THE North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur rightfully took top billing for last weekend’s round of English Premier League (EPL) fixtures, but it was Newcastle United that ended up stealing the headlines with a jaw-dropping 8-0 thumping of Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

It was a record-breaking feat in more ways than one. That was the Magpies (Newcastle’s nickname) biggest away win in their 131-year history. They also became the first EPL team to have eight different players on the scoresheet. For poor Sheffield United, it was their heaviest-ever league defeat and a result they will want to quickly forget.

Newcastle’s eight-goal haul wasn’t the largest ever, though. In the 31 years since the EPL was formed, there have been just five occasions when a club has scored nine goals in a single match. BT Weekend goes back in time to take a closer look at these incredibly one-sided scorelines.

Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich Town (Mar 1995)

Ipswich beat Manchester United 3-2 earlier in the season, so there were expectations that a Red Devils side – deprived of the services of the suspended Eric Cantona and still smarting from a shock loss to lowly Everton a week prior – would be in for another close fight.

In the end, it was second-placed United, chasing Blackburn Rovers for the title, that put on a scoring masterclass at Old Trafford.

Andy Cole – who had been misfiring since his then-British record transfer from Newcastle two months ago – netted five times past a hapless Ipswich goalkeeper Craig Forrest, with Roy Keane, Mark Hughes (two) and Paul Ince all scoring too.

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Ipswich would go on to be relegated at the end of the season, while United huffed and puffed but ultimately came up short in their quest to overtake Blackburn at the summit.

Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic (Nov 2009)

It would be more than 14 years later before another team managed nine goals in England’s top division and that honour went to Tottenham, who battered Wigan into submission from start to finish.

Jermaine Defoe was the hero of the night with five goals, all in the second half. The other Spurs scorers were Peter Crouch, Aaron Lennon, Niko Kranjcar and an own goal from Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, who was let down by some pretty atrocious defending time and again.

Tottenham would go on to finish fourth that season and earn a place in the Champions League. Wigan ended the campaign in 16th place and avoided relegation, along with the dubious distinction of having the worst goal difference of all 20 clubs.

Southampton 0-9 Leicester City (Oct 2019)

It was Leicester that finally equalled Manchester United’s 9-0 scoreline that stood for 24 years, and what’s more impressive is that they did so away from home. This was, and still is, the largest away victory in the EPL, and the victims were Southampton, who had to endure a chastening evening in front of their own supporters at a rainswept St Mary’s Stadium.

The outstanding performers for the Foxes (Leicester’s nickname) were Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez, who both bagged hat-tricks. Southampton were a man down even before the first Leicester goal went in as Ryan Bertrand was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Perez. That opened the floodgates for Leicester, whose other scorers that day were Ben Chilwell, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison.

Manchester United 9-0 Southampton (Feb 2021)

Barely 15 months after that shellacking by Leicester, Southampton suffered the ignominy of another nine-goal thrashing, this time to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Saints (Southampton’s nickname) didn’t do themselves any favours as they saw Alexandre Jankewitz receive his marching orders after only two minutes. Jan Bednarek also saw red in the latter stages, capping off a miserable performance for the midfielder as he also scored an own goal.

With the advantage in personnel on the pitch, the Red Devils began the onslaught. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani netted in the first half, and four teammates – Anthony Martial (two), Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes and Daniel James – joined them in a blistering 21-minute second-half spell. 

Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth (Aug 2022)

The last EPL team to join the exclusive “9-0 club” was Liverpool a year ago, when they put newly promoted Bournemouth to the sword at Anfield.

The crowd had barely settled into their seats when Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott scored in the first five minutes, the latter being a long-range strike from outside the box.

Trent Alexander-Arnold joined in on the act with another shot from distance, while Roberto Firmino claimed a brace of goals. A Virgil van Dijk header, another Diaz goal, a volley by Fabio Carvalho, and an own goal from Chris Mepham compounded Bournemouth’s misery.

The Cherries (Bournemouth’s nickname) would have the final word last season, though, as they shocked Liverpool 1-0 in the return fixture in March this year.