The Premier League has seen quite a few exhilarating fixtures since its inception in 1992.
Most of the time, a recreation begins with 22 gamers on the pitch and finishes with the identical quantity. Nonetheless, we’ve not too long ago seen video games ending with a major discount in numbers – significantly for the reason that introduction of VAR.
However what top-flight video games have obtained probably the most playing cards within the Premier League’s historical past? We’ve delved into the stats to search out out the league’s ugliest fixtures. For this record, we think about gamers to have been booked twice as receiving three playing cards (2 yellows, 1 pink).
Chelsea’s current win over Bournemouth not too long ago made the headlines for the unsuitable causes, with referee Anthony Taylor handing out a report 14 yellow playing cards – a brand new Premier League report. Solely three matches can declare to have seen as many bookings – right here is the complete record:
Premier League matches with probably the most playing cards |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank |
Match |
Date |
Yellow playing cards |
Pink playing cards |
1 |
Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea |
Sep 2024 |
14 |
0 |
2 |
Tottenham 2-1 Sheff Utd |
Sep 2023 |
13 |
1 |
3 |
Leeds 0-0 Chelsea |
Oct 1998 |
13 |
1 |
4 |
Newcastle 2-0 Everton |
Feb 1995 |
12 |
2 |
5 |
Everton 2-3 Liverpool |
Apr 2001 |
12 |
1 |
6 |
Southampton 2-3 Wimbledon |
Dec 1994 |
12 |
1 |
7 |
Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool |
Sep 2023 |
11 |
2 |
8 |
Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa |
Dec 2020 |
11 |
2 |
9 |
Liverpool 3-1 Everton |
Mar 2006 |
11 |
2 |
10 |
Everton 2-2 Newcastle |
Sep 2003 |
11 |
2 |
11 |
Arsenal 1-2 Leeds |
Aug 2001 |
11 |
2 |
12 |
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal |
Nov 1999 |
11 |
2 |
13 |
West Ham 2-1 Arsenal |
Oct 1999 |
11 |
2 |
13
West Ham 2-1 Arsenal (Oct 1999)
11 yellows, 2 reds
An all-London basic noticed two sides fairly actually come to blows again in October 1999, a time when Harry Redknapp was joined by Frank Lampard Sr within the West Ham dugout.
4 of the yellow playing cards had been awarded to Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira and the Hammers’ Marc-Vivien Foe alone, with a complete of 11 yellows brandished at Upton Park, the place the Gunners failed to beat a Paolo Di Canio brace – whereas outnumbering the Hammers’ cautions by 7 to six.
Davor Suker’s 77th-minute strike supplied the Gunners a glimmer of hope, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient for Arsene Wenger’s aspect in a season after they would go on to complete second, 18 factors behind Manchester United.
West Ham playing cards |
Arsenal playing cards |
---|---|
Steve Lomas booked |
Martin Keown booked |
Marc Vivien-Foe booked (x2) |
Gilles Grimandi booked |
John Moncur booked |
Patrick Vieira booked (x2) |
Paulo Wanchope booked |
Dennis Bergkamp booked |
Thierry Henry booked |
12
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal (Nov 1999)
11 yellows, 2 reds
Simply 5 weeks after their action-packed defeat to West Ham, Arsenal had been concerned in one other feisty affair in opposition to their even-bigger rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
It was Spurs’ final league victory at White Hart Lane in opposition to the Gunners for 11 years, till April 2010.
The guests picked up a lot of the playing cards, with Freddie Ljungberg seeing a straight pink after taking subject with a problem from Justin Edinburgh (he later aimed a V signal at referee David Elleray) and Martin Keown taking a stroll after a second yellow in added time.
Steffen Iversen and Tim Sherwood scored two early targets for Spurs and Arsenal may solely supply certainly one of their very own via Vieira.
Tottenham playing cards |
Arsenal playing cards |
---|---|
Stephen Carr booked |
Lee Dixon booked |
Justin Edinburgh booked |
Martin Keown booked (x2) |
Oyvind Leonhardsen booked |
Patrick Vieira booked |
Stephen Clemence booked |
Freddie Ljungberg despatched off |
Emmanuel Petit booked |
|
Dennis Bergkamp booked |
|
Davor Suker booked |
11
Arsenal 1-2 Leeds (Aug 2001)
11 yellows, 2 reds
Arsenal followers, relaxation assured – it wasn’t anybody’s intention to characteristic three successive 2-1 defeats on this record of Premier League video games with probably the most playing cards!
