Sir Alex Ferguson may be long gone, but Manchester United’s knack for scoring late goals appears to be alive and well. Wayne Rooney’s equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time against Stoke City on Saturday not only rescued a draw for his side and took him past Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time record of 249 goals, but it also ensured United retained second spot in this season’s table of most points picked up following goals registered in the last 10 minutes of matches, having amassed nine in total.
In 2012, a study commissioned by the BBC looked into the phenomenon of “Fergie-time” and discovered that, on average, United were given four minutes and 37 seconds added time when they were losing, compared to just three minutes and 18 seconds when they were ahead. But while the study also showed that most of the traditional top six actually receive similar advantages, especially when they play at home, this season’s statistics for late goals makes intriguing reading.
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