Alternative Premier League table after nine games, based on expected goals

Will the Premier League ever have a weekend where everything goes to form? We very much doubt it.

After failing to turn up for most of the season, Manchester United chose to appear at Old Trafford to spoil Liverpool’s winning streak.

Elsewhere, Tottenham couldn’t even get a victory when bottom of the table Watford rolled into town and Chelsea only just managed to get a win over Newcastle.

Some results have been deserved this season but on other occasions clubs look like they have been a little bit lucky with the results falling their way.

Leicester City though, according to ‘expected goals’ (xG), could have lost to Burnley with data suggesting the shot quality was worth a 1.80-0.83 defeat for Brendan Rodgers’ side instead of a 2-1 win.

To get a better look at how sides are doing, the xG metric allows us to get a better picture of just how teams are performing.

What is expected goals?

• Expected goals (xG) is a statistic used to work out how many goals should be scored in a match.
• Every single shot is awarded an xG value based on the difficulty of the attempt, with factors including distance from goal, type of shot and number of defenders present affecting the value.
• The higher the xG of a particular shot, the more likely a goal should be scored from that shot.
• The xG value of every shot in a game is then used to calculate the expected goals in a particular match.

Here at talkSPORT.com we’re always keeping an eye on Understat.com to see how clubs are performing based on their stats.

And it turns out Leicester might well be well above their station as they challenge for a top four spot.

Find out how the stats believe the Premier League SHOULD be shaping up below…
*Arsenal and Sheffield United play their ninth game of the season on Monday night

20. Newcastle United – Real position = 18

Real points = 8 | Expected points = 5.79

19. Norwich – Real position = 19

Real points = 7 | Expected points = 7.37

18. West Ham United – Real position = 10

Real points = 12 | Expected points = 7.89

17. Sheffield United – Real position = 15*

Real points = 9 | Expected points = 9.50

16. Bournemouth – Real position = 9

Real points = 12 | Expected points = 9.79

15. Crystal Palace – Real position = 6

Real points = 14 | Expected points = 9.94

14. Arsenal – Real position = 5*

Real points = 15 | Expected points = 10.81

13. Wolverhampton Wanderers – Real position = 12

Real points = 11 | Expected points = 11.08

12. Leicester City – Real position = 3

Real points = 17 | Expected points = 11.38

11. Aston Villa – Real position = 11

Real points = 11 | Expected points = 11.75

10. Brighton – Real position = 16

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Real points = 9 | Expected points = 12.11

9. Watford – Real position = 20

Real points = 4 | Expected points = 12.16

8. Tottenham Hotspur – Real position = 7

Real points = 12 | Expected points = 12.23

7. Burnley – Real position = 8

Real points = 12 | Expected points = 12.46

6. Southampton – Real position = 17

Real points = 8 | Expected points = 13.11

5. Everton – Real position = 14

Real points = 10 | Expected points = 14.37

4. Manchester United – Real position = 13

Real points = 10 | Expected points = 17.12

3. Chelsea – Real position = 4

Real points = 17 | Expected points = 18.03

2. Liverpool – Real position = 1

Real points = 25 | Expected points = 18.22

1. Manchester City – Real position = 2

Real points = 19 | Expected points = 21.33

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