Welcome to the latest edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each week, The Athletic analyses the entire division through a specific lens.

As usual, the article that follows is long but detailed, so please settle down and enjoy it all — or use the index at the bottom of the page to jump to a specific club.

As the football calendar continues to grow more crowded, kick-off times have become a sizeable part of the debate around performances.

For a long time, the vast majority of football games in England were played at three o’clock on Saturday, a time that suited an era where lots of fans worked in factories on Saturday mornings. Even when the Premier League began in 1992, most matches took place in that slot, with one game moved to Sunday and often another to Monday night for live TV coverage.

But these days that’s very much not the case. The eight Premier League games this weekend will occupy seven different time slots. Supporters of some clubs — Manchester United this season, for example — feel like they hardly ever get a chance to see their side play at the ‘traditional’ time. And it matters to matchday fans, where tradition and habit are a key part of a day watching your club.

So, this week’s Alternative Table shows how many games the 20 teams have played in both the Saturday 3pm slots and Sunday 4:30pm slots since 2021-22. Other start times are discussed below, and key takeaways include:

• Burnley have played 106 Premier League matches since August 2021 and have not played in a single Sunday 4:30pm game.
• Manchester United‘s ‘midweek season’ is real. This week’s trip to Bournemouth will be their 11th played Monday-Friday.
• Liverpool and Arsenal are the most common Sunday 4:30pm teams in the past five seasons.
• Chelsea have played just 19 times in the ‘Super Sunday’ 4:30pm slot since 2021-22, with all the other ‘Big Six’ teams having done so in 30 matches or more.
• Everton have contested six of the 14 Monday night matches in 2025-26, recording a win, three draws and two losses.
• And why Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium seems particularly impacted by day and time.

Manchester United

Plenty has been made of the timing of United’s matches this season. Back in October, the club even spoke to the Premier League about the number of games they have been asked to play on weekdays compared to weekends.

Ten of United’s 30 league games this season have taken place between Monday and Friday, with another to come at Bournemouth this Friday. Since 2021-22, they have played 47 times between Monday and Friday, more than all their ‘Big Six’ rivals except Chelsea (48).

United have also had only 21 games in the Saturday 3pm slot in that span, at least eight fewer than all of their ‘Big Six’ rivals. This is not new, though. Some of their most iconic title-winning teams in the 21st century, including the 2002-03, 2006-09, 2010-11 and 2012-13 sides, had only between 16 to 30 per cent of their fixtures in that 3pm slot.

United are still a big-game pull, with 33 matches in the Sunday 4:30pm slot since 2021-22, only behind Liverpool (36) and Arsenal (35). They have become a Sunday 2pm staple too, with 25 games in that slot, along with Tottenham (29).

Everton

Think of Monday-night football these days and Everton may well be the team that pop into your head.

Nearly 20 per cent of their games in 2025-26 (six of 31) have been in that 8pm slot. Since 2021-22, Everton have featured in a league-high 17 of the 89 matches played on Mondays. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has played in every one of them but kept just one clean sheet, conceding 30 times. His save rate of 61 per cent is lower than on any other day and his overall average of 70 per cent.

Everton, who have not played in Europe during this span, are Saturday staples too. Nobody has appeared in more matches on that day since 2021-22 than James Tarkowski’s 99, with Pickford (97) not far behind.

Liverpool

Their former manager Jurgen Klopp’s complaints about Liverpool being picked for the televised Saturday 12:30pm kick-offs were well documented. It is not a time slot the men from Anfield have typically enjoyed playing in.

Since 2021-22, they have played 20 times in what is usually the first game of a weekend, only behind Manchester City (23) and Manchester United (21). Liverpool have won 12 of those, while drawing five and losing three. Their regular title rivals during this time, City, have won 15 and lost six, while United have won 10 and lost seven. Liverpool have enjoyed decent success when playing between Tuesday and Thursday, winning 22 of 33 games while losing three times.

In 2025-26, they have fared better on Saturday (seven wins, two draws in 14 matches) than Sunday (four wins, three losses in nine). Hugo Ekitike has particularly enjoyed playing on Saturdays, scoring nine goals in 13 appearances.

Burnley

Nineteen of Burnley’s 30 matches in 2025-26 have been in the Saturday 3pm slot, with Scott Parker’s side winning twice and losing 10 times. Their record in this slot since 2021-22 (excluding their 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons in the second-tier Championship) — nine victories and 33 losses in 60 games — makes for similarly grim reading. They have also been beaten five times and drawn once in their six matches in other time slots on Saturdays.

Burnley have enjoyed better success in midweek, winning and drawing five each of their 18 matches played between Tuesdays and Thursdays since 2021-22.

Tellingly, none of their 106 top-flight games in this period have been in the Sunday 4:30pm slot. Burnley are clearly not deemed a draw when television executives make their prime-window picks.

Arsenal

Arsenal’s record in big games since 2021-22 has been admirable, with 20 wins and just six losses while playing 35 times in the Sunday 4:30pm matches. They have also been good in Saturday 3pm games (when typically facing weaker opponents), taking three points in all five such games this season and 23 of 29 since 2021-22.

