As a follow on from my post earlier this week regarding the South Wales derby never producing a double for either side I thought I’d take a look at “the double” (the double being one side winning both home and away legs during a league season) in a slightly wider context. The statistics used in the following do not include games in the 2010/2011 season.
Most Doubles
The most played games in English football are between those clubs who have spent a long period in the top tier of English football. Everton and Aston Villa have spent ninety-five seasons together in the top flight, Manchester United and Arsenal have met each other home and away ninety-one times and the Liverpool derby has also been a fixture in the English calendar on ninety-one ocassions.
However, it is the fixture between Arsenal and Manchester City (eighty-two seasons) that has provided the largest number of doubles (33) – Arsenal (24) and Manchester City (9). In fact, Arsenal‘s 24 doubles over Manchester City is the highest number of doubles any club has won over another in the history of English league football.
Top doubles over other sides
- Arsenal over Manchester City – 24
- Liverpool over Newcastle United – 20
- Everton over Bolton Wanderers – 20
- Liverpool over Derby County – 18
- Liverpool over Aston Villa – 17
- Liverpool over Sunderland – 17
- Aston Villa over Blackburn Rovers – 17
- Wolverhampton Wanderers over Burnley – 17
- Derby County over Bolton Wanderers – 17
- Arsenal over Everton – 16
- Manchester United over Aston Villa – 16
- Manchester United over Everton – 16
- Everton vs Derby County – 16
- Arsenal vs Middlesbrough – 16
- Liverpool vs West Bromwich Albion – 16
Highest Percentage of Doubles
Wigan Athletic have played five seasons in the Premier League, and in each of those seasons Manchester United have secured a league double over the Latics.
A more interesting case is that of Carlisle United‘s relationship with doubles and Wigan Athletic. The two clubs have been in the same division on five separate occasions. And in each of those seasons one club has done the double over the other. Carlisle have done the double three times, whilst Wigan have managed it twice.
Top % of doubles in fixtures
(Only includes fixtures played in four or more seasons)
Manchester United vs Wigan Athletic – 5/5 – 100%
Carlisle United vs Wigan Athletic – 5/5 – 100%
Birmingham City vs Burton United – 7/8 – 87.5%
Burton United vs Birmingham City – 7/8 – 87.5%
Stoke City vs Wrexham – 5/6 – 83%
Stoke City vs Crewe Alexandra – 5/6 – 83%
Southend United vs Derby County – 5/6 – 83%
Leicester City vs Loughborough – 4/5 – 80%
Swansea City vs Barnet – 4/5 – 80%
Leeds United vs Scunthorpe United – 4/5 – 80%
Lincoln City vs Loughborough – 4/5 – 80%
Loughborough vs Lincoln City – 4/5 – 80%
Hull City vs Cambridge United – 6/8 – 75%
Fulham vs Leeds City – 6/8 – 75%
Mirko Bolesan 