We’re speaking in regards to the Gunners once more, however this time it was Leeds United who had been the extra aggressive of the 2: Lee Bowyer and Danny Mills each noticed pink after selecting up their second yellow playing cards within the ultimate quarter-hour of play.
Leeds picked up 7 of the 11 yellows that day, and bizarrely ended the sport not solely because the victors, however with over half their workforce coming via unscathed.
Ian Harte put David O’Leary’s aspect forward after 29 minutes with a cheeky fast free kick, however Arsenal equalised via Sylvain Wiltord three minutes later.
Then, in what was Arsenal’s first residence recreation of the 2001/02 season, Mark Viduka’s 53rd-minute strike despatched the away followers into bedlam and secured all three factors for Leeds.
Arsenal playing cards |
Leeds playing cards |
---|---|
Ashley Cole booked |
Danny Mills booked (x2) |
Robert Pires booked |
Olivier Dacourt booked |
Thierry Henry booked |
Lee Bowyer booked (x2) |
Francis Jeffers booked |
Eirik Bakke booked |
Alan Smith booked |
10
Everton 2-2 Newcastle (Sep 2003)
11 yellows, 2 reds
Everton’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United at Goodison Park in September 2003 noticed 4 second-half targets, three efficiently transformed penalties, a straight pink and 11 yellow playing cards.
Newcastle had but to register a Premier League win for the season, however took the lead after Gary Naysmith’s straight pink card allowed Alan Shearer to web from 12 yards within the 58th minute.
Nonetheless, the Magpies had been already right down to 10 males, as Laurent Robert had been proven a second yellow within the first half, and it took Everton simply eight minutes to equalise via Tomasz Radzinski.
Shearer scored one other penalty, however Duncan Ferguson’s spot kick salvaged some extent for the hosts with three minutes to play.
Everton playing cards |
Newcastle playing cards |
---|---|
Steve Watson booked |
Andy Griffin booked |
Alan Stubbs booked |
Olivier Bernard booked |
Gary Naysmith despatched off |
Laurent Robert booked (x2) |
Tobias Linderoth booked |
Craig Bellamy booked |
Duncan Ferguson booked |
Jermaine Jenas booked |
Francis Jeffers booked |
9
Liverpool 3-1 Everton (Mar 2006)
11 yellows, 2 reds
Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Everton in March 2006 just isn’t the one Merseyside derby to seem on this record. This was a very memorable one which featured a pink card after solely 18 minutes of play.
Steven Gerrard was the recipient of two quickfire yellows for kicking the ball away and a foul sort out on Kevin Kilbane from referee Phil Dowd at Anfield.
Six of Everton’s beginning XI had been additionally booked, whereas substitute Andy van der Meyde obtained a straight pink card within the 73rd minute for an elbow simply 5 minutes after approaching the pitch.
Luis Garcia doubled the Reds’ lead after a Phil Neville personal aim. Tim Cahill pulled one again for the guests, however Harry Kewell secured all three factors for Liverpool with six minutes remaining.
Liverpool playing cards |
Everton playing cards |
---|---|
Harry Kewell booked |
David Weir booked |
Steven Gerrard booked (x2) |
Alan Stubbs booked |
Xabi Alonso booked |
Phil Neville booked |
Tony Hibbert booked |
|
Kevin Kilbane booked |
|
Tim Cahill booked |
|
Andy van der Meyde despatched off |
|
Duncan Ferguson booked |
8
Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa (Dec 2020)
11 yellows, 2 reds
It was a Midlands derby with a distinction. Not solely was it performed in entrance of no followers, however Wolves’ 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Molineux additionally witnessed one of many highest card counts in Premier League historical past.
There was little motion within the opening levels of the fixture till the ultimate 10 minutes, which noticed 5 yellow playing cards and a pink. There would observe an extra pink card and a penalty 4 minutes into added time.
Mike Dean awarded Villa a penalty within the 94th minute after Nelson Semedo introduced John McGinn down within the field, and Anwar El Ghazi transformed.
A minute later, Joao Moutinho obtained his second yellow and joined Douglas Luiz, who had accomplished the identical late on, in having an early bathe to go away each side with 10 males and little time remaining on the clock.
