Ranked: The 10 Highest-Scoring Boxing Days in Premier League History
The winter chill might bite, but the Premier League’s return on Boxing Day is like a blazing hearth warming the hearts of football fans across England and the rest of the world. This festive tradition has been a cornerstone of British culture for decades, offering a jam-packed schedule of matches when Europe huddles indoors.
But it wasn’t always this way. The full-blown Boxing Day extravaganza we know and love only kicked off in the 2000s. Before then, Christmas Day often stole the show, leaving us with just the occasional Boxing Day fixture. Thankfully, those days are gone, and now we get a footballing feast fit for the festive season.
So, let’s get into the archives and unearth the top ten highest-scoring Boxing Days in Premier League history, a journey bursting with goals, drama, and the kind of festive spirit that makes football so very special.
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100% WELCOME BONUS UP TO ₦207.50010. 2010 – A Steady Stream of Strikes (20 goals)
No single match truly stole the limelight on Boxing Day 2010, but this year was all about consistency. Every game in the seven fixtures saw at least two goals, and only three teams went goalless. It might not have been a fireworks show, but it was a steady stream of festive cheer and earned a place in the top ten highest-scoring Boxing Days in Premier League history.
9 2016 – Pep’s Baptism by Fire (21 goals)
For Pep Guardiola, his first Boxing Day baptism of fire saw Manchester City cruise to a routine 3-0 win over Hull City. But City’s goals were merely an accompanying act in a day, averaging a respectable 2.625 strikes per game, with West Ham’s 4-1 win at Swansea the highest-scoring game.
8. 2004 & 2006 – Contrasting Tales, Common Goal Tally (22 goals)
These years share eighth place in the top ten highest-scoring Boxing Days in Premier League history, but their narratives couldn’t be more different. 2004 was saved by Liverpool’s 5-0 demolition of West Brom and a thrilling 2-2 draw between Blackburn and Newcastle, while nine teams remained frustratingly quiet. 2006 offered Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Reading as the main attraction, along with Birmingham’s surprise 2-1 win over Blackburn.
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Boosted odds on TOP events every day7. 2015 – A Day of Joy and Sorrow (23 goals)
For some, Boxing Day 2015 was a bitter pill to swallow. Stoke City’s 2-0 upset of Manchester United and Southampton’s 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal left Gooners and Red Devils with scars that cold beers couldn’t soothe. On a Boxing Day ablaze with 23 goals, Cuco Martina’s thunderous volley from distance still echoes in the minds of Saints fans, a reminder that Boxing Day can rewrite the script.
6. 2001 – Ten Games (24 goals)
Boxing Day 2001 offered the full complement of ten games which accounts for why it features in the list of the highest-scoring Boxing Days in Premier League history. The ten games produced an average of 2.4 goals per game. Six one-sided encounters kept the scoreboard ticking, with highlights including West Ham’s 4-0 win over Derby and Sunderland’s 3-0 triumph at Blackburn Rovers. Fulham and Charlton Athletic played out a goalless stalemate, resulting in the only scoreless match of the day.
5. 2008 & 2012 – Different Feasts, Same Delicious Result (25 goals)
Both years delivered the same number of goals on Boxing Day, but 2012, with just nine games, packed more punch, delivering a goals-per-game ratio of 2.78 compared to 2008’s 2.5. Arsenal and Villa Park played out a 2-2 thriller in 2008, while Manchester United’s 4-3 win over Newcastle was the main course in 2012.
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Give a boost to your next sports bet4. 2014 – No Draws, No Blowouts, Pure Competition (27 goals)
Every team seemed determined to get on the scoresheet on Boxing Day 2014, with sixteen of the twenty finding the net. Four 3-1s ensured goals were in good supply, with both Manchester clubs, Hull City and Southampton, scoring three goals in their respective victories.
3. When the Goals Came in Flurry and Fury (28 Goals)
2021 might steal the crown for sheer entertainment, but 2005 offers a close second. In 2021, six games produced an eye-catching 28 goals, an average of 4.67 per match! Brighton’s 2-0 win over Brentford was the quiet corner, while Leicester were battered 6-3 by Manchester City in a goal-fest for the ages. Arsenal joined the party with a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich, and Southampton edged West Ham 3-2 in a London Stadium thriller.
Sixteen years earlier, Boxing Day 2005 also offered its own brand of festive fireworks as one of the highest-scoring Boxing Days in Premier League history. Wigan’s 4-3 victory over Manchester City remains a Boxing Day classic, while Fulham’s 3-2 defeat of Chelsea in a West London Derby proved there was drama to be found everywhere.
2. 2000, 2007, 2013, 2017 & 2018 – The 29-Goal Club
29 seems to be the magic number for Boxing Day goalfests, with five years sharing this prestigious podium. The year 2000 was when the first full round of Boxing Day fixtures was organised and delivered a classic. Chelsea and Aston Villa’s eight-goal thriller in 2007, complete with three red cards and late drama, might just be the greatest Boxing Day game ever played in Premier League history.
2013 saw a top-of-the-table clash between Manchester City and Liverpool add its chapter to the Boxing Day saga, while 2017 boasts the best goals-per-game ratio of the lot (3.625). Finally, 2018 kept the scoring tradition alive, with Everton’s 5-1 win at Burnley and Tottenham’s 5-0 thrashing of Bournemouth proving that the Premier League’s love affair with Boxing Day goals shows no signs of fading.
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300% First Deposit Bonus up to ₦145600 1. 2002 & 2003 – Back-to-Back Champions, Crowned in Goals (31 Goals)
And the undisputed champions of Premier League Boxing Day goals, with a staggering 31 goals apiece, are 2002 and 2003. These back-to-back years are etched in Boxing Day history as goal fests of epic proportions where the net seemed like Father Christmas’ sack, eager to swallow any ball that came its way.
While 2002 had one goalless draw at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Southampton, Bolton’s 4-3 win over Newcastle was the day’s standout fixture. 2003 saw four goalless draws, but the high-scoring clashes between Charlton and Chelsea (4-2) and Manchester United and Everton (3-2) ensured the day remained firmly in the pantheon of Boxing Day greats with an incredible 31 goals.
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100% Welcome Bonus Up to ₦50.000So there you have it – the ten highest-scoring Boxing Days in Premier League history, a testament to the league’s attacking spirit and the magic that unfolds on this special day. A reminder that even in the depths of winter, the beautiful game can blossom into something truly magical.
