Goals and assists are the statistics fans turn to when it comes to comparing their favorite star to another team’s best player.
The term G/A is used online, and sometimes even discussed in person, to highlight how well a player has performed in a specific season. The ‘G’ stands for goals, while the ‘A’ stands for assists. Combining the two provides a player’s G/A count, a measure of his decisive contributions to the attack.
When defending your favorite player’s status as a league’s top talent, a lower G/A ratio might prompt you to take a closer look at whether he has excelled in scoring against the formidable “big six.” After all, finding the net (or creating opportunities for those who do) against the best opposition is a true indicator of both a player’s quality and his ability to thrive under pressure.
Jugo Mobile explains who the Big Six are, why it’s important to score against them and who has the most goals against that elite group.
Who are the ‘big six’ of the Premier League?
First of all, an explanation.
The term “big six” refers to six prominent football clubs in England: manchester united, city of manchester, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenaland Tottenham Hotspur.
These clubs have consistently been at the forefront of English football during the Premier League era (i.e. since 1992), not only for their success on the field but also for their global brand and commercial appeal. For a time, the Premier League had a “big four” – Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea – around the period 2003 to 2009. However, City’s rise to power backed by the riches of Abu Dhabi and the progress of Spurs over the last decade on and off the field, has given rise to an expanded “big” group of six.
The concept of the big six is controversial as some fans argue that their dominance stifles competition and prevents smaller clubs from entering elite status.
The financial resources and global reach of these clubs give them an advantage, both on and off the pitch, sometimes raising questions about the fairness and competitiveness of the Premier League. Antipathy towards the big six grew in 2021, when they joined an attempted breakaway European Super League competition with other major clubs in Europe, only to withdraw from the plans amid a huge backlash from fans and stakeholders.
We have seen the challenge of the so-called ‘smaller clubs’ in the Premier League, most famously Leicester City in 2015/16 when they won the title, but they remain the dominant forces in the league. However, there is the potential for a “big seven” to emerge on the horizon, with Newcastle United now funded by the staggering wealth of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Leicester City have engraved their name on the Barclays Premier League roll of honour… ?? pic.twitter.com/760rcYknwz
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 2, 2016
Most goals against the Premier League’s ‘big six’
For football fans, especially those engrossed in England’s top flight, judging a player’s performance against the so-called big six has become common practice, especially on social media.
The approach stems from the belief that a player’s ability to perform against top teams is a true reflection of their quality.
Goals scored or assists provided in matches against clubs such as Man City, Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are considered particularly notable achievements.
Therefore, statistics relating to performances against the big six carry significant weight in discussions about players’ form, consistency and overall impact on the team.
Below is a list of the top scorers in league matches against the big six during the Premier League era (i.e. since 1992/93), according to Statmuse.
All-time list of players with the most goals against the Premier League ‘big six’
| Player | Equipment | Matches | Goals | AV. goals per minute | |
| 1. | Alan Shearer | Newcastle UnitedEdit | 129 | 56 | 0.43 |
| 2. | Wayne Rooney | Manchester United, Everton | 135 | Four. Five | 0.33 |
| 3. | Sergio Aguero | city of manchester | 75 | 44 | 0.59 |
| 4. | Jaime Vardy | city of leicester | 98 | 43 | 0.44 |
| 5. | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Chelsea, Leeds United | 81 | 41 | 0.51 |
| 6. | Mohamed Salah* | Liverpool | 67 | 39 | 0.58 |
| 7. | Harry Kane* | Tottenham Hotspur | 81 | 39 | 0.48 |
| 8. | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 61 | 3. 4 | 0.56 |
| = | Dion Dublin | Manchester United, Aston Villa | 92 | 3. 4 | 0.37 |
| 10. | Robbie Fowler | Liverpool | 90 | 33 | 0.37 |
| eleven. | Andres Cole | Manchester United, Newcastle United, Manchester City | 109 | 32 | 0.29 |
*Denotes active player
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels and live streams
| Region | TELEVISION | Transmission |
| Australia | — | optus sport |
| Canada | — | |
| India | star sports | Disney+, hot star, Jio TV |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | united states network, Telemundo, Universe |
fuboPeacock |
UNITED KINGDOM: Matches are broadcast across the Sky Sports and TNT Sports TV and streaming platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Some games are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels. can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the games are broadcast on NBC’s Peacock platform for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League match this season is streamed live exclusively on Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream all matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: The Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. Apart from an English telecast on Star Sports Select, some matches will be available through regional telecasts on Star Sports 3 (Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bengali) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).