Wolves playing cards |
Aston Villa playing cards |
---|---|
Adama Traore booked |
Douglas Luiz booked (x2) |
Leander Dendoncker booked |
Matty Money booked |
Joao Moutinho booked (x2) |
John McGinn booked |
Matt Targett booked |
|
Ezri Konsa booked |
|
Jack Grealish booked |
7
Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool (Sep 2023)
11 yellows, 2 reds
Spurs’ 2-1 victory over Liverpool final season was some of the controversial and dramatic video games in recent times; it was memorable for quite a few causes. It fairly actually had every thing.
A straight pink, three targets – together with a 96th-minute personal aim – 12 yellow playing cards and a aim that was incorrectly disallowed.
The referees’ physique, PGMOL, formally apologised after the sport for incorrectly ruling Luis Diaz’s first-half strike as offside.
Apart from the three targets and Joel Matip’s personal aim, which gifted Spurs the victory, this Premier League thriller was additionally full of playing cards.
Curtis Jones was handed a straight pink, whereas Diogo Jota joined him within the dressing room after selecting up two yellows contained in the house of a minute within the second half.
Tottenham playing cards |
Liverpool playing cards |
---|---|
Future Udogie booked |
Curtis Jones despatched off |
Yves Bissouma booked |
Alexis Mac Allister booked |
Cristian Romero booked |
Mohamed Salah booked |
Pedro Porro booked |
Diogo Jota booked (x2) |
Alejo Veliz booked |
Andy Robertson booked |
Virgil van Dijk booked |
6
Southampton 2-3 Wimbledon (Dec 1994)
12 yellows, 1 pink
A five-goal Boxing Day thriller between Southampton and Wimbledon within the 1994/95 season was full of loads of festive playing cards.
Solely two factors separated the 2 sides going into the fixture, with each groups in mid-table. Regardless of this, the visiting Dons had been simply three factors above the drop, with 4 golf equipment happening that season.
Nonetheless, with the groups all sq. on the break, it was Wimbledon who stole all three factors via a Dean Holdsworth penalty within the 72nd minute.
12 yellow playing cards had been dished out through the 90 minutes, with Wimbledon’s Andy Thorn being despatched off for his second yellow of the afternoon.
Southampton playing cards |
Wimbledon playing cards |
---|---|
Jason Dodd booked |
Chris Perry booked |
David Hughes booked |
Andy Thorn booked (x2) |
Tommy Widdrington booked |
Gary Elkins booked |
Jim Magilton booked |
Efan Ekoku booked |
Iain Dowie booked |
Mick Harford booked |
Dean Holdsworth booked |
5
Everton 2-3 Liverpool (Apr 2001)
12 yellows, 1 pink
Onto a fixture the place you’ll anticipate to see an abundance of playing cards on show. It was some of the memorable Merseyside derbies of all time in April 2001 when Gary McAllister’s unbelievable free-kick noticed Liverpool win at Goodison Park for the primary time since 1990.
Emile Heskey opened the scoring for the guests, bagging his twenty first aim of the season after simply 5 minutes. Duncan Ferguson and Markus Babbel then exchanged targets earlier than Robbie Fowler smacked the submit with a penalty.
Everton thought they’d secured some extent when David Unsworth’s penalty made it 2-2, however McAllister’s stunner within the fourth minute of stoppage time snatched a win for the Reds.
So as to add to the drama, Igor Biscan noticed pink after 77 minutes along with his second yellow of the sport, and 10 different yellow playing cards had been handed out from the ninth minute, proper up till the 94th.
Everton playing cards |
Liverpool playing cards |
---|---|
Michael Ball booked |
Igor Biscan booked (x2) |
Duncan Ferguson booked |
Dietmar Hamann booked |
Richard Gough booked |
Jamie Carragher booked |
Paul Gerrard booked |
Gary McAllister booked |
David Unsworth booked |
Stephane Henchoz booked |
Niclas Alexandersson booked |
4
Newcastle 2-0 Everton (Feb 1995)
12 yellows, 2 reds
Everton obtained a complete of 9 yellow playing cards on their go to to St James’ Park in February 1995. Two of these led to a pink for Earl Barrett, who was making his debut after a transfer from Aston Villa, and Barry Horne, who made the stroll to the dressing room only a minute later.
