday, as Martin Skrtel netted a double for the Reds.

2 - Matchweek 26, 2010/11

Goals: 43
Average Goals Per Game: 4.3
UK Number One: We R Who We R, Kesha

Naturally the second highest scoring matchday in Premier League history involved Blackpool. Ian Holloway's infectious Tangerine Army fell to a 5-3 defeat against Everton, having led 3-2 with 25 minutes left to play. Louis Saha netted four times for the Toffees - he only scored seven times all season.

But this matchday is really famed for the remarkable 4-4 draw between Newcastle and Arsenal, as the Gunners surrendered a 4-0 half time lead, Joey Barton dispatched two penalties and Cheick Tiote scored an absolute banger. Wigan and Blackburn also played out a 4-3 thriller, but this wasn't even the second best game of the weekend.

1 - Matchweek 42, 1992/93

Goals: 53
Average Goals Per Game: 4.82
UK Number One: Five Live, George Michael & Queen

This being the inaugural Premier League season, there were still 22 teams in the top flight and an extra game every week, hence the extortionate number of goals. Every team was on the same page during the goal-happy final day of the 1992/1993 campaign - apart from Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn, who could only muster a 1-0.

George Michael and Queen correctly predicted how many times Everton would score against Manchester City, as the Toffees recorded a 5-2 victory over the pre-Sheikh Mansour Citizens.

Oldham completed their great escape with a dramatic 4-3 win over Southampton, Liverpool beat Spurs 6-2 and both Middlesbrough and Norwich and Coventry and Leeds played out 3-3 draws. They don't make matchdays like they did in the 90s anymore.