Premier League football is back this weekend and it’s been a gripping start to the season in England’s top division.
The usual suspects sit around the top spots as we return from October’s international break, though there have been plenty of surprises in the Premier League in 2024/25.
We’ve looked at some astonishing statistics from the campaign to date, a barely believable list of quirks from the season so far.
The most surprising stats from the Premier League season so far
Manchester United have kept four times as many clean sheets as Manchester City
Yep, really.
It might have been Manchester United’s worst start to a season in the Premier League era, but the Red Devils are far outdoing their crosstown neighbours when it comes to clean sheets.
Erik ten Hag’s team have recorded four shutouts in the Premier League this season, with the Citizens lagging behind with just one to their name. Despite taking eight points from seven games, only Liverpool (5) have more clean sheets than Manchester United (4). Andre Onana is the current leader for the Premier League’s Golden Glove.
Andre Onana is currently leading the race for the Premier League Golden Glove this season with four clean sheets so far 🧤 pic.twitter.com/tY80nGdq7k
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 7, 2024
Erling Haaland has scored more goals than 10 Premier League teams
We should probably stop being surprised by Erling Haaland’s goalscoring antics, but here we are.
Haaland is the early leader in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot as he looks to emulate Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry as the only three-in-a-row winners of the award. He’s scored 10 goals in seven games, more than 10 teams have managed in total.
Haaland has scored twice as many goals as Manchester United (5).
Cole Palmer scored as many goals in one half against Brighton as Southampton have in total
Southampton are the lowest scorers in the Premier League with just four goals since promotion back into the big time. Despite the additions of Cameron Archer and Ben Brereton Diaz in the summer, the Saints have lacked firepower in the final third.
There have been no such issues for Cole Palmer, however, who became the first Premier League player in history to score four goals before half-time against Brighton. Palmer’s four-goal burst – as many as Southampton have managed in total – came within a 20-minute spell.
Only two players have more assists than Wilfred Ndidi
Wilfred Ndidi built his reputation in the Premier League as a ball-winning presence, ranking among the league’s most prolific tacklers for four straight seasons between 2017/18 and 2020/21.
Ndidi has retained much of his ball-winning excellence and leads the Premier League for tackles so far this season, though he’s been reinvented in a slightly more advanced position. The Nigerian has four assists in seven games, as many as he managed in his previous three Premier League campaigns combined. Only Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer have more.
Wilfred Ndidi has made more tackles than any other player in the Premier League this season.
While only Bukayo Saka (7) and Cole Palmer (5) have more assists than the Nigerian (4). 👀 pic.twitter.com/16wAbYrhLB
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 10, 2024
Fulham have a lower xGA than Arsenal and Manchester City
Expected Goals is a divisive metric but the data judges the quality of chances for and against sides. Fulham fans might have feared the worst when Tosin Adarabioyo walked out for Chelsea in the summer, but the return of Joachim Andersen has led to one of the league’s tightest defences.
Only Liverpool (5.72) have a lower Expected Goals Against (xGA) than Fulham (7.37) so far this season.
Nicolas Jackson has the highest non-penalty xG/90 in the league – ahead of Haaland
At the other end, no player in the Premier League is receiving more open-play chances per 90 minutes than Nicolas Jackson.
The Senegalese striker was criticised during a mixed debut season at Chelsea but has shown signs of progress in the campaign’s early weeks. He has four goals and three assists in seven games and has posted a league-leading 0.89 xG per 90 in 2024/25.
If he can just tighten up that finishing…
Jhon Duran has averaged a goal every 46 minutes in the Premier League this season
One player who has had no issues finding the back of the net is Jhon Duran.
After a summer of speculation surrounding his future, Duran has proven a point at Aston Villa to become the Premier League’s resident ‘Super Sub’. The 21-year-old has four goals off the bench already this season and is targeting Adam Le Fondre’s single-season record (8).
The winner, in all its glory ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/L6fafOM6Cc
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 14, 2024
Such has been his impact, Duran has scored every 46 minutes on average in the Premier League this season.
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See more – The teams with the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season