Manchester City host Sunderland with aim of matching visitors' unique home record
By Brian Sears
30 March 2012
Manchester City have won all 15 of their 15 home games in the Premier League this season, and remain on course to become only the second top-division team in 124 years of English league football history to win all their home games in a season.
The only other time it has happened was in the 1891-92 season, when Sunderland won all their 13 home games in the First Division, on their way to the title.
Coincidentally, Sunderland are the next team to visit City, this weekend, and therefore represent the next hurdle City must overcome to stay on course for the record.
Statistical history in the Premier League era suggests Sunderland as visitors tomorrow might be a blessing for City; Sunderland are the team against whom City have the best home record in the Premier League era.
City have won all seven of their meetings at home against Sunderland.
Of City's 15 homes wins this season, two have been won by four clear goals, six by three, two by two and three by just the one.
The closest any Premier League club has come to a clean sweep of home wins was Chelsea in 2005-06, when they won 18 games of 19 and drew the other one 1-1 with Charlton; and Manchester United last season when they won 18 times and drew 2-2 with West Brom.
City's four games left at The Etihad stadium are against Sunderland (on Saturday), then against West Brom and Unitd in April, and then against QPR on the final Sunday of the campaign.
Historically the Sunderland game should be the easiest of the four as they have won all the previous seven home Premier League games against the Black Cats. Here's how they did that:
23 Aug 2000 Man City 4 Sunderland 2
21 Apr 2003 Man City 3 Sunderland 0
5 Mar 2006 Man City 2 Sunderland 1
5 Nov 2007 Man City 1 Sunderland 0
22 Mar 2009 Man City 1 Sunderland 0
19 Dec 2009 Man City 4 Sunderland 3
3 Apr 2011 Man City 5 Sunderland 0
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In our graphic below you can see how City have averaged the full three points at home against Sunderland, Stoke and Swansea in the Premier League era, average 1.75 points against QPR, 1.6 points against West Brom, and averaged one point per game against United.
City's current run of 20 consecutive home league wins is already a Premier League record. One more will equal Liverpool's 21 straight home wins across two seasons in 1972, and two more will beat it.
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