LONDON - Goals late in games have resulted in the biggest season-on-season scoring rate rise in England's top flight for nearly 100 years as Premier League defences take a hammering.

With the season reaching its climax, the average goals per game currently stands at 3.24 compared to 2.85 last season, an increase of 13.7%. It is the biggest jump since 1925-26 when the offside rule was tweaked to favour attacking players.