It was a weekend filled with statement victories in the Premier League. We are a quarter of the way into the season for most teams and the table is starting to take shape. Here is a look at some of the more eye-catching stats and topical narratives.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
The Gunners are firing
Arsenal have now scored six goals in their last two Premier League matches. The Gunners followed up their 3-1 win over Spurs last weekend with a 3-2 win over Liverpool in what was arguably Mikel Arteta’s most impressive week as Arsenal manager.
The hosts racked up an xG of 3.09 against the visitors on Sunday. The last time the Reds had an xG against total that high was during the 2020/21 campaign when they had no senior defenders and Manchester City romped to a 4-1 win at Anfield. Granted, that haul does include a penalty but it was a fairly one-sided affair in the second half, with Liverpool mustering an xG of just 0.46 in that second half all while trying to look for a winner and then an equaliser.
It was a statement victory for Arteta’s side as they look to really position themselves as title contenders.
Bouncebackability
Manchester United’s win over Everton might not have registered on larger radars but it could be vital to their season.
Heading into the game, Erik Ten Hag had seen his side thrashed 6-3 against Manchester City before struggling to a 3-2 win over Omonia in the Europa League. They were behind after just five minutes at Goodison Park against a team with one of the best defensive records in the league.
They then lost Anthony Martial to injury.
Yet that didn’t deter them as they overturned the deficit to take all three points.
The Red Devils created three big chances to Everton’s zero. Cristiano Ronaldo’s first goal of the season turned out to be the winner, capping an excellent performance off the bench having replaced Martial. No player had more shots than the legendary Portuguese, he completed all of his dribbles and even created an opportunity for a teammate. The 8.2 rating was fully deserved.
West Ham’s new centre-forward
Over the years, the Hammers haven’t had the best of luck when it comes to signing strikers. But Gianluca Scamacca might be different.
Signed from Sassuolo in the summer, the Italy international now has goals in three consecutive outings, including back-to-back Premier League games.
He scored in the 3-1 win over Fulham after leading the line for David Moyes’ side from the off. The 23-year-old attempted five shots on the day and landed three on target. More impressively, however, he managed to increase the value of the efforts with his shot placement, turning an xG total of 0.68 to an xG on target total of 1.10.
The 6ft5 forward may have been profiled incorrectly by some as a pure target man but he is proving himself to be an all-rounder in the attack. After an awful start to the campaign, West Ham are now 13th, just four points off of sixth spot. Not purely because of his goals, but they have certainly helped.
A false dawn?
Newcastle ran out 5-1 winners over Brentford at St James’ Park but the scoreline did not necessarily tell the story of the match.
The Magpies did have almost three times as many shots as the visitors but the xG for the match had them at 1.53 and the Bees at 1.19. Thomas Frank’s charges had fewer opportunities but they were of greater value – they were more dangerous. Granted, Brentford’s xG haul includes a penalty but the fact remains the 5-1 scoreline flattered the hosts. Not that they will mind, they’re just two points off of the Champions League places.
It is, perhaps, premature to assume something has clicked in attack for Eddie Howe’s side. They may have nine in their last two outings but there has been an overperformance of over four in those matches when looking at their underlying numbers. Prior to that, Newcastle had scored just three times in four matches. They seem to vary from one extreme to the other.
Manchester City’s other strikers
It has been the Erling Haaland show at Manchester City this season but Phil Foden has been impressing in the shadows over recent weeks, he might have even stolen the spotlight away from the No.9 this weekend.
He bagged a hat-trick against Manchester United and followed that up with a goal and an assist against Southampton. The fleet-footed attacker was involved in eight shots on Saturday, split evenly between efforts and chances created. He’s coming into form at the right time for England with the World Cup just around the corner.
(Images from IMAGO)
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