The Premier League this season is jam-packed with headlines throughout the table. At the summit, Arsenal continue to march toward their first title in 22 years, with their last-gasp victory against Wolves helping them cling to their two-point lead in the title race. Reigning champions Liverpool, meanwhile, have imploded spectacularly, with the Reds currently way down in seventh in the table amid a civil war between manager Arne Slot and talisman Mohamed Salah.
Wolves’ Woes Continue
However, one team in particular is having a truly disastrous time: Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolves have picked up just two points all season, with that recent loss at Arsenal their 14th out of 16 so far this season, arguably their most painful of the lot. After finding a late equalizer through striker Toru Arokodare at the Emirates, the Black Country outfit looked to be on course for a precious point. Instead, however, they would concede in the 94th minute, thanks to a Yerson Mosquera own goal, Wolves’ second of the game.
While the 2-1 final score saw the Gunners celebrate long into the night, Wolves are now cut even further adrift at the foot of the Premier League table. They are currently winless through 16 games, with just two points to their name, and are already a whopping 14 points away from safety. As a result, it’s unsurprising that online betting sites are fearing the worst.
The latest Bovada live betting odds currently make Wolves a whopping 1/7 shot to finish bottom of the table come next May. Not only that, but they are also on course for the lowest points total ever recorded, as well as the lowest total posted at Christmas. But what’s the current record for the lowest points haul ever amassed by December 25th, a season’s typical halfway point? Let’s take a look.
Global Events Hand Sheffield United Unwanted Record
Sheffield United’s 2020/21 Premier League campaign was an unmitigated disaster. The Blades were actually thriving in the English top flight the year prior, sitting on the brink of a famous European qualification before global events saw the 2019/20 season interrupted. When the campaign resumed, it did so without United’s prized asset, their raucous Bramall Lane crowd, and performances plummeted as a result.
Without that thunderous Steel City backing, United looked like a shadow of their former selves. They wouldn’t win a single game before Christmas in the 2020/21 season, picking up just two draws and 14 defeats, leaving their total of two points the lowest ever registered. They would have to wait until their 18th game of the season before claiming their first win, a 1-0 home victory against Newcastle, courtesy of captain Billy Sharp’s second-half penalty.
As the season progressed, the Blades would improve somewhat, winning six more games throughout the second half of the season. They were still relegated with a whimper, though, finishing cut adrift at the bottom of the table, 16 points away from safety.
Newly Promoted Sunderland Endure Disastrous Top Flight Return
Sunderland’s return to the Premier League this season has been one of the feel-good stories of the campaign. Despite being odds-on for relegation in pre-season, the Black Cats have defied expectations as we approach the halfway point, with their recent 1-0 victory against archrivals Newcastle at the Stadium of Light securing 8th in the table. Two decades prior, however, their return to the Premier League wasn’t quite the same success story.
The Wearside club had won the Championship title in 2004/05 in spectacular fashion, amassing 94 points off the back of brilliance from stars such as Marcus Stewart, Stephen Elliot, and Liam Lawrence. Their Premier League tilt was a much more humbling experience.
The Black Cats lost all but three of their 17 games prior to Christmas in the 2005/06 season under manager Mick McCarthy. Their total of five points was the lowest ever recorded by the 25th at that time. By the time the campaign had come to an end, Sunderland had just three wins to their name, and their 15 points were the lowest total ever recorded, until Derby County set new lows two years later.
New Millennium Ends Sheffield Wednesday’s Golden Era
The 1990s will forever be remembered as the greatest era in the history of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. The Owls featured in the Premier League in all but one season that decade, even winning the League Cup in 1991 with a famous 1-0 win against Manchester United at Wembley. But by the end of the decade and indeed the century, things had taken a turn for the worse at Hillsborough.
A 12th-place finish in 1998/99 had Wednesday supporters dreaming big, but the following season couldn’t have gone any worse. Despite boasting stars such as Niclas Alexandersson, the Owls managed to win just one of their 17 games before Christmas en route to a record low points total of just six. In 13 of those opening games, they wouldn’t even score a goal.
Come the end of the season, it came as no surprise to see the South Yorkshire club relegated. They haven’t returned to the top flight since.
