Premier League Data Dive: New Record Set As Manchester City Become Latest Side To Move Top

Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League for the first time this season with a thumping win over strugglers West Brom. (More Football News)

Pep Guardiola's men put five unanswered goals past the Baggies to become the ninth different side to end the day top of the table this term - the most in a single Premier League campaign and the most in the English top flight since 1986-87.

Only City have collected more points (18 compared to 16) and conceded fewer goals (one compared to two) than Arsenal in the league since Christmas Day, and the Gunners maintained their impressive league form with a 3-1 comeback win at Southampton.

There were also wins for West Ham and Leeds United in Tuesday's round of fixtures, seeing off Crystal Palace 3-2 and Newcastle United 2-1 respectively.

Here is the pick of the Opta facts from the day's action in the Premier League.

West Brom 0-5 Manchester City: Gundogan, Cancelo star as Guardiola's men go top 

Ilkay Gundogan scored twice as City won for the seventh Premier League game running - the first time they have done so since August 2019 - with a routine victory at West Brom.

Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Gundogan took his tally for the season to seven league goals with his double at The Hawthorns, making this his best ever scoring campaign in the top five European leagues.

Joao Cancelo set up the first of those goals and later joined the German on the scoresheet - the first time he has scored and assisted in a single league game since April 2016 for Valencia against Eibar in LaLiga.

Also among the scorers in the one-sided match were Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling, with both men also claiming an assist against an opponent they simply love playing against.

Mahrez has now been directly involved in nine goals in eight league meetings with West Brom (five goals, four assists), while Sterling has been involved in six goals in four encounters (two goals, four assists).

It was another day to forget for West Brom's Sam Allardyce, who is the first manager since Chris Ramsey at Queens Park Rangers in March 2015 to lose his first four home Premier League matches in charge of a club.

Not since December 2004 had the Baggies lost five home top-flight games in a row, while the 22 goals they have conceded in those matches is the most a team has shipped across that number of games at home since Aston Villa in December 1935 (also 22).

Southampton 1-3 Arsenal: Saka shines again as Arteta's men get their revenge

Three days on from losing at the same ground in the FA Cup fourth round, Arsenal exacted some revenge by picking up successive wins away against Southampton in the league for the first time since 1997.

They had to do it the hard way as they won an away league game after conceding the opening goal for the first time since December 2019 against West Ham, shortly before Mikel Arteta's appointment.

The Gunners made a slow start at St Mary's, conceding their first goal in 367 minutes of top-flight football when Stuart Armstrong found the net early on.

James Ward-Prowse sent in a delightful delivery for Armstrong to convert - the Saints skipper's 27th assist for the club, moving him level with Dusan Tadic in the Premier League era and behind only Matt Le Tissier (63) among Southampton players.

Nicolas Pepe's calm finish had Arsenal on level terms in no time and Bukayo Saka put the visitors ahead before half-time with his second goal in as many league appearances.

It was left to Alexandre Lacazette to round off the scoring in the second half with his 10th goal of the season in all competitions, the France international's fourth successive season of reaching double figures since joining in July 2017.

Crystal Palace 2-3 West Ham: Soucek double maintains Hammers' perfect start to 2021

West Ham beat London rivals Palace to make it six wins in a row in all competitions to begin a calendar year for the first time in their history.

Four of those wins have come in the Premier League - their best run since December 2018, and David Moyes' best since his time with Manchester United in December 2013.

Wilfried Zaha gave Palace the lead with just his fourth Premier League goal from outside the box, but Tomas Soucek equalised and then doubled his tally 16 minutes later.

In doing so, he became the fifth Czech Republic player to reach 10 Premier League goals, doing so in just 33 appearances - equalling former Liverpool man Milan Baros' record.

Since his debut in February 2020, no player has scored more headed goals in the English top flight than bargain buy Soucek's five.

It marked a frantic opening 25 minutes to the game in which the first three attempts on goal were all scored - the first time that has happened since Everton v Leicester in April 2017.

Craig Dawson added a third for West Ham and, while Michy Batshuayi did pull one back, Palace were unable to halt a poor run which now shows just one win in their last nine league outings.

Newcastle United 1-2 Leeds United: Pressure mounting on Bruce after Raphinha masterclass

Raphinha was the star of the show as Leeds inflicted a sixth successive defeat on Newcastle in all competitions to pile more pressure on boss Steve Bruce.

The winger put Leeds in front to end his side's run of 304 minutes in all competitions without a goal and then set up Jack Harrison for the winner after Miguel Almiron had equalised.

Raphinha became the first Leeds player to score each of his first three Premier League goals for the club away from home since Michael Bridges in August 1999.

It is the first time the West Yorkshire side have done the league double over Newcastle in 45 years, when Jimmy Armfield was in charge of Leeds.

Newcastle, who had themselves been without a goal in 454 minutes since January 3 before Almiron struck, are now winless in nine Premier League matches.

That is their worst such streak since October 2018 when going 10 games between victories, while their run of six losses in a row is something they last endured in May 2015.