Newcastle scored their targets via Ruel Fox and a Peter Beardsley penalty. The Toon would go on to complete sixth that yr and Everton ended fifteenth, albeit with an FA Cup triumph to cap the season.
Newcastle playing cards |
Everton playing cards |
---|---|
Robbie Elliott booked |
Neville Southall booked |
Rob Lee booked |
David Unsworth booked |
Peter Beardsley booked |
David Burrows booked |
Earl Barrett booked (x2) |
|
Joe Parkinson booked |
|
Barry Horne booked (x2) |
|
John Ebbrell booked |
3
Leeds 0-0 Chelsea (Oct 1998)
13 yellows, 1 pink
Goalless attracts are normally dubbed as boring, however while you’ve obtained 13 yellow playing cards and a pink in 90 minutes, it’s arduous to class a match as uninteresting.
Chelsea visited Leeds in October 1998 after a near-perfect begin to the season had them fourth, degree with Middlesbrough and behind Man Utd and Aston Villa. Leeds, alternatively, couldn’t cease drawing, with six of their opening 9 video games.
It was a type of video games that had every thing besides a aim, proving a microcosm of Leeds’ kind within the opening levels of the 1998/99 season.
Frank Leboeuf was despatched off within the 61st minute after receiving his second yellow card. Six different Chelsea gamers had been booked and Leeds had 5 of their very own, together with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who would signal for Chelsea two seasons later.
Leeds playing cards |
Chelsea playing cards |
---|---|
Lucas Radebe booked |
Ed de Goey booked |
Robert Molenaar booked |
Celestine Babayaro booked |
Lee Bowyer booked |
Frank Leboeuf booked (x2) |
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink booked |
Michael Duberry booked |
Clyde Wijnhard booked |
Dennis Smart booked |
Roberto Di Matteo booked |
|
Gianfranco Zola booked |
2
Tottenham 2-1 Sheff Utd (Sep 2023)
13 yellows, 1 pink
Spurs and drama within the 2023/24 season appeared to go hand in hand.
Their 2-1 victory over Sheffield United on sixteenth September 2023 had probably the most playing cards of any Premier League recreation in its historical past.
Not solely that, however from the ninetieth minute onwards, there have been 4 yellow playing cards and two targets proper up till the tenth minute of added time.
After Gustavo Hamer put the Blades forward within the 73rd minute, stoppage-time targets from Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski gave Spurs a dramatic win in a recreation the place they’d trailed to the Blades in as late because the 98th minute.
Oliver McBurnie obtained a pink card within the 114th minute of play for a second bookable offence, including insult to damage for Paul Heckingbottom’s males.
Tottenham playing cards |
Sheff Utd playing cards |
---|---|
Micky van de Ven booked |
Chris Basham booked |
James Maddison booked |
Cameron Archer booked |
Manor Solomon booked |
Wes Foderingham booked |
Yves Bissouma booked |
Oliver McBurnie booked (x2) |
Ivan Perisic booked |
Jack Robinson booked |
Richarlison booked |
Tom Davies booked |
1
Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea (Sep 2024)
14 yellows, 0 reds
Plainly this time of yr may be very standard with yellow playing cards, as for the second season operating, we’ve seen a record-breaking match when it comes to cautions issued at this specific juncture of the league marketing campaign.
The scene this time round was the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, when an in any other case uneventful conflict between the Cherries and Chelsea noticed referee Anthony Taylor dish out yellow playing cards to 14 gamers – greater than in another Premier League match.
Six Bournemouth gamers and eight from the guests had been on the receiving finish of Taylor’s wrath, together with Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who conceded a penalty, which he would find yourself saving from Evanilson.
A yellow for Antoine Semenyo within the sixth minute of added time made historical past, albeit not for the most effective of causes.
Bournemouth playing cards |
Chelsea playing cards |
---|---|
Ryan Christie booked |
Wesley Fofana booked |
Lewis Prepare dinner booked |
Marc Cucurella booked |
Adam Smith booked |
Robert Sanchez booked |
Justin Kluivert booked |
Nicolas Jackson booked |
Marcos Senesi booked |
Levi Colwill booked |
Antoine Semenyo booked |
Jadon Sancho booked |
Renato Veiga booked |
|
Joao Felix booked |