Steve Bruce’s men are still waiting on their first win of the campaign, and have picked up just one point from their opening three matches.
A dramatic 2-2 draw against Southampton saw them head into the international break in 17th – but do the stats suggest that is a fair reflection of their output so far?
Expected goals (xG) is a football metric, which allows you to correctly evaluate team and player performance.
Experts believe that in a low-scoring game such as football, final match score does not provide a clear picture of performance.
Analysts say more and more sports analytics is turning to advanced models like xG, which is a statistical measure of the quality of chances created and conceded.
The aim of xG was to create the most precise method for shot quality evaluation.
Scroll down to see how the Premier League table should look according to the xG data...

9. Brighton
Actual league position: 8th Actual points tally: 6 Expected points tally: 4.40 (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) Photo: GLYN KIRK

10. Tottenham Hotspur
Actual league position: 1st Actual points tally: 9 Expected points tally: 3.84 (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) Photo: Catherine Ivill

11. Aston Villa
Actual league position: 11th Actual points tally: 4 Expected points tally: 3.82 (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Photo: Ryan Pierse

12. Southampton
Actual league position: 13th Actual points tally: 2 Expected points tally: 3.32 (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images) Photo: Chris Brunskill