But the Saturday 5:30pm games have often been a struggle in the same five seasons, with 14 wins from 28 matches, while their record on Mondays and Fridays — six victories and four defeats in 12 matches — is not the best either.

Arsenal tend to enjoy their Super Sunday assignments (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Chelsea

Seven of Chelsea’s 30 league games this season have been in the Saturday 3pm slot, the most among the ‘Big Six’, and they have won just three of them. They have similarly struggled in that day’s 5:30pm slot too, winning and losing three each of six matches.

Chelsea have had only five league fixtures on Sunday all season, winning one and drawing three. Since 2021-22, they have played just 57 matches on Sundays, fewer than four of the other five ‘Big Six’ teams (Manchester City are marginally behind on 55) as well as West Ham (72) and Aston Villa (61).

This is despite competing in Europe in all but one season (2023-24) and even playing in the Conference League last season (which has its games on Thursdays, necessitating that the following Premier League games move to Sundays).

Chelsea have also struggled in midweek since 2021-22, with 12 victories and 13 defeats in their 35 matches played between Tuesday and Thursday.

Nottingham Forest

Forest are in 2023-24 West Ham territory, competing in Europe while battling relegation domestically.

That explains why they have had just four Saturday 3pm games this season, compared to Spurs’ six, Leeds’ nine, West Ham’s 11, Wolves’ 13 and Burnley’s 19. Between 2021-22 and 2024-25, they played in 44 such matches.

They are unbeaten on Wednesdays, with a win and two draws, but have struggled on Saturdays, particularly in the 12:30pm kick-offs, losing all four. Their record on Sundays has been solid, with four wins and three defeats in 13 2pm kick-offs. Forest’s next game — a relegation duel at fellow strugglers Spurs — kicks off at the unusual time of 2:15pm on Sunday.

Crystal Palace

No team have created more expected goals on Sundays than Palace’s 22.6 across 17 matches. Unfortunately for them however, they have scored just 13 goals in those games, an underperformance of nearly 10. Their opponents have created 21.5 xG — also the most on Sundays — but have scored 19 times, resulting in Palace winning just four of these fixtures.

They have featured in 2pm Sunday kick-offs 12 times, due to their Conference League involvement (level with Forest for the most) but have managed only two victories.

Outside the elite, Palace have been one of the league’s best teams in the Saturday 3pm slot, winning four and drawing two of their seven games.

Palace create plenty of chances on Sundays, but they don’t always take them (Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images)

Newcastle United

Newcastle have hit the woodwork 10 times in 14 matches on Saturdays, the most by any of the 20 clubs on a single day. Their shot conversion rate of 11 per cent is still better, though, than the eight per cent they have managed in nine games on Sundays.

Seven of those Saturday fixtures have been at home, with Newcastle winning four and losing two, while winning and losing two each of the seven aways. That trend extends to Sundays too, with two victories in four games at St James’ Park and none in five on their travels.

Manchester City

Perhaps unsurprisingly, City have collected the most points from Saturday 3pm kickoffs since 2021-22, with exactly 100 from 41 games (31 wins, seven draws).

They have struggled in Sunday 4:30pm kick-offs, though, with just 12 victories in 30 matches, while drawing 10 times. Arsenal, in comparison, have won 20 and drawn nine of 35, while Liverpool have 18 wins and 13 draws from their 38.

City have been much better than both those teams in the Saturday 12:30pm slot, winning 15 of 23 games, and the Sunday 2pm one, 11 victories in 14. They are virtually unbeatable in midweek with 29 wins and just one loss in 37 games.

Brighton and Hove Albion

Brighton have played 15 games in the Saturday 3pm slot this season (only behind Burnley’s 19), winning seven times and losing four. It is in line with their record since 2021-22 of 32 victories and 24 draws in 75 such matches.

Outside of those fixtures, though, Brighton have struggled. They have drawn three of their six games played between Monday and Wednesday with just a solitary win, while their record on Sundays is average (three victories and three draws in eight outings).

Brighton have not had a single match in the 4:30pm Super Sunday slot this season, having also played only three times then between 2021-22 and 2024-25 — they did win two of those, to their credit.

Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez and Leon Bailey have played the most games on Fridays since 2021-22 with seven apiece (level with Kyle Walker-Peters). Watkins, a prolific Saturday striker with 40 goals in 81 matches across this period, has not scored in those games and has done so just 17 times in 58 Sunday matches.

That has not augured well for Villa who, due to their ongoing participation in the Europa League, have regularly played on Sundays this season. To their credit, they have still won 10 of their 15 games, including eight of 11 in the 2pm slot, with Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers scoring 11 times between them from just 5.2 xG.

Unai Emery’s side have won two of three Saturday 12:30pm kick-offs, extending their record in that slot since 2021-22 to nine victories from 12 matches. They have not won any of their 3pm games, though, and hold a noticeably average record over the past five seasons in that slot, with 22 wins and 11 losses in 44 outings.

