January 23 – Premier League action saw strong crowd turnout across the board, bar disappointments in Sheffield and Burnley, as the league geared up for the return of some of its finest players.
Unsurprisingly, Newcastle United top the list for percentage capacity filled for the tenth straight fixture at St James’s Park. Only 115 seats were left cold for the high-profile clash, which saw the Toon surrender their lead to a revamped Manchester City, as Kevin De Bruyne returned after months sidelined with injury.
The Belgian reminded the division why he’s regarded as one of the very best, dominating in his 25-minute cameo to completely reshape the game.
On the flip side, Sheffield United recorded the lowest percentage capacity of the week with a record-low score of just 90.9%. Throughout the season, the Blades have frequented the bottom of the attendance rankings – not helped by their position at the foot of the Premier League table.
Manchester United recorded the largest crowd of the week as 73,410 fans piled into Old Trafford to witness their side’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Spurs, which marked Rasmus Hojlund’s second goal in two games and Marcus Rashford’s return to home goalscoring after a six-month hiatus.
Brentford achieved an impressive 99% capacity score as 17,077 fans welcomed Ivan Toney back after serving his suspension for breaking the Premier League’s betting rules last year. Fuelled by talisman Toney’s return, Brentford picked up valuable points against Nottingham Forest- the first points claimed since the side’s victory over Luton Town at the start of December.
The Premier League returns on Tuesday January 30 as Nottingham Forest host title hopefuls Arsenal. League leaders Liverpool will be hoping to extend their unbeaten streak versus Chelsea on the Wednesday night, whilst Manchester City take on Burnley with the hope of narrowing the gap to first.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1714623474labto1714623474ofdlr1714623474owedi1714623474sni@g1714623474niwe.1714623474yrrah1714623474