Everton will look to respond to receiving the heaviest points deduction in Premier League history when they host Manchester United at what is sure to be a vociferous Goodison Park on Sunday.
The Toffees have been docked 10 points for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, dropping them into the bottom three and invoking the wrath of Everton supporters.
The Goodison Park faithful will look to show the Premier League what they think of the punishment, while also spurring their team onto what is now a much-needed three points.
But how have other teams got on in their first games following points deductions?
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Juventus 3-3 Atalanta – January 2023
Although the deduction was eventually reduced to 10 points, Juventus’ initial 15-point penalty caused shockwaves last season, throwing their Champions League qualification hopes into doubt.
The first game following the announcement of the punishment was a home Serie A fixture against fellow European chasers Atalanta. The fans responded angrily, with whistles drowning out the pre-game Serie A anthem while the placing of league-related materials on the field provoked a furious response.
Once the game kicked off, Juventus put in a committed display, eventually drawing 3-3 after twice coming from behind to earn a point. Massimiliano Allegri’s men would end up finishing seventh, missing out on European qualification after receiving a ban from UEFA’s competitions for breaching financial fair play rules. They would have finished fourth without the points deduction.
Portsmouth 3-2 Hull City – March 2010
Just two seasons removed from winning the FA Cup, Portsmouth’s crippling financial difficulties meant the club fell into administration, receiving an immediate nine-point deduction.
Manager Avram Grant called it a “sad day for football”, hinting he may even field a weakened team in Pompey’s first game after the announcement as a protest to the deduction.
Grant instead played his strongest side, and they responded with a 3-2 home victory against fellow strugglers Hull City as Kanu scored a winner in the 89th minute in front of a rocking Fratton Park.
The result counted for little in the end as Portsmouth went down anyway shortly after, though they did give their fans something to shout about that afternoon against Hull in what was the start of a dramatic downfall, one that saw the club drop all the way to League Two.
Club Statement. HTTPS://T.CO/RPHDLJRURC PIC.TWITTER.COM/HYFFL9VWXO
— Everton (@Everton) NOVEMBER 17, 2023
Derby County 3-2 Bournemouth – November 2021
Derby had already been deducted 12 points when they incurred a further nine-point penalty in November of the 2021-22 Championship campaign.
Wayne Rooney was the manager at the time, and he must have been dreading the visit of high-flying Bournemouth, with the Cherries arriving at Pride Park unbeaten in their previous 15.
But Rooney’s side responded magnificently, with Tom Lawrence’s second-half brace enough to help Derby come from behind and claim a stunning 3-2 victory, one that moved the Rams up to zero points.
Derby would not be able to overhaul the hefty 21-point penalty, eventually going down to the third tier for the first time since 1986. The Rams would not finish bottom, though, with that indignity instead suffered by Barnsley.
Fiorentina 2-3 Inter, Milan 2-1 Lazio, Rimini 1-1 Juventus – September 2006
Three of the clubs most stung by the Calciopoli scandal that rocked Italian football were Fiorentina, Milan and Juventus, the latter of whom were relegated to Serie B.
Milan saw their initial 15-point deduction for the 2006-07 season reduced to eight, though the most painful aspect was their 30-point penalty for the 2005-06 campaign, which dropped them from third to second and meant that city rivals Inter were handed the title for that season when Juve were demoted.
Their first game back came at home to Lazio, another side involved in the scandal but punished much less harsher than Milan. The hosts would come out of the game victorious, Filippo Inzaghi and Ricardo Oliveira scoring to secure a 2-1 win.
Fiorentina were docked 15 points, and even a Luca Toni double couldn’t help them avoid defeat on the opening weekend of the Serie A season, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice, including a 93rd-minute winner to give Inter the three points and leave Fiorentina on -15.
Juventus kicked off their first ever season in Serie B with a 1-1 away draw at Rimini, despite boasting the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Giorgio Chiellini, Gianluigi Buffon and even Ballon d’Or winner Pavel Nedved in their starting XI.
The season would end in glory for two of the three sides, as Juventus bounced straight back to Serie A at the first time of asking, while Milan would go on to win the Champions League, beating Liverpool in the final. Fiorentina would finish sixth, missing out on Champions League qualification because of the points deduction.
