With England’s top-flight fast approaching the final round of fixtures of what can only be described as a tumultuous season, the dirtiest teams in the Premier League this term have been revealed.
Now, there are evidently games left and with the relegation and European dogfights set to trickle into the final day, there may be more cards to come.
Mirror Football have taken numbers from the official Premier League site to determine which teams have shown the worst discipline this term.
Each team has been assigned an overall score, with a red card amassing two points and a yellow earning just the one.
And the results are, let’s just say, interesting.
Ranked: The dirtiest teams in the 2022/23 Premier League season
20. West Ham, 43 (43+0)
David Moyes’ side have picked up no red cards this term, despite their three last time out. The increase in their discipline is clear as no team in the league has fewer yellow cards either, with West Ham racking up just 43 so far.
19. Man City, 45 (43+2)
Pep Guardiola’s team let the football do the talking, obviously. Their singular sending-off came for Joao Cancelo in November and they have the joint-least yellow cards with 43. No surprise, though, that a 10-man City still found their way through Fulham.
18. Arsenal, 52 (52+0)
Despite not pipping City to the title, their disciplinary record has been fairly exemplary, picking up no red cards this season. The fact that midfielder Granit Xhaka has finally learnt to calm himself down in the heat of battle has definitely been a plus for Mikel Arteta's side over the last 12 months.
16=. Brentford, 53 (51+2)
Brentford have just one sending-off to their name this season, courtesy of Shandon Baptiste who received his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards in the 1-1 draw with Leicester back in March.
16=. Brighton, 53 (53+0)
The Seagulls’ bright midfield partnership of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister have picked up 17 of Brighton’s 53 yellows this term, but neither have received their marching orders. And that goes for the whole squad, too.
15. Liverpool, 57 (55+2)
Darwin Nunez’s introduction to English football got off to a pretty unfortunate start after he was shown a straight red card against Crystal Palace on his Anfield debut. Things have cooled since, and Liverpool have incurred no further reds and just 55 yellows.
14. Leicester, 62 (58+4)
Wout Faes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have been the recipients of Leicester’s two red cards this season.
Dewsbury-Hall's dismissal against Aston Villa in early April could prove particularly significant as the relegation-threatened Foxes looked on course for a point at the King Power Stadium before the youngster got himself booked for a second time 20 minutes before the end.
Ollie Watkins then scored late on to snatch all three points for Villa.
13. Newcastle, 64 (62+2)
The Magpies may have their relatively clean record to thank for their Champions League qualification, with Nick Pope’s red card the only sending off of their season.
Pope's bizarre handball against Liverpool did mean he missed out on his side’s appearance in Carabao Cup final, where they eventually lost to Manchester United.
12. Bournemouth, 66 (66+0)
The Cherries have done exceptionally well to secure their place in the Premier League for another season and haven’t picked up a single red card in the process.
However, four yellow cards in games against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa sees their overall yellows total rise to 66, which is just under two a game.
11. Southampton, 73 (73+0)
Freshly relegated Southampton can hold pride in the fact they received no red cards this season. That won't be much consolation, though, given that they will be playing Championship football next season.
10. Aston Villa, 78 (76+2)
It feels like Aston Villa’s red card tally should have another added to it after the controversial decision to let Tyrone Mings remain on the pitch against Liverpool last weekend.
8=. Man Utd, 80 (76+4)
Manchester United’s celebrated signing of Casemiro has also given them cause for concern with his disciplinary record, seeing as the Brazilian has picked up both of their red cards this season. However, fans of the Manchester-based club will argue that their man was unlucky on both occasions.
8=. Fulham, 80 (78+2)
Just one red card for the west Londoners this season, although they did pick up two in one game against Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Nathaniel Chalobah has been their only dismissal so far this term, having been sent off back in October when Fulham fell to defeat against Newcastle.
7. Tottenham, 81 (75+6)
Tottenham join three other teams in the ‘three red cards' club courtesy of Emerson Royal, Cristian Romero and Lucas Moura. Though their poor discipline is not exclusively the reason for their poor season, it hasn’t helped at all.
4=. Chelsea, 82 (76+6)
August contained many troubles for the west Londoners, with both Conor Gallagher and Kalidou Koulibaly literally seeing red. Completing the trio is João Félix, who was famously dismissed just before the hour mark on his debut v Fulham.
4=. Everton, 82 (78+4)
Everton’s red card record has seen a dramatic improvement as they have four less than their registered six last season, though who knows what their last game against Bournemouth holds. Abdoulaye Doucoure received a red card in April, while Mason Holgate saw double yellow later on in the month against Crystal Palace.
4=. Nottingham Forest, 82 (82+0)
Despite not picking up a red card this term, Forest have picked up a massive 82 yellows, which is why they find themselves so high up this list. Defenders Renan Lodi and Neco Williams rank highest on the list with seven cautions each.
3. Crystal Palace, 86 (80+6)
Palace’s Boxing Day fixture to forget against Fulham saw them pick up two of their three red cards this season, with Tyrick Mitchell and James Tomkins the culprits. Cheick Doucoure then went on to see red in the loss to Aston Villa in March.
2. Leeds, 87 (81+6)
The Whites picked up more yellows than any other team in the Premier League last season but have improved those figures slightly this season. However, their red card tally is still among the worst in the league, with summer signings Luis Sinisterra and Tyler Adams and Spanish full-back Junior Firpo those on the list of dismissals.
1.Wolves, 96 (84+12)
Wolves have accrued double the number of red cards of any of the other 19 teams in the Premier League and will need to improve their record next season. Julen Lopetegui will surely demand a more measured from his side moving forward.