January 24 – The Premier League is proving just as competitive off the pitch as it is on it, with the latest matchday setting a season-high attendance capacity record of 98.8%.
For the first time this season, half of the matches were played in front of crowds at 99% capacity.
Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, West Ham, and Brentford all earned a spot in the exclusive 99% club, surpassing the previous record of just four clubs in a single matchday.
Unusually Chelsea recorded the lowest attendance capacity of the week at 97.22%, though this figure is still only slightly below the average attendance across the 22 matchdays this season. It was merely outshone by an exceptional week of attendance across the board.
West Ham’s match against Crystal Palace, despite the Hammers’ 0-2 loss, produced the highest attendance of the season at a staggering 99.95% – a sign of belief in new boss Graham Potter which wasn’t quite met with a result to match.
Brentford also stayed in the 99% club for the second successive week, though the fans’ loyal support was met with last-minute heartbreak as Liverpool substitute Darwin Nuñez netted twice in added time to give league leaders Liverpool all three points at the death.
Highest attendance came from Manchester United, with 73,758 turning out to see them beaten 3-1 at home by Brighton. The poor performance prompted United boss Ruben Amorim to brand his team as the ‘worst in United history’ in a bizarre move from the Portuguese, who also reportedly smashed up the home dressing room in a show of frustration.
Matchday 23 of the Premier League season begins tomorrow, with a Manchester City v Chelsea blockbuster Saturday night clash. It will be interesting to see how Manchester City’s home attendance figures trend for the fixture – their fans became clearly less compliant during their awful patch of form as attendances dropped as low as 93% of stadium capacity – the lowest of any big six team since Insideworldfootball capacity tracker records began.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1737752528labto1737752528ofdlr1737752528owedi1737752528sni@g1737752528niwe.1737752528yrrah1737752528