London a dangerous ground: Chelsea and Arsenal lead Premier League in cards
Despite being among the Premier League's top four, Chelsea and Arsenal top the charts for yellow and red cards, respectively.
Big clubs are usually associated with goals, wins and high possession stats—metrics far removed from the focus of this article. It is uncommon for top teams to be the most carded, yet that is exactly the case in the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Chelsea have received the most yellow cards in the competition so far, accumulating 80 in 29 matches—five more than bottom-placed Southampton, who sit second in the ranking.
The Blues, currently fourth in the league, average 2.75 bookings per game, with Moises Caicedo leading the way on nine. The top five is rounded out by Bournemouth (74), Ipswich Town (73) and Leicester City (64).
Another London giant leads an even more concerning category. Arsenal hold the unwanted record for the most red cards, whether direct dismissals or second yellow offences.
The Gunners, despite sitting second in the table, have seen five players sent off across 29 league matches. They are followed by Manchester United, West Ham, Ipswich Town and Southampton, all with three.
Myles Lewis-Skelly has the worst individual record with two red cards—only he, Bruno Fernandes and Jack Stephens have been sent off twice.
Meanwhile, William Saliba, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard have each been dismissed once. The 18-year-old left-back's two reds were straight dismissals, as was the French centre-back's, while Rice and Trossard both received two yellows before being sent off.