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Sheffield United have set an unwanted record for the number of goals conceded by a team in a single Premier League season.
Abdoulaye Doucouré’s first-half strike for Everton on Saturday took Sheffield’s goals against total to 101, surpassing Swindon Town’s mark of 100 goals conceded in the 1994-95 season, when the division contained 22 teams.
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Chris Wilder’s side, whose relegation from the Premier League was confirmed last month in a 5-1 defeat to Newcastle, had already broken the record for most goals conceded in a 38-game Premier League season.
The club have suffered a dizzying series of heavy defeats — both at Bramall Lane and on their travels — including an 8-0 home loss to Newcastle in September, the 5-0 loss away at Burnley and the 6-0 defeat at home to Arsenal in March, where they conceded five goals in the opening 40 minutes.
They have already avoided the ignominy of finishing with the lowest points tally in Premier League history — Derby County’s 11 points in 2007-08 remains the worst-ever return by a club — but should they lose their remaining fixture against Tottenham on May 19, they will have accumulated the third-fewest points in a 38-game season.
Wilder took over as Sheffield United manager in December after the departure of Paul Heckingbottom, who had earned the club promotion from the Championship the season prior.
He has said that he does not intend to resign from his role and and wants to be part of the rebuild at Bramall Lane.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report