Burnley have already broken the second-tier record for consecutive clean sheets, but where does their defensive record stand in the history of the top four tiers in England?
Burnley’s incredible clean-sheet record goes on. This week, with their 2-0 win over Hull City, Scott Parker’s side became the first team in the history of the English second tier in men’s football to keep 10 consecutive clean sheets.
They have now gone 910 minutes without conceding a goal in a league game, stretching back to the 80th-minute goal Kwadwo Baah scored for Watford in their 2-1 defeat at Turk Moor on 21 December 2024.
Burnley have now kept 10 successive clean sheets in the Championship, despite opponents attempting 101 shots in those games. pic.twitter.com/q6d7LJ7IDT
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) February 13, 2025Incredibly, they have conceded just nine goals in 32 Championship games all season, keeping 23 clean sheets and averaging the fewest goals conceded per game (0.28) by any team in any season English Football League history. Liverpool’s crop of 1978-79 come closest, with 0.38 goals against per game, just ahead of José Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2004-05 (0.39 goals against per game).
Burnley’s defence is a topic we’ve covered in depth already, looking at how exactly they’ve done it here. This time, though, we’ve looked at where their record of 10 consecutive Championship clean sheets ranks in the history of the top four tiers of English men’s football.
Most Consecutive Clean Sheets
14 – Manchester United, 2008-09, Top Flight 11 – Reading, 1978-79, Fourth Tier 11 – York City, 1973-74, Third Tier 11 – Millwall, 1925-26, Third Tier 10 – Burnley, 2024-25, Second Tier 10 – Chelsea, 2004-05, Top Flight 10 – Torquay, 2009-10 & 2010-11, Fourth Tier (across two seasons) 10 – Charlton Athletic, 1997-98 & 1998-99, Top Two Tiers (across two seasons)Manchester United’s title-winning side of 2008-09 hold the record in the top four tiers of English men’s football for consecutive clean sheets, with 14.
That run began following a worryingly leaky 4-3 win over Hull City and a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal that left United fourth in the table and eight points adrift of runaway leaders Chelsea and Liverpool. They tightened up at the back in historic fashion after that loss, though, with a 5-0 win over Stoke on 15 November 2008 kicking off a streak of 12 wins and two draws without conceding a single goal.
Their run finally came to an end on 21 February 2009 when Roque Santa Cruz scored for Blackburn at Old Trafford, only for Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo to provide the goals for United to win the game 2-1.
With their streak, United became the first team since Reading in 1978-79 (in the fourth tier) to break the 10-game mark, and only the fourth team in the history of the top four tiers in men’s football history in England to do so. The other two are York City in 1973-74 and Millwall in 1925-26, both in the third tier.
Against Preston this weekend, Burnley could become only the fifth team to go more than 10 games without conceding a goal.
Most Clean Sheets in a Season
30 – Port Vale, 1953-54, Third Tier 29 – Gillingham, 1995-96, Fourth Tier 28 – Liverpool, 1978-79, Top Flight 27 – Middlesbrough, 1986-87, Third Tier 27 – Wigan, 2017-18, Third Tier 27 – Plymouth Argyle, 2001-02, Fourth TierBurnley’s current record of 23 clean sheets after 32 games of a 46-game season puts them already within touching distance of the all-time record in the top four tiers of English men’s football for the most clean sheets in a season.
That record is held by Port Vale, who kept 30 clean sheets in 46 games in 1953-54 en route to the Third Division North title.
The second-tier record is held by Sunderland, who kept 26 clean sheets in 1995-96. Based on recent form, it would be a real surprise if Burnley weren’t to break the division record.
In fact, if Parker’s side carry on at their current rate of clean sheets (71.9% of games), they will smash the record. As a proportion of games played, Liverpool’s 66.7% in 1978-79 is the record as things stand, just ahead of Chelsea’s 65.8% in 2004-05 (25 clean sheets in a 38-game Premier League season). Burnley are well clear of Port Vale’s 46-game record of keeping a clean sheet in 65.2% of their games.
Fewest Goals Conceded in a Season (Per-Game Basis)
0.28 – Burnley, 2024-25, Second Tier (*ongoing) 0.38 – Liverpool, 1978-79, Top Flight 0.39 – Chelsea, 2004-05, Top Flight 0.43 – Gillingham, 1995-96, Fourth Tier 0.45 – Arsenal, 1998-99, Top FlightWe’re doing this section on a per-game basis to avoid every entry being from the top flight, because there are fewer games in the smaller Premier League compared to the EFL. The record for the fewest goals conceded in total in a season in England is held by Preston in the 22-game 1888-89 season and Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2004-05. Each side conceded just 15 goals all season.
However, on a per-game basis, Burnley are on course to break the record, with 0.28 goals conceded per game so far. Carry on at this extraordinary rate, however, and they will break the overall record despite playing a 46-game season, which would be an incredible achievement. At 0.28 goals conceded per game, they would ship just 13 goals all season.
Liverpool’s 1978-79 team hold the record for a full season, with 0.38 goals conceded per game, and Chelsea in 2004-05 are just behind, on 0.39.
As for the second tier, it would take something pretty surprising for Burnley to fail to break the record. That is currently held by Manchester United in 1924-25, who shipped 23 goals in 42 games, at a rate of 0.55 per game.
By the end of the season, we could have a new record-holder in all three categories, as Parker’s impressive Burnley seek a place in the record books.
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Where Do Burnley Rank for Most Consecutive Clean Sheets in English Football League History? Opta Analyst.
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