Ollie Watkins contemplates another blank Sunday (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

West Ham United

West Ham, in their ongoing scrap to avoid relegation, have played 11 of their 30 league games this season in the Saturday 3pm slot, winning three and losing seven. They have had better luck in their five matches played between Tuesday and Thursday, with one victory and three draws.

Jarrod Bowen is the only player to have played in all 16 of their matches on Saturdays this season. He has generally excelled on the weekend since 2021-22, recording 23 goals and 11 assists in 66 Sunday games and 19 and 14 in 66 Saturday ones. Also, he is behind only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (seven) for goals on Mondays with six, from just 2.1 xG, in 11 matches. West Ham have won five and lost four of those.

Leeds United

Elland Road has been a fortress for Leeds, particularly when they don’t play on either day of the weekend. Since the start of 2021-22, Leeds have won just one of their 13 Premier League away games scheduled between Monday and Friday with 16 goals scored and 32 conceded, compared to six of 14 at home (18 scored, 24 conceded).

Thirty-three of their 48 matches on Saturdays have been in the 3pm slot, with Leeds winning five and drawing five of 13 at home while losing 14 of 20 away (three wins). But TV picks must worry Leeds fans as their club have struggled in both the 12:30pm and 5:30pm Saturday slots, getting beaten in nine of 13 combined games home and away.

Brentford

Only Manchester City (133 in 50 games) have more home Premier League goals on Saturdays since 2021-22 than Brentford’s 98, resulting in 24 victories and 15 draws from 52 matches. They have also won five and lost just one of their eight home fixtures on Mondays and Fridays (including a perfect three-out-of-three record on Fridays).

Their Gtech Community Stadium has not had the same galvanising effect on Sundays, with Brentford winning eight and losing nine of 20 matches. They have been even worse in midweek there, winning just one of 11 such outings while drawing six times — only Chelsea and West Ham (seven each) have been beaten more often.

Noted Saturday venue the Gtech Community Stadium (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs have not played on a Monday or Friday this season but have struggled in their midweek fixtures, drawing two and losing three of five games between Tuesday and Thursday.

They have recorded their best results in the Saturday 3pm and Sunday 4:30pm slots, picking up four wins and four draws from 12 combined outings. Their weekend record outside of those matches reads: three victories, three draws and nine losses in 15.

But Tottenham simply have not been able to pick up three points in midweek games, with six wins and 16 losses from 28 such fixtures since 2021-22, while conceding 45 goals and keeping only five clean sheets.

Bournemouth

Only Wolves (20), Everton and Fulham (11 each) have lost more Saturday 3pm home matches since 2021-22 than Bournemouth’s 10. They have won just 11 of those 29 games. Overall, Bournemouth’s 18 losses in their own stadium on Saturdays is only behind Wolves’ 28 among the current Premier League clubs.

That Saturday 3pm slot has been an issue for them away from the Vitality Stadium, too. Bournemouth have lost 17 of 40 such games, only fewer than Brentford (18), Burnley and Wolves (both 19). But Andoni Iraola’s side have proven difficult opponents on Sundays, particularly when at home in the 2pm slot, with three wins and six draws from 10 such fixtures since 2021-22.

Bournemouth are solid on Mondays and Fridays, with three wins and three draws from eight (and zero home losses) since 2021-22. Their games have guaranteed goalmouth action, with 29 goals scored across both teams in those matches. Antoine Semenyo netted four times in two Friday games in the first half of this season before a transfer to Manchester City in January.

Fulham

Raul Jimenez on a Sunday is one of the league’s best strikers. He has four goals and two assists in just 495 minutes across eight outings on the final day of the week, with a 29 per cent conversion rate. Fulham have won two and drawn three of those matches. The Saturday version of Jimenez is a different player. The 34-year-old Mexico striker has scored just twice from 4.3 xG in 15 outings, with his conversion rate dropping to seven per cent.

Since 2021-22, Fulham have been solid when kicking off at 7:30pm or later, winning 11 of 20 such home games while keeping six clean sheets. Their win rate of 55 per cent in those fixtures is only bettered by Manchester City (78 per cent), Liverpool (77), Manchester United (69), Arsenal (66) and Newcastle (57).

Evening kick-off Fulham are a dangerous prospect (Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Across 2021-22 and 2024-25, Wolves won 20 of their 47 home matches and 10 of 38 aways on Saturdays. But they have managed just one victory in 17 such outings so far this season.

Wolves have rarely played on Friday nights across the five seasons but have won two of their three games played then. They have been excellent on Tuesdays, winning five of seven (including four of five at Molineux) and losing just once.

There have been only 37 matches on Sundays since 2021-22, with just Bournemouth (24) and Fulham (34) appearing in fewer among the 17 ever-present teams across that period.

Sunderland

Eighteen of Sunderland’s 30 matches this season have been on Saturdays, including 14 in its 3pm slot, with only Burnley (19) and Brighton (15) playing then more often. They have won six and lost six of those games.

Sunderland have also been solid on Sundays, recording a 1-0 home win against neighbours and arch-rivals Newcastle while drawing with Spurs, Leeds and Villa. Their only defeat on that day was against Fulham last month. This Sunday, they will attempt to repeat the Tyne-Wear derby trick when they go to St James’ Park.