Premier League Drama: Record-Breaking Late Goals and Arsenal's Corner Mastery

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October 2, 2025

This weekend delivered a remarkable spectacle in the Premier League, featuring an unprecedented number of late goals and Arsenal's continued dominance from set pieces. As Liverpool, Napoli, and Real Madrid all saw their perfect league records crumble, the drama in England's top flight reached fever pitch with eight stoppage-time goals across Matchday 6.

The Late, Late Show: A Weekend of Drama

As Lenny Kravitz famously sang, "it ain't over 'til it's over" - a sentiment that perfectly captured this weekend's Premier League action.

Liverpool discovered this the hard way at Selhurst Park. After scoring 90th-minute goals in three of their first four league games, the Reds were on the receiving end when Eddie Nketiah struck a dramatic 97th-minute winner for Crystal Palace, handing Liverpool their first defeat of the season.

The theme was established early in the weekend when Brentford's Mathias Jensen sealed a 3-1 home victory over Manchester United in the 95th minute. Erling Haaland's second goal in Manchester City's 5-1 demolition of Burnley came in the 93rd minute, while Brighton stunned Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge with two stoppage-time strikes.

Eli Junior Kroupi broke Leeds hearts with a 93rd-minute equalizer for Bournemouth at Elland Road, and João Palhinha rescued a point for Tottenham against Wolves in the 95th minute. The weekend concluded with Gabriel Magalhães heading home a 96th-minute winner for Arsenal at Newcastle United.

Historic Numbers

The eight goals scored in second-half stoppage time during Matchday 6 represents the second-highest total on record (since 2006-07) in Premier League history, trailing only Matchday 27 of the 2023-24 season, which saw 10 such goals.

The statistics reveal a fascinating trend. After six matchdays, 21 of the 157 Premier League goals (13.4%) have come in the 90th minute or later - a remarkable increase from the highest full-season percentage of 9% recorded in 2023-24.

Even more striking, eight of 43 match-winning goals this season (18.5%) have been scored in stoppage time. The previous highest percentage for a full Premier League campaign was just 9.1%, also set in 2023-24.

Whether this trend continues remains to be seen, but fans who leave games early to beat traffic are seriously risking missing game-defining moments.

Arsenal's Corner Supremacy

Sunday's dramatic finale at St. James' Park potentially marked a defining moment for Arsenal's title challenge. All three goals in the match came from corners, with Newcastle taking the lead through Nick Woltemade's first-half header from a short corner routine.

Arsenal responded with their own short corner in the 84th minute, Mikel Merino heading home the equalizer. Then, deep into stoppage time, Gabriel rose highest to nod home Martin Ødegaard's corner for a dramatic winner.

The Gunners have now scored six goals from corners in six Premier League games this season - more than any other team and at least twice as many as everyone except Chelsea (5). This dominance is nothing new.

Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Arsenal have scored 36 goals from corners in the Premier League - at least 15 more than any other team. Only Chelsea (21), Tottenham (21), Liverpool (20), and Everton (20) have even reached 20 goals during this period. In fact, only those four teams plus West Ham (19) have scored even half as many as Arsenal.

Excluding own goals, Arsenal have converted 32 goals from 28.1 expected goals (xG) from corners during this timeframe, demonstrating remarkable efficiency.

The Numbers Behind Arsenal's Set-Piece Success

This season, Arsenal have taken 45 corners in the Premier League - at least four more than any other team - with Declan Rice delivering more than half (24). From those corners, 18 shots on goal have occurred, and six have found the net.

The math is simple but staggering: Arsenal are creating an attempt on goal from more than a third of their attacking corners, and a third of those attempts result in goals. They're now averaging a goal from a corner every league game.

Arsenal's approach is remarkably varied. Their corners are distributed almost equally between near post and far post deliveries, with nearly half (49%) targeting the central area within 12 yards of the goal, where their taller players can attack the ball.

This weekend, Arsenal face West Ham - a team that has already conceded eight goals from corners in their first six Premier League games, matching their entire total from last season. The Hammers' defense will need to be at its absolute best to contain Arsenal's set-piece threat.

Looking Ahead

While Arsenal's rate of scoring from every corner may not be sustainable throughout an entire season, their threat from set pieces - evident for several years now - is clearly becoming even more potent. Combined with the league-wide trend of late drama, Premier League fans are being treated to an exceptionally entertaining campaign.

For betting enthusiasts, these trends offer valuable insights. Late goals are occurring at historic rates, making in-play betting particularly intriguing. Meanwhile, Arsenal's corner proficiency should be factored into any handicap or total goals markets involving the Gunners.

As we move deeper into the season, the question remains: will these patterns continue, or will they normalize? One thing is certain - this season promises to deliver drama until the final whistle, and often well beyond it.

Thanks to Stats Perform for the data

Photo: ghettoradio.co.

More information:24live.com