Manchester United may have a reputation for being awarded penalties, but their run without one is currently the longest in the Premier League.
It was against Southampton on Aug. 19 when United last attempted a penalty — a span of 23 league games.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in the 52nd minute of that 2-0 win at Old Trafford, putting the ball past Fraser Forster and into the bottom left corner.
That run is not only the longest in the Premier League but also the longest in England’s top four divisions after Huddersfield Town and Wigan Athletic were awarded penalties on Tuesday, according to research by the Press Association.
United were awarded five penalties last season and three in 2014-15 after averaging seven penalties a season in the last seven years under former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
In contrast, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have each taken seven penalties in league matches this season, the joint most of any club. Liverpool have scored on all six of their penalties and Arsenal have also taken six, scoring on four.
West Bromwich Albion have also taken just one penalty this season, with their streak now at 20 league games following Nacer Chadli’s spot kick in a 4-2 win against West Ham on Sept. 17.
United has scored on three penalties in all competitions during that span. Ibrahimovic completed his hat trick in the first leg of the Europa League round of 32 against St Etienne on Feb. 16 by converting in the 88th minute, and Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba each scored in the first half of United’s Champions League game against Fenerbahce on Oct. 20.
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