Stat, Viz, Quiz is the weekly Opta Analyst newsletter. Our latest edition includes numbers on Erling Haaland’s latest landmark, Brighton’s goal bonanza at both ends, and the best teams for turnovers.
Matchday 13 of the Premier League was unlucky for some, but not for Erling Haaland. Never for Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian net-nestler reached 50 Premier League goals from just 48 games, smashing the previous record of Andy Cole. It wasn’t enough for Manchester City to maintain their winning home run, with Liverpool earning a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but it was still history for Haaland and we have a viz showing the extent of his achievement.
This week’s SVQ also looks at how Brighton are helping to keep scoreboard manufacturers in business (in a roundabout way), and of course, there’s our weekly quiz and another fascinating Ask Opta question.
We’re approaching December, so let’s do the only sane thing and head to the seaside.
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STAT: Brighton Guarantee Goals
Head to Brighton Pier and you’re likely to experience three things. An inescapable whiff of doughnuts, seagulls trying to steal your chips, and a strong breeze that sends your hat into the sea just as you emerge from the arcades having somehow lost £600 in 2p coins.
Watch Brighton play football, though, and you’re likely to experience two things. Brighton scoring, and Brighton conceding.
That has been the case for their last 17 Premier League games, anyway; the longest such run in the competition’s history.
In fact, you have to go all the way back to the 1959-60 season for such a run in England’s top flight when Manchester United were also involved in 17 consecutive games in which both teams scored.
The last Brighton game to see one side fail to find the net was their 3-0 win at Arsenal in May. Since then, they have scored 34 goals and conceded 31.
It was clear what Saturday’s 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest meant to manager Roberto De Zerbi, who has made Brighton an even more exciting team to watch than they already were.
So far this season, Brighton games have featured 51 goals, more than anyone else in the Premier League (Aston Villa’s are second on 49), and their average of 3.92 is behind only Liverpool’s 2013-14 season (3.97) for average goals per game.
Brighton face a Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge next week who have seen 18 goals scored across their last three Premier League games (a 4-1 win, 4-4 draw and 4-1 loss).
If ever fate was being tempted to give us a 0-0 draw, this will surely be it.
VIZ: Haaland’s Hurried Half-Century
As Erling Haaland found the back of the net against Liverpool on Saturday, he brought up his 50th Premier League goal. Not bad for someone who made his debut in England just 15 months ago.
It will frustrate Haaland that it wasn’t ultimately a winner, but the big Norwegian will still be pleased to have notched up yet another scoring record.
As mentioned, Haaland obliterated the previous record of Andy Cole (65) for reaching 50 Premier League goals in the fewest games, doing so in just 48.
You can see in this week’s viz just how far ahead of other legendary goalscorers he is too when it comes to racing to 50 Premier League goals. Haaland did so in 17 fewer games than Cole, 18 fewer than Alan Shearer, 20 fewer than Ruud van Nistelrooy and 24 fewer than Liverpool pair Fernando Torres and Mohamed Salah.
What about his other numbers, though? You’ll be shocked to learn they are also fairly impressive.
It took just 3,827 minutes to reach the landmark, a goal every 76.5 minutes on average, and came from just 1,090 touches, making it a goal every 21.8 touches.
Haaland’s total came from 41.52 expected goals. Only Harry Kane (+8.64) has outperformed his xG by more in the Premier League since the start of last season.
In fact, only four players (Kane, Salah, Ollie Watkins and Callum Wilson) have even accumulated half of Haaland’s xG total – which went up to 41.99 by the end of Saturday’s game – in that time.
We’re looking forward to seeing how quickly he can reach 100, even if Premier League defenders aren’t.
QUIZ: The Premier League Returns
With the Premier League back after the international break, why would we look anywhere else for brain teasers? Answers at the bottom of the page.
1. Liverpool became the first team to stop Manchester City from winning at the Etihad in 2023, ending a run of 23 home wins in all competitions for City. Who was the last previous team to stop Pep Guardiola’s men from winning on home soil?
2. Bottom-placed Burnley are one of four sides yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season. Who are the other three?
3. Lewis Miley became the sixth-youngest player in Premier League history to assist a goal when, at 17 years and 208 days, he set up Alexander Isak’s opener in Newcastle’s 4-1 win over Chelsea. Who is the youngest player to assist a goal in PL history?
4. Pedro Porro’s assist for Giovani Lo Celso in Tottenham’s home defeat to Aston Villa was his sixth in the Premier League to date. Who are the only two defenders with more assists in the competition than the Spaniard since he debuted in February?
5. Alejandro Garnacho’s spectacular overhead kick after just two minutes and 13 seconds against Everton was Manchester United’s earliest Premier League goal since who scored against Manchester City in March 2021?
Ask Opta
This week’s question came to us via X from BJ Cunningham (@BJCunningham22), who asks for a: “List of high turnovers committed by each Premier League team?”
Do you have a stat-based question you’d like Opta to answer in a future edition of SVQ? Email us at editors@theanalyst.com or message us on X @OptaAnalyst with #AskOpta and we’ll pick the best one.
Answer:
After Matchday 13 in this season’s Premier League, the list of high turnovers for each team is as follows:
- Chelsea – 133
- Tottenham – 131
- Man Utd – 130
- Arsenal – 122
- Newcastle – 117
- Manchester City – 116
- Everton – 115
- Liverpool – 115
- Brighton – 108
- Bournemouth – 107
- Luton Town – 107
- Wolves – 106
- Fulham – 106
- Brentford – 97
- Crystal Palace – 93
- Burnley – 90
- Sheffield United – 88
- Aston Villa – 87
- West Ham – 81
- Nottingham Forest – 73
In terms of those who have made it count, Tottenham and Arsenal are level for the most shot-ending high turnovers (25 each), ahead of Everton and Brighton in joint-second (23 each), while Spurs are outright ahead for the most goal-ending high turnovers with five.
We haven’t seen such impressive turnovers since we had a go at The Great Opta Bake Off… OK fine, they weren’t that impressive. There was apple everywhere!
What Are We up to at Opta Analyst?
Here’s some of the latest data-driven offerings you can find on our website:
🔴 Kobbie Mainoo Set the Tone on Day Many Expected Everton to Suffocate Man Utd
📈 Opta’s Top Five Premier League Players of the Week: Matchday 13
🦵 Five Knee-Jerk Reactions to the Premier League Weekend
🔥 The Fastest Players to 50 Premier League Goals
⚽️ Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool Stats: Haaland Hits 50 Goals as City’s Home Run Ends
Opta Player Ratings & Games
Opta is excited to bring you two fresh new and FREE weekly football challenges, with Opta Max and Opta Five.
Both of these games are powered by the Opta Player Ratings, a measure that takes into account over 100 different metrics to provide an accurate performance score (out of 100) for every player in a single match.
This week’s top-performing player was Michael Olise (95.3/100) who scored a wonder goal in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 defeat at Luton. That was one of five shots he took in total, as well as creating three further chances. Sadly for Olise, it probably wasn’t even the goal of the weekend…
In Opta Max and Opta Five you can compare players’ latest players ratings and stats. Then put your player ratings knowledge to the test for a chance to win big prizes each week of the football season.
Head to the website to find out more and start playing Opta Games.
Quiz Answers
1. Everton (1-1 – 31 December 2022)
2. Brighton, Luton and Sheffield United. Only Sheffield United (34) have conceded more goals than Burnley (32) so far.
3. Aaron Lennon (for Leeds vs Arsenal at 16y 199d in November 2003)
4. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier (both nine).
5. Bruno Fernandes, who scored after 1 min 40 secs.
Before you go…
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