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How Boxing Day 2021 fared against its iconic rival 1963

By: Author Sang Gangte

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How Boxing Day 2021 fared against its iconic rival 1963

Celebrated a day after Christmas, Boxing Day on 26th December is a holiday associated with various traditions.

Although having no obvious links to the sport of Boxing or sports in general, the holiday seems to have been appropriated by football for the most part, with 26 December increasingly synonyms with an entertaining day of footballing action.

Much of the intrigue surrounding the day, as far as football fans are concerned, stems from the incredible events of 1963.

The English First Division saw 10 matches played on Boxing Day that year, producing a combined total of 66 goals, an accomplishment that continues to be spoken about to date.

Premier League fans, however, are convinced that this year’s Boxing Day was entertaining no less, so much that it could as well replace the fascination attached to the year 1963.

There were 28 goals in Sunday’s six fixtures, and more could’ve come had three fixtures not been postponed due to COVID-19.

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Manchester City’s thrilling 6-3 victory over Leicester City produced the most goals on the day. This was followed by Arsenal who thumped hosts Norwich 5-0. 

Lucas Moura inspired Spurs to beat Crystal Palace 3-0 and Southampton won a nail-biting encounter at West Ham by 3-2.

Chelsea came from behind to score two late goals against Aston Villa and secured a 3-1 win.

Brighton won 2-0 against Brentford in the final game of the day, ending Boxing Day 2021 with 4.7 goals per game average, the highest since the feat of 1963 (BBC).

Naturally, the achievement had online fans buzzing, with many reactions pointing to the possibility of the 2021 Boxing Day results being used as a point of reference rather than 1963 in the future. 

The Boxing Day of 1963 had 6.6 goals per game average, and though the latest goal tally isn’t as staggering as that one, fans are nevertheless convinced that 2021 will also be remembered in the same breath.