We round up the teams with the most goals conceded in a single season in the history of the Premier League.
Each season there seems to be an all-time Premier League record in the sights of one team or another – 2023/24 is no exception.
Some years, teams are gunning to break the record high points total, achieve the most wins, match the Invincibles or otherwise.
In others, the records set to be broken are less than favourable. Sheffield United are on course to break the record for the most goals conceded in a Premier League season ever – including seasons with four additional games.
After 27 games, the Blades have conceded a staggering 72 goals, boosted in recent weeks by three consecutive home defeats conceding five or more goals (5-0 to Aston Villa, 5-0 to Brighton, 6-0 to Arsenal), on top of an 8-0 thrashing by Newcastle in September.
As things stand, as of 8th March, Sheffield United are on course to concede 101 goals (2.67 goals per game), which would place them top of the charts on both metrics.
RadioTimes.com has rounded up the teams who have conceded the most Premier League goals in history.
Most goals conceded in Premier League history
* – 42-game Premier League season
5. Norwich (2021/22) – 84 (2.21 per game)
The most recent entry on the list is Norwich’s doomed campaign, which drew to a miserable close in 2022.
Daniel Farke was sacked in November and Dean Smith couldn’t do anything to prevent the decline, with the Canaries’ defence more than cancelling out Teemu Pukki’s valiant 11-goal haul up front.
Norwich’s campaign began with a 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool and 5-0 crushing away at Manchester City, setting the tone for things to come. Other lowlights included losing 7-0 to Chelsea, 5-0 to Arsenal, and 5-0 to Spurs.
4. Fulham (2013/14) – 85 (2.24 per game)
Fulham are the only team on this list not to finish bottom of the league in their miserable season.
Three managers – Martin Jol, Rene Meulensteen and Felix Magath – failed to steady the ship as the Cottagers went down in 19th place.
A low point of their season came during a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Hull City to wrap up 2013. The game was level at half time, but half an hour later, David Stockdale had shipped six goals, with a patchwork centre-back duo of left-back Jan Arne Riise and midfielder Steve Sidwell unable to prevent a whitewash.
3. Derby (2007/08) – 89 (2.34 per game)
The honour of most goals conceded during a 38-game Premier League season belongs to Derby’s Class of ’08, formally the worst team in the history of the league.
They recorded just 11 points during the season and shipped a whopping 89 goals during the campaign under Billy Davies and Paul Jewell.
Derby scored just 20 goals during the campaign to post an all-time worst goal difference of -69, with Kenny Miller their top scorer on just four strikes.
The fans suffered a 6-0 thrashing at Liverpool, 5-0 rout at Arsenal, 5-0 hammering at home against West Ham, and somehow found the time to concede six goals on three separate occasions (twice at home) in their last 10 matches of the season.
2. Ipswich (1994/95*) – 93 (2.21 per game)
Manager John Lyall – replaced by George Burley mid-season – oversaw Ipswich’s horror-show season in 1994/95 as the Tractor Boys finished 21 points off safety in the third of three 42-game seasons.
Ipswich spent every week of the season in the four-team relegation zone from Week 9 onwards.
They conceded precisely four goals on seven occasions throughout the season and conceded almost 10 per cent of their season tally in a famous 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United.
1. Swindon (1993/94*) – 100 (2.38 per game)
The second season of the Premier League era saw a record set that would remain active to this day. Swindon became the first – and still the only – team to concede 100 goals since the inception of the division.
Swindon conceded five or more goals in six games, including a 7-1 decimation by Newcastle.
Despite their gushing defence, Swindon actually stuck 30 points on the board during the course of the season, nowhere close to the lowest points total in history, even if adjusted to a 38-game season average.
That said, it’s hard to offer too much praise to a team who lost 5-0 to Leeds on the final day of the season to hit the triple-digit milestone.
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