The Premier League produces incredible drama every week and plenty of that entertainment comes in the form of red cards.
Whether they were shin-breakers back in the 1990s courtesy of Vinnie Jones or Stuart Pearce or VAR-aided dismissals in the 21st century, referees are never too far away from giving players their marching orders in England's top flight.
Liverpool started the 2023/24 season in impressive red card form, having four players sent off in their first seven games, but how many more ejections will Jurgen Klopp's side need to break the Premier League record for most sending offs in a single season?
What is the Premier League record for red cards in a single season?
This particular unwanted record goes to two teams: Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers. Both sides collected nine red cards in the 2009/10 and 2011/12 seasons respectively, meaning they found themselves with fewer players than their opponents in roughly a quarter of the games they played throughout the Premier League season.
Despite receiving nine reds in 2009/10, Sunderland remarkably finished 13th in the Premier League under Steve Bruce. Eight different players were sent off with Michael Turner the only man to receive his marching orders on two separate occasions, with the likes of Lee Cattermole, Lorik Cana and Alan Hutton among the guilty players.
Similarly, QPR also managed to beat the drop during the 2011/12 season, albeit only doing so on the final day in the famous 3-2 defeat at Manchester City. Joey Barton summed up QPR's disciplinary attitude on that day, getting sent off and proceeding to knee Sergio Aguero, attempt to headbutt Vincent Kompany and try to square up to Mario Balotelli before eventually leaving the field.
Some clubs have come close to this record in the past, with four sides accumulating eight red cards in a single campaign. They include Newcastle United in 2008/09, West Ham United in 1999/00, Blackburn Rovers in 1998/99 and Leicester City in 1994/95. Of those four teams, only West Ham managed to avoid relegation, doing so in style by finishing an impressive ninth.
12 sides have picked up seven reds in a single campaign before, with Everton doing so twice in 2002/03 and 2005/06. The likes of Bolton Wanderers, Fulham and, rather unsurprisingly, Wimbledon have also reached the total in the past.
Who are the clubs with the most red cards in Premier League history?
It’s hardly surprising that the sides that have spent the longest in the Premier League since its inception are the clubs that have built up the worst red card records.
Out of all the teams in Premier League history, it’s Everton that have the most red cards with a whopping 106. That works out at over three a season, while Arsenal are not too far behind on 103. The Gunners have finished as the club with the most red cards in a season on several occasions, which is perhaps unsurprising given Patrick Vieira and Martin Keown have a combined 14 - an alarming 13.59% of Arsenal’s Premier League total.
Newcastle follow with 92 red cards - 13 of which came in back-to-back seasons between 2013 and 2015 - while Malo Gusto’s red against Aston Villa earlier this term brought Chelsea's tally to 86. West Ham take fifth spot with 81, while Blackburn’s total of 77 is significant given they haven't been in the Premier League since 2011/12.
Manchester City (76), Tottenham Hotspur (74) and Manchester United (71) are next in line, while Diogo Jota's red against Spurs brought Liverpool into the top ten, level with Villa on 65 red cards. However, with the way things are going, the Reds may climb up the list before the season is out.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Teams with the most Premier League red cards in one season.
