Tarkowski's Premier League record hopes dashed by season-ending injury
James Tarkowski had made 111 successive Premier League starts, but the Everton defender will not play for the rest of the season.
Everton will be without captain James Tarkowski for the rest of the season, as the defender's hopes of setting a new Premier League record were dashed.
Tarkowski suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's defeat to Manchester City at Goodison Park.
The 32-year-old was taken off and replaced by Michael Keane as Everton succumbed to just their third league defeat in David Moyes' second spell in charge.
And the former Burnley centre-back will not play again this season, Moyes confirmed ahead of Everton's trip to Chelsea.
David Moyes confirms that James Tarkowski will miss the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury picked up last weekend.
— Everton (@Everton) April 25, 2025
We wish you a speedy recovery, Tarky! pic.twitter.com/fmH4azWTMg
That means Tarkowski, who had made 111 successive Premier League starts, will fall just short of setting a new record for consecutive starts in the competition among outfielders.
It is a record held by Wayne Bridge, who started 113 straight Premier League games for Southampton between March 2000 and January 2003.
Frank Lampard, who signed Tarkowski during his stint as Everton boss, made 112 league starts in a row for Chelsea between December 2002 and December 2005.
Tarkowski has played every single top-flight match since he joined Everton in 2022, with the last time he missed a Premier League match coming towards the end of the 2021-22 campaign while he was at Burnley.
Former Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel holds the all-time record for successive Premier League starts, with 310.
Only Nottingham Forest's Murillo (213) has made more clearances in the Premier League this term than Tarkowski (209), while he has made 135 headed clearances, more than any other player in the division.