The Dirtiest Teams in the Premier League 2025/26 – Season Review

30th May 2026

The final whistle has blown on the Premier League season, and while the title race and relegation battles grabbed the headlines, there’s another table worth your attention – the discipline chart. Every season throws up teams who simply cannot keep their hands, feet and elbows to themselves, and 2025/26 was no different.

So who were the worst offenders? Who racked up the most bookings, the most sendings off, and the most cynical fouls? Let’s name and shame.

Yellow Card Kings – Spurs Lead the Way

Spurs topped the yellow card table with a whopping 101 bookings across 38 games. That is more than one yellow per match on average, which tells you everything about how Ange Postecoglou’s side went about their business this season. Aggressive pressing is one thing – constantly getting done for it is another.

Chelsea were not far behind on 98 yellows, making it a London one-two at the top of the naughty list. Bournemouth came in third with 88, followed by Brighton on 86 and Sunderland on 82.

The gap between top and bottom is staggering. Arsenal collected just 51 yellows all season – nearly half what Spurs managed. Brentford and West Ham were joint tenth on 69 each, while Wolves picked up 79, Crystal Palace 76, Fulham 75 and Everton 74.

Red Card Rankings – Spurs Double Down

It was not just yellows where Spurs led the charge. They also topped the red card table with 9 dismissals across the campaign. Nine. That is almost a sending off every four games, which is absolutely dreadful discipline by any standard.

Chelsea were right behind them again on 8 reds, making it a thoroughly miserable season for both clubs in the fair play stakes. Newcastle picked up 7 reds to claim third spot in the rankings nobody wants to top.

Everton had 4 reds, while West Ham, Sunderland, Man Utd, Burnley and Wolves all collected 3 apiece. At the other end, three clubs managed the entire season without a single red card – Man City, Arsenal and Brighton. That is 38 games each without getting a player sent off, which takes some doing.

The Foul Merchants – Wolves Top the Charts

When it comes to pure fouling, Wolves were the worst offenders in the division. They committed 493 fouls across the season, working out at 13.0 per game. That is a foul roughly every seven minutes of football, which must have been exhausting for referees and opponents alike.

Spurs were second again on 462 fouls at 12.2 per game, cementing their place as the league’s most ill-disciplined side overall. Bournemouth committed 457 fouls at 12.0 per game and Brighton were not far off on 453 at 11.9 per game.

West Ham racked up 421 fouls and Chelsea 420, while Man City were the cleanest side in terms of fouls with just 368 all season – averaging 9.7 per game. That is more than three fewer fouls per match than Wolves, which over a full season adds up to a massive difference.

Individual Offenders – The Booking Magnets

Three players shared the dubious honour of picking up the most yellow cards in the Premier League this season. James Garner of Everton, Yerson Mosquera of Wolves and Andre of Wolves all collected 12 yellows each. Wolves having two of the top three tells its own story about how they played.

Moises Caicedo of Chelsea was just behind on 11 yellows, continuing his reputation as one of the league’s most combative midfielders. The list of players on 10 bookings is lengthy and reads like a who’s who of hard tacklers – Lewis Dunk, Dan Burn, Ethan Ampadu, Joelinton, Casemiro, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Enzo Fernandez, Hannibal, Joao Gomes and Alex Jimenez all hit double figures.

Spurs having both Romero and Porro on 10 yellows each tells you why they topped the team charts. That is 20 bookings from just two players.

In the fouling stakes, Igor Thiago of Brentford was the individual king with 74 fouls at 1.9 per game. Joao Gomes was second on 69 fouls at 2.0 per game – technically the highest rate in the top five. Elliot Anderson of Forest committed 57, Caicedo 54 and Sasa Lukic of Fulham 53.

The Clean Teams – Arsenal Set the Standard

Arsenal deserve a mention for being comfortably the cleanest side in the division. Just 51 yellow cards and zero reds across 38 games is remarkable discipline, especially in a league as physical as the Premier League. Whatever Arteta is drilling into them on the training ground, it is working.

Man City also went the entire season without a red card, and Brighton matched that record too. It proves you can compete at the top level without constantly falling foul of referees – something Spurs and Chelsea might want to take note of heading into next season.

The Verdict

Spurs were the dirtiest team in the Premier League in 2025/26. First for yellows with 101, first for reds with 9, and second for fouls with 462. That is a treble nobody wants. Chelsea ran them close in every category, and Wolves topped the fouling charts with 493.

At the other end, Arsenal’s 51 yellows and zero reds made them the cleanest side by a distance. The numbers do not lie – and this season, they painted a very clear picture of who played fair and who did not.