The debate about whether or not 'relying' on penalties makes you a good team lives on and on, but there's no question about it.
Penalties have the power to change an entire course of a game, and even if they're not goals scored from open play, winning penalties means that you've pressed up high on the pitch, gone into the opposition half, and troubled the defence.
Goal takes a look at which team has been on the receiving end of the most penalties so far this season.
Which team has been awarded the most penalties?
With 12 penalties awarded by the end of April, Manchester United are the team to have been awarded the most penalties in the Premier League so far.
The club were awarded their 11th and 12th spot-kicks of the season in their home win against West Ham on April 13, with Pogba dutifully converting both to seal a 2-1 victory.
Man Utd's 12th penalty that they were awarded - Pogba's second goal - broke the record for most penalties scored in a single Premier League season. Indeed, it’s also the most the Red Devils have ever taken in a single campaign in the competition.
The France international is the Red Devil's first-choice penalty taker but has missed three so far this season, drawing attention to his unique spot-kick technique.
Crystal Palace have won 11 penalties, with Bournemouth and Leicester not far behind.
| Premier League 2018/19 | Penalties awarded | Penalties scored |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 12 | 9 |
| Crystal Palace | 11 | 10 |
| Bournemouth | 9 | 7 |
| Leicester City | 7 | 5 |
| Liverpool | 6 | 6 |
| Chelsea | 5 | 5 |
| Brighton | 5 | 4 |
| Southampton | 5 | 4 |
| Everton | 5 | 2 |
*Correct as of April 19, 2019.
United's total of 12 penalties awarded is the most that they have ever accumulated in a single Premier League season.
Should they manage to win another, they will equal the record of most penalties won – Leicester with 12 in 2015/16, the campaign that they won the Premier League – and in the event of two more penalties awarded by the end of the season, they will break the record with 14.
Most penalties awarded in a single Premier League season
| Season | Team | Penalties Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| 2015/16 | Leicester City | 13 |
| 2004/05 | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| 2018/19 | Manchester United | 12 |
| 2013/14 | Liverpool | 12 |
| 2009/10 | Chelsea | 12 |
| 2006/07 | Arsenal | 12 |
| 1994/95 | Blackburn Rovers | 12 |
| 2018/19 | Crystal Palace | 11 |
| 2012/13 | Chelsea | 11 |
| 2011/12 | Manchester United | 11 |
| 1993/94 | Newcastle United | 11 |
| 1993/94 | Tottenham | 11 |
*Correct as of April 19, 2019.
Why is Liverpool called 'Penaltypool' by rival fans?
Getty
Non-Liverpool supporting football fans have used the tongue-in-cheek term '
It is a light-hearted, humorous term to denote the fact that they feel as if the Reds tend to be on the lucky end of penalty decisions from referees.
Indeed, while Liverpool have been granted a fair number of penalties this season – six so far – it is just half of the number that Man Utd have been awarded.
The term is likely to have originated during the 2013/14 season, where Liverpool successfully scored 12 penalties. It's no coincidence that that was the season that the Reds came deliriously close to winning the Premier League, helped on by the spot-kick duties of former club captain Steven Gerrard, though ultimately finished just two points from victory.