Trent Alexander-Arnold scored two goals from outside the box in Liverpool's win over Fulham Photo: Getty Images/Chris Brunskill
Another weekend, another celebration of Premier League goals. Dejan Kulusevski's spectacular 90th-minute equalizer in Tottenham's 3-3 draw with champions Manchester City was the 24th goal scored in five matches on Sunday alone, and 442 -th goal in the tournament this season.
The Premier League currently averages 3.16 goals per game after 14 rounds, the highest in the competition's history and well above the best average of 2.85 set last season. Astonishingly, 101 more goals have been scored this season than at this stage ten years ago. To be fair, it is worth noting that there was no shortage of entertainment.
Telegraph Sport looks at some of the key factors behind the surge in goals in what could be a record-breaking campaign.
Fewer fives in the backThree seasons ago, nearly 30 percent of starting lineups had a back three or five, but this season that figure is just 19.6 percent. More and more managers outside the traditional top six are adopting aggressive, attacking formations, not least the likes of Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi and Aston Villa's Unai Emery. Teams start in a 3-5-2 formation in less than four percent of games this season, down from 8.6 percent in 2019/20. 4-2-3-1 is overwhelmingly the most popular formation. It was used as a starting system in almost 37 percent of matches, compared to 17.6 percent in the 2018/19 season.
Bolder tactical approaches
In the past, it was not uncommon for smaller clubs to 'park the bus', but with a growing number of managers willing to be bold and daring, the fear factor has diminished. Attacking football is on the rise, which is reflected in the sharp increase in the number of players entering the opponent's penalty area.
Teams average 54.3 touches per game inside the opposition penalty area, up from 49.5 last season and 40.7 in 2008/09, when there were almost 14 fewer touches in the penalty area per match. In this regard, it is not surprising that teams score more goals.
Eight of the 20 Premier League teams have scored at least three goals in a quarter of their matches this season, and seventy per cent of teams that were in the top flight last season are scoring faster this time around. Both teams score in 60 percent of their matches, up from 50 percent last season and just 43 percent in 2019/20.
Longer games mean more late-stage goals
This season has seen a five per cent jump in the number of goals scored in the second half compared to the previous season, with goals after 90 minutes now accounting for a record 9.5 per cent of all goals scored. The previous highest rate was 6.7 percent in the 2021-22 season. This of course led to a lot of late drama, but appears to be a direct result of the new timing directive.
Matches last longer than ever before, with extra time now averaging a staggering 11 minutes 49 seconds, up from the previous high of 8 minutes 27 seconds last season. In the 2007/08 season, this figure was only 5 minutes 43 seconds, so it is not surprising that players are more likely to score late.
Increasing number of red cards
Conor Gallagher's red card in Chelsea's 3-2 win over Brighton on Sunday was his 31st in the Premier League this season – already more than in the entire previous campaign. Liverpool were the worst offenders with four red cards, although Alexis McAllister's red card against Bournemouth was overturned on appeal. This season's average of one red card every 4.5 games means the top flight currently tallies 84 goals, eclipsing the previous record of 75 in 2005/06, and more frequent numerical imbalances tend to favor more goals.
More errors leading to goals
Teams are making more errors leading to goals this season than in the previous three campaigns, with the average number of errors per game this season reaching 0.34, up from 0. 25 in the 2020/21 season. Increasingly attacking formations may leave defenses more vulnerable, but the game also discussed whether fatigue caused by an increasingly tough schedule and longer matches was having an impact. However, the average number of errors per game is still significantly lower than in the 2012/13 season, when it peaked at 0.47.
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