On 23rd April 2023, Newcastle hammered Tottenham Hotspur 6-1 in the Premier League, but what made the game even more extraordinary was that the Magpies were 5-0 up after just 21 minutes. Clearly there was no way back from that for Spurs, especially as they failed to score a single goal in the first half. But it prompted us to ask the question, was the 5-0 half-time lead Newcastle enjoyed the biggest ever in the Premier League?
Biggest Leads at Half Time in the Premier League
Here are the other matches in the Premier League that have seen sides score five goals in the first half and take a handsome lead into the break.
| Date | Home | Away | Half Time Score | Full Time Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23rd Apr 2023 | Newcastle | Tottenham | 5-0 | 6-1 |
| 21st Sep 2023 | Manchester City | Watford | 5-0 | 8-0 |
| 25th Oct 2019 | Southampton | Leicester City | 0-5 | 0-9 |
| 27th Aug 2022 | Liverpool | Bournemouth | 5-0 | 9-0 |
| 3rd Apr 2010 | Burnley | Manchester City | 0-5 | 1-6 |
| 24th May 2015 | Stoke City | Liverpool | 5-0 | 6-1 |
| 8th Nov 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | Bolton Wanderers | 5-0 | 5-0 |
| 13th May 2001 | Leeds United | Bradford City | 5-1 | 6-1 |
| 25th Feb 2001 | Manchester United | Arsenal | 5-1 | 6-1 |
| 7th May 2003 | Arsenal | Southampton | 5-1 | 6-1 |
| 16th Nov 1996 | Everton | Southampton | 5-1 | 7-1 |
| 16th May 2015 | Southampton | Aston Villa | 5-1 | 6-1 |
| 25th Aug 1997 | Blackburn | Sheffield Wednesday | 5-1 | 7-2 |
So there have only been seven occasions in the Premier League when a side has been five goals up at the break, with a few more when they’ve been 5-1 to the good. Below we’ll give a few more details on some of the more notable matches mentioned.
5-0 at Half Time: Newcastle United 6-1 Tottenham Hotspur, 23rd April 2023
Newcastle wasted little time in getting ahead against Spurs: Jacob Murphy scored for the home side after just 61 seconds! With both sides vying for a top-four finish (and qualification for next season’s Champions League), this should have been a relatively even game. It proved far from it, however, as the Magpies raced into a 3-0 lead within 10 minutes of the start. They were 5-0 up after 21 minutes and Spurs looked completely shellshocked. As did pretty much everyone watching the game!
To be fair to the visitors, they did well to not concede any more goals before half time and they came out for the second half showing far more determination and ability. It ended 6-1 to Newcastle as Eddie Howe’s men took a massive step towards the Champions League and put a huge dent into Spurs’ ambitions in that regard.
5-0 at Half Time: Southampton 0-9 Leicester City, 25th October 2019
In 2019, Leicester came close to doing what no other side has ever done in the Premier League: scoring five goals in each half. They still equalled the biggest-ever Premier League win (along with Manchester United and Liverpool, who beat Ipswich Town and Bournemouth by that scoreline respectively). Both Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez scored hat-tricks against an utterly appalling Southampton side. To be fair, the Saints had to play with 10 men from the 12th minute onwards after Ryan Bertrand got sent off, but really that’s no excuse for their abject capitulation.
5-0 at Half Time: Stoke City 6-1 Liverpool, 24th May 2015
On the final day of the 2014/15 Premier League season, a Stoke City side managed by former Man United favourite Mark Hughes gave Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool a footballing lesson. Things were relatively even for the first 20 minutes or so, but Mame Biram Diouf got the opener for the home side after 22 minutes and hit a second just four minutes later. Things soon got worse for Liverpool as lifelong Evertonian Jonathan Walters made it 3-0 on the half-hour mark. Ex-Liverpool player Charlie Adam then hit number four before Steven Nzonzi scored just before the break to give the Potters a 5-0 half time lead.
This was not the way Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard had wanted things to go in what was his final appearance for the Reds. At least Gerrard got on the scoresheet, although a late Peter Crouch (another former Red) goal meant it finished 6-1 to Stoke and Liverpool’s season (and Gerrard’s Liverpool career) ended with a whimper.
5-0 at Half Time: Manchester City 8-0 Watford, 21st September 2023
Just four months after hammering Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final, the Citizens had no feelings of sympathy for their mismatched opponents when they faced them in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s men were 3-0 up within 12 minutes and 5-0 to the good with only 18 minutes on the clock. Like the other matches mentioned above, the gave was 5-0 at half time and Watford might have felt some relief that they only let in a further three goals in the second half.
Bernardo Silva got a hat-trick for City (not all in the first half though), while the other scorers were David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Riyad Mahrez, Nicolas Otamendi, Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne.
5-1 at Half Time: Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa, 16th May 2015
Southampton were managed by Dutch legend Ronald Koeman when they put Aston Villa to the sword in 2015. Like Newcastle, the Saints had scored five goals by the break, with Sadio Mane banging in the first three goals within 16 minutes of the game commencing. In fact, Mane set a new record for the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick when he scored thrice in just two minutes and 56 seconds (beating Robbie Fowler’s previous record by more than a minute and a half).
Shane Long added a first-half brace to compound Villa’s woes and really get the home fans bouncing, although Christian Benteke did sneak one back for the visitors on the stroke of half time. The match finished 6-1 thanks to a late goal from Graziano Pelle, who actually had another disallowed early in the game for offside. So really it could have been worse for Villa!
