Everyone knows Nick Pope has been a revelation for Newcastle United since his transfer from Burnley in the summer, with the England international completing a run of 10 clean sheets in a row in all competitions, going back to November.
It is also a celebrated fact on Tyneside that Newcastle have recorded 12 Premier League shut-outs in 20 games, conceding only 11 goals in the process. While Southampton's Che Adams ended Pope's clean sheet run in the 2-1 Carabao Cup victory in midweek, the Magpies' defence continues to be the platform on which their success is built.
But where do those clean sheets and goals-against stats place Pope and his Magpies defence next to the best-ever goalkeepers and meanest defences in the history of the Premier League?
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The answer is that Pope is on course to break a league clean sheet record in the Premier League era, while the Newcastle backline is currently the third meanest in the history of the top-flight since 1992.
The current record for most consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League belongs to Manchester United’s noughties legend Edwin Van Der Sar with 14., beginning with a 2008 win over Stoke and ended by a goal from Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz the following February.
Other notable Premier League clean sheet streaks include Chelsea’s Petr Cech with 10 (Dec 2004-Feb 2005) and Liverpool’s Alisson with seven (Dec 2019-Jan 2020).
But Newcastle’s overall defensive record this season – astonishing, given the club looked like relegation certainties 14 months ago - stands up just as well to historical scrutiny. The Magpies are unlikely to beat Chelsea’s incredible record of just 15 goals conceded in a 38-game Premier League season – in their title-winning campaign in 2004-05.
But Newcastle may have an outside chance of eclipsing Arsenal’s 1998-99 efforts, when the Gunners let in just 17 top-flight goals in 38 games.
10 MEANEST PREMIER LEAGUE DEFENCES
1: Chelsea 2004-05: Conceded 15 goals in 38 games (0.39 goals conceded per game)
2: Arsenal 1998-99: 17 goals in 38 games (0.45 per game)
3: NEWCASTLE 2022-23: 11 goals in 20 games (0.55 per game)
=4: Chelsea 2005-06, Man Utd 2007-08, Liverpool 2018-19: 22 goals in 38 games (0.58 per game)
7: Man City 2018-19: 23 goals in 38 games (0.61 per game)
=8: Chelsea 2006-07 & 2008-09, Man Utd 2008-09: 24 goals in 38 games (0.63 per game)
10: Liverpool 2005-06: 25 goals in 38 games (0.66 per game)
Our 48-page Carabao Cup final special is available to pre-order now! Click HERE to get your copy as Newcastle United prepare for a historic day out at Wembley. Also available to purchase through local participating retailers from February 15.
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