Liverpool would be top if Premier League reverted to two points for a win - and Everton doomed

Crystal Palace's 0-0 draw with Leeds United on Monday night edged the West Yorkshire side a point closer to safety. However, despite three points being on offer for a victory, Leeds' approach, and that of Everton at Liverpool the previous day, suggested one point was still the sum total of their ambitions.

So, does that mean three points for a win has not had the transformative impact on the game it was meant to?

Goals per game averaged out at 2.57 across the period.

The most common scorelines were 1-0 and 1-1, though 1979/80 saw 0-0s hold sway with 57.

However, in the 11 seasons between the introduction of three points for a win and the inaugural Premier League, draws dipped on average from 28.7% to 26.6%. Meanwhile, goal output increased from 2.57 per game to 2.65. And in a rare break from 1-0s and 1-1s, a 2-1 home win proved the most prevalent in 1990/91.

The first seven seasons of the Premier League saw an upturn in draws, with averages topping 30% in three of the campaigns to push the average for the period to 28.6% - on a par with pre three points for a win levels. The 1998/99 season even saw 0-0 proving the most popular scoreline with 49 of the 380 matches ending goalless.

However, over the 30 seasons of the Premier League draws are down on the two previous study groups, at 25.1%. This has been even more marked over the last nine seasons, with draws dropping to just 23.3%.

Surprisingly, the average number of games with three or more goals is exactly the same this season as it was in the last season of two points for a win - 52%.

Redrawing the table under two points for a win would have Manchester City and Liverpool level on points going into the final five games of the campaign. In fact, it would be the Reds