October 10 – Despite having the most empty seats of the Premier League campaign so far, match week 8 saw some of the best attendances of the season as four teams broke into the 99% club for stadium capacity.
West Ham yet again sit top of the table as the London stadium is still waiting to see crowds drop below the 99% mark for the 2023/24 Premier League season. Only 108 seats were left cold for the Hammer’s emphatic clash with Newcastle United, which saw new signing Kudus bury a tidy finish in the dying embers of the game to cancel out Alexander Isak’s quick-fire brace earlier in the match.
The win means that West Ham remain in touching distance of a UEFA Champions League place, which fans of the club more than deserve after recording stunning attendances throughout the season.
The title of the worst turnout of the week returns to Fulham, who remain the only team yet to reach 95.5% capacity this year, averaging a capacity of 94.85% compared with the league-wide average of 97.93%. The poor showing could be a result of recent shaky performances or high ticket prices, which the West London club are notorious for.
Arsenal recorded their first 99% showing of the season during a crucial 1-0 grudge-match victory over Manchester City, which saw the Gunners leapfrog the Citizens to a joint-top league position with arch-rivals Spurs. Gabriel Martinelli’s late decider, which ricocheted off a hapless Nathan Ake into the City net, was the only split between the two sides. Arsenal will be hoping that their unbeaten form continues after the international break as they return to action versus a revamped Chelsea side that have taken 6 points from their last two games.
Manchester United predictably score the highest turnout of the week at 73,453 despite recent performances that have led concerns over the manager’s future. Boasting a stadium that holds over 10,000 seats more than anybody else in the country, fans can expect the 20-time league champions to top this category after every showing at the theatre of dreams.
The weekend saw almost 3 million fans pass through the gates of Premier League stadia after just eight weeks of first division action, with the milestone expected to be toppled come the return of league play on October 21 after yet another international break.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1735258029labto1735258029ofdlr1735258029owedi1735258029sni@g1735258029niwe.1735258029yrrah1735258029