How Sunderland's xG attack record compares to Premier League rivals after Man Utd defeat
Sunderland lost 2-0 to Manchester United on Saturday, but how does the result affect their xG record?
Sunderland fell to just their second Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday as they went down 2-0 away at Manchester United.
It was another tight game for the Black Cats, who matched United with two big chances created apiece. However, Regis Le Bris’ side wasted their openings, while Benjamin Sesko and Mason Mount got the job done for the hosts. Sunderland have now scored just seven goals in seven games to begin the campaign, relying on a resolute defence that has been breached only six times.
A strong backline is always a great platform to build from, but Le Bris will want to see more in the final third soon. So, what do the attacking numbers look like for Sunderland, and are they generating promising chances?
How does Sunderland’s xG for compare to the rest of the Premier League?
Sunderland passed up 0.71 xG against Man Utd, meaning they’re now underperforming their season total by 1.1.
Even so, they’ve still been relatively efficient, picking up 11 points so far despite only generating 8.1 xG, with the Premier League’s bottom four and Aston Villa the only sides below them in this regard. Only four sides have attempted fewer than Sunderland’s 70 shots, meaning their xG per shot is a very respectable 0.12 - level with the likes of Everton and Newcastle United.
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- Manchester United (14.02)
- Crystal Palace (13.85)
- Arsenal (13.7)
- Liverpool (12.92)
- Chelsea (12.28)
- Manchester City (12.25)
- Brighton (10.79)
- Everton (9.8)
- Bournemouth (9.66)
- Brentford (9.55)
- Newcastle United (9.27)
- Leeds United (8.75)
- Tottenham Hotspur (8.14)
- Fulham (8.13)
- Sunderland (8.1)
- West Ham United (7.97)
- Nottingham Forest (7.45)
- Aston Villa (6.95)
- Wolves (6.1)
- Burnley (5.22)
How much have Sunderland and their Premier League rivals overperformed their xG?
As mentioned, Sunderland have underperformed their xG by 1.1, which is by no means the worst record in the Premier League, but shows the Black Cats are capable of more in the final third. Saturday’s opponents, Man Utd, are the worst underperformers with a whopping 7.02, 2.17 more than any other team. At the other end of the scale, Tottenham are the biggest overperformers on 3.86, 2.08 more than second-place Burnley.
- Tottenham Hotspur (3.86)
- Burnley (1.78)
- Bournemouth (1.34)
- Manchester City (0.75)
- Chelsea (0.72)
- Arsenal (0.3)
- Liverpool (0.08)
- Brentford (-0.55)
- Brighton (-0.79)
- Everton (-0.8)
- Aston Villa (-0.95)
- Sunderland (-1.1)
- Leeds United (-1.75)
- West Ham United (-1.97)
- Wolves (-2.1)
- Fulham (-2.13)
- Nottingham Forest (-2.45)
- Newcastle United (-3.27)
- Crystal Palace (-4.85)
- Manchester United (-7.02)
Sunderland will see their first game back from the international break as a major opportunity to put some more goals and points on the board as they host Wolves, who are bottom of the table with just two points on the board and 14 goals conceded.
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