Everton branded dirtiest team in Premier League history with Chelsea and Arsenal not far behind

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Everton have been branded the dirtiest team in Premier League history, according to a new study.

The study, which assessed every club's offences in England's top division since its formation in 1992, found that the Toffees came out on top with an average of 1.52 yellow cards per game.

The investigation, conducted by www.dirtyteams.co.uk, used a points system to rate clubs for on-the-pitch offences.

Everton have been branded the dirtiest team in Premier League history

Teams collected 25 points for a red card, five for a yellow card and one for each foul.

Everton, who are one of only six teams to have played every season in the Premier League, have racked up a total of 21,211 points in 962 games.

Premier League champions Chelsea fall just short of the Merseyside club on 20,572, while Arsenal have a total of 20,048.

Arsenal and Chelsea have both been involved in a number of high profile battles

Derby, who have played a total of 266, averaged the most fouls with 14.28 per game. 

They also hold the highest average for yellow cards per game. They are the only side to have received over two yellows.

The study also revealed that the overall number of fouls have fallen since the league began and last season saw the fewest dismissals since 1993-94. 

Derby, in 266 games, averaged the most fouls in Premier League history with 14.28 per game