We’re five Gameweeks into the 2026/27 season, and with an international break pausing the action, it feels like an ideal time to explore the early expected goals (xG) data.
We will assess each team from both an attacking and defensive perspective.
We will also examine the leading players for expected goal involvement (xGI), in order to gain a more accurate understanding of who is actively contributing in the final-third.
TEAMS
OPTA EXPECTED GOALS (xG)
Brighton and Hove Albion have had the best attack so far based on the underlying numbers.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side have created chances worth 11.48 xG over the first five Gameweeks, the most of any team.
Nobody has been more clinical than Albion, either, having found the net 16 times (+4.52 xG delta).
Now, Brighton have played for more than 87 minutes against 10 men, with Aston Villa’s Joao Gomes (£5.5m) and Coventry City’s Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.4m) both sent off against them. However, you can’t deny they have been a joy to watch, having beaten Arsenal 3-0 prior to the international break.
They are followed by Manchester City and Brentford, who are both unbeaten and continue to impress from an attacking perspective.
As for City, they’ve actually spent more time in front than any other Premier League team this season. So, if they’d needed to adopt a more attacking approach in matches, their xG output would likely have been even greater.
Manchester United meanwhile are fourth. They’ve had the most shots in the division (112), so they generate volume. However, their xG per shot is merely 0.09, the second-lowest in the top-flight, so the quality could be much better.
They have been a bit unlucky, mind, having hit the woodwork (Hit WW) five times…
Elsewhere, Sunderland have scored just six goals from 9.77 xG, not helped by a penalty miss against Arsenal. Their underperformance of -3.77 goals is the second-worst in the Premier League, only behind Coventry City (-3.87).
In terms of overperformance, the only team to be more clinical than Brighton is Newcastle United. The Magpies have the fifth-lowest xG (5.32) over the first five Gameweeks. Despite that, they have found the net nine times.
| Gameweek | Opponent | Goals scored | xG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool (h) | 2 | 1.58 |
| 2 | Spurs (a) | 2 | 0.72 |
| 3 | Bournemouth (h) | 2 | 0.71 |
| 4 | Leeds (a) | 1 | 0.88 |
| 5 | Hull (h) | 2 | 1.44 |
Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur are the other teams who have scored at least three goals fewer than they should have, based on the quality of chances they have created.
Finally, propping up the table is Aston Villa. That said, there are signs they are starting to move in the right direction after losing so many key players over the summer. Indeed, Unai Emery’s men scored 10 goals in their last four matches across all competitions prior to the international break.
