Newcastle United 'xG for' compared to Premier League top six rivals
How do Newcastle United compare to their Premier League rivals when it comes to 'xG for'?
Newcastle United may find themselves in trouble in the EFL Cup semi-final, but they seem to have finally turned a corner in the Premier League.
The Magpies have won their last three league matches to climb to sixth in the table, just three points adrift of the top four. Most satisfying in that run is the fact that Newcastle have finally started finding the net, bagging nine goals across those three matches, with another three coming in the FA Cup against Bournemouth. That takes Newcastle to 32 goals for the season, but how does that compare to their Expected Goals, and how does their xG stack up against the rest of the English top-flight?
Newcastle United’s ‘xG for’ compared to Premier League rivals
Below are the 20 Premier League teams ranked by their ‘xG for’ stat, according to FBref data.
- Manchester City - 39.6
- Manchester United - 37.7
- Chelsea - 36.8
- Arsenal - 35.8
- Brentford - 33.8
- Crystal Palace - 33.2
- Brighton - 32.7
- Bournemouth - 32.0
- Liverpool - 31.9
- Newcastle United - 31.0
- Leeds United - 29.5
- Aston Villa - 25.0
- Nottingham Forest - 24.6
- Fulham - 23.6
- Everton - 23.6
- West Ham United - 21.5
- Tottenham Hotspur - 20.1
- Wolves - 19.8
- Sunderland - 18.5
- Burnley - 17.9
Newcastle have overperformed their xG by 1.0, leaving them bang in mid-table for both actual goals scored and Expected Goals. However, their current run of nine goals in their last three suggests Eddie Howe’s side are trending in the right direction, especially considering Newcastle scored just four goals in their first six matches of the season - leaving them fighting an uphill battle from the start in the scoring charts.
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There are no surprises at the top of the xG table, with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United featuring prominently - the latter have been seriously harmed by their 32 goals conceded, with only six teams holding a worse record. Newcastle’s Tyne-Wear rivals, Sunderland, are second-bottom of the xG charts at just 18.5, while their 21 goals scored is only better than bottom side Wolves (15).
| Position | Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 1. | Bruno Guimaraes | 20 | 8 | 3 |
| 2. | Nick Woltemade | 18 | 7 | 2 |
| 3. | Harvey Barnes | 20 | 5 | 0 |
| 4. | Malick Thiaw | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| 5. | Anthony Gordon | 16 | 2 | 1 |
Newcastle United’s top Premier League goalscorers.
What next for Newcastle United?
Newcastle have experienced some hardships in the cups over the last two games, just scraping by Bournemouth 7-6 on penalties in the FA Cup third round after a 3-3 draw, while they lost 2-0 at home to Manchester City in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final. However, in the Premier League, the Magpies have beaten Burnley (3-1), Crystal Palace (2-0) and Leeds United (4-3) over the last three games. Next up is a very winnable match away at basement side Wolves, who have just seven points on the board - though five of them have come in the last three games.
After that, it’s a Champions League tie at home to PSV Eindhoven, before once again resuming Premier League duties at St. James’ Park against Aston Villa.
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