Scoring an own goal is arguably one of the most embarrassing and gut-wrenching things that a footballer can do. Although they are usually accidental (we will get onto some purposeful own goals later), they are still immensely painful. That was certainly the case with Manchester United’s Harry Maguire and Tyrell Malacia against Sevilla and own goals are even worse when they change the result of a game!
The defensive duo both scored own goals in the last 10 minutes of United’s 2022/23 Europa League quarter final against the Spanish side, allowing Sevilla to turn a 2-0 loss into a 2-2 draw. This leaves the Red Devils, who had been almost completely untroubled by the away side up to that point, with plenty of work to do in the second leg of the tie. So, whilst a team conceding two own goals in a game is bad enough, you might be wondering what is the most own goals ever conceded in a single match? We will answer this question in this article, as well as taking a look at when a team turned to scoring own goals on purpose!
What is the most own goals scored in a single Premier League game?
Well, one-upping Manchester United’s calamitous efforts, we have Sunderland. In a Premier League clash with Charlton Athletic back in 2003, the Black Cats managed to score three own goals in just seven minutes! This horrendous, record-breaking feat came in a season where Sunderland only managed to pick up a measly 19 points all season, which included a 15-game losing streak, making them one of the worst Premier League sides of all time. When your luck is out, eh? The first OG was scored by Stephen Wright, but it was the very unfortunate Michael Proctor who grabbed the headlines, with the striker scoring a brace in less than five minutes; just a shame that they were in the wrong net! Now that’s a bad day at the office…
Which Premier League side have conceded the most own goals?
Currently languishing at the summit of the top-flight own goals list we have Everton, with the Merseyside club conceding a whopping 59 Premier League OGs (at the time of writing). This is largely due to the club’s ability to remain in the top division each year, despite often shipping shedloads of goals in the process.
Given that the Toffees have competed in all 31 Premier League seasons so far, this only puts them at scoring an average of 1.9 own goals per season, which doesn’t sound too bad! However, in the 2021/22 campaign, Everton conceded five own goals, the most of any club in the league, showing that they are clearly keen to hold on to their lead! Below, we have compiled a table detailing which Premier League sides have shipped the most OGs, to see who Everton’s closest rivals are…
| Rank | Club | Own Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everton | 59 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 54 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 47 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 46 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 45 |
What is the most own goals conceded in a single game ever?
Well, the team that bizarrely holds this title are Stade Olympique d L’Emyrne, known as SOL, a Madagascan side from the capital city of Antananarivo. Having won their first ever Madagascan league title in 2001, the club were desperate to repeat the feat in the next season. However, rather than following the same model as the Premier League, in which the team sat at the top of the table at the end of the season wins the title, the Madagascan league’s champion is decided by a round-robin play-off competition between the top four teams. To have a chance of winning the title and catching AS Adema, who were top of the pile, the club had to defeat DSA in their second-last fixture.
However, whilst SOL were 2-1 up in the game, with not long to go, which would have given them a shot at defending their title in the final game of the season, a controversial penalty was awarded against them. This was converted, allowing DSA to grab a late equaliser and crush SOL’s title hopes. This rendered the club’s final game against Adema just a formality, and to make matters worse, an early refereeing decision went against them, causing SOL boss Ratsimandresy Ratsarazaka to snap.
The manager then told his side to score own goals as a protest, which they did remarkably successfully (if that’s the right word!). The game finished with a crazy scoreline of 149-0, in which Adema didn’t touch the ball once, following the manager’s decision. Now that’s no good for the goal difference!
Which other (non-protest) matches have had the most own goals?
Equalling Sunderland’s unfortunate English football record of scoring three own goals in one game, we have Brighton, who became the first club ever to do so in the FA Cup in 2012. Facing Liverpool at Anfield in a fifth-round clash, the Seagulls were thoroughly taken apart, largely through their own doing, with Liam Bridcutt scoring two OGs and Lewis Dunk chipping in with a third! The disastrous game ended 6-1 to the Merseyside club, with Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez scoring for the Reds, but at least Brighton made history, eh?
Oh, and if you thought putting the ball in your own net three times was bad, imagine conceding four own goals in a single top flight match! This was the case for the hapless Catania, who were hammered 5-0 by Inter Milan back in 1961, with the Sicilian side somehow managing to score in the wrong net on four occasions. To make matters even worse, the only goal scored by an Inter player came first, meaning that all four OGs came in a row – talk about self-destruction!
