In this series, I will highlight specific players and teams from the gameweek just gone who either posted extremely promising or poor statistics. A lot of the focus will be directed towards players and teams who under/over performed on a weekly basis when comparing output against stats.

The xG Delta stat is the difference between actual goals and expected goals (xG). A high minus figure indicates underachievement and a high plus figure indicates overachievement.

Gameweek 5 Overachievers and Underachievers

xG Overachievers

Tammy Abraham (+2.04)

Fikayo Tomori (+0.98)

Jeff Hendrick (+0.98)

Ryan Fraser (+0.96)

Jetro Willems (+0.96)

Son, Aubameyang, Wilson and Mane all scored a brace in gameweek 5 and were all considered to have overachieved by the xG data. However, with player and game-specific context applied, it is fair to say that the chances they all had were ones which they particularly thrive on and therefore it would be unfair to say they had massively overachieved. Instead, I will focus on players who scored a single goal who overachieved based on their xG data.

xG Underachievers

Michy Batshuayi (-1.28)

David McGoldrick (-1.20)

Trent Alexander-Arnold (-0.77)

Team Under/Overachievers

Sheffield United, Watford and Aston Villa will all be frustrated walking away from gameweek 5 having not earned 3 points. Sheffield United lost 0-1 to Southampton but trumped their xG 1.88 to 1.58 having taken 17 shots, 13 of which were from inside the box.

Watford drew 2-2 at home to Arsenal after 31 shots and an xG scoreline reading 2.83-1.01, suggesting the Gunners were very fortunate to add a point to their tally. Finally, Aston Villa registered an xG of 1.41 compared to West Ham’s 0.54, yet they were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw.

By some margin, Spurs were the biggest xG overachievers of the weekend. A first-half onslaught saw them secure a 4-0 victory over fellow Londoners Crystal Palace. However, their xG of 1.05 suggests that this scoreline was flattering based on the quality of chances they had.

Gameweek 5 Key Stats and Positions

Total Goal Attempts

Defenders – Van Dijk, Otamendi (3)

Midfielders – Cleverley (7), Sterling (6), Son, Doucoure, Fleck (5)

Forwards – Deulofeu (7), Aguero, McGoldrick (6)

Chances Created

Defenders – Alexander-Arnold (7), Digne, Femenia (3)

Midfielders – Gross (6), Sterling, Moutinho, Pogba, Norwood (4)

Forwards – Deulofeu (8), Firmino, King (8)

Average Positions

To the surprise of no one, Liverpool had an average of 8 players in the opposition half and Newcastle had an average of 8 players in their own half. There was no significant difference between Alexander-Arnold’s and Robertson’s positioning on their respective sides of the pitch.

Gross was Brighton’s most advanced player, ahead of the likes of Maupay and Murray

McNeil was once again very advanced, ahead of both Wood and Barnes.

Dan James positioned right alongside Marcus Rashford.

Chilwell more advanced than Pereira. Maddison positioned right behind Vardy.

Son and Kane both positioned very similarly on average (midway between the halfway line and opposition penalty area).

Mount the most advanced Chelsea player, with Abraham dropping deeper at times to contribute to hold-up and build-up play.

Norwich had 10 players in their own half on average with Pukki only just over the halfway line.

Sterling, Aguero, Bernardo Silva and David Silva all had very similar average positions (outside the Norwich box slightly over to the left-hand side).

Digne very advanced, in line with Sigurdsson. Iwobi and Richarlison both slightly more advanced than Calvert-Lewin and Kean.

Watford had 6 players in Arsenal’s half and 2 on the halfway line on average, meanwhile, Arsenal had 7 in their own half.

Other Standout Stats

Team Shots – Watford (31), Man City (25), Liverpool (21).

De Bruyne delivered an incredible 13 crosses in just 33 minutes game time.

Highest xG – Patrick Cutrone (1.28).

Alexander-Arnold delivered 15 crosses in comparison to Robertson’s 6. Digne was 2nd amongst defenders between the Liverpool pair, delivering 12 crosses.

Van Dijk had the most touches in the opposition penalty area amongst defenders (5).

Zinchenko had the most touches in the final third amongst defenders (67).

Top of the Stats – Last 4 Gameweeks

Goal Attempts

Defenders – Digne (7)

Midfielders – Sterling, Salah, Mount (14)

Forwards – Aguero (18)

Shots Inside the box

Defenders – Otamendi (6)

Midfielders – Sterling (12)

Forwards – Aguero (15)

Chances Created

Defenders – Alexander-Arnold (18)

Midfielders – De Bruyne (16)

Forwards – Deulofeu (12)

Stats sourced from Fantasy Football Fix and Understat.