Latest reports offer a surprising perspective on Foden and Haaland
Liverpool host reigning champions Manchester City under the Sky cameras on Super Sunday – but what do the stats say about the teams’ polarised form?
Liverpool have won 17 of their 19 games in all competitions this season, while Manchester City have not won in their last six games, losing five – their worst run in over eight years.
While City’s key absences of Ruben Dias and Rodri are well documented and have led to their defensive frailties with 17 goals conceded in the last six games, Guardiola’s team have also been struggling as an attacking force.
The champions have scored just 22 goals in the Premier League this season – in only one season under Pep have they scored fewer at this stage of a season (18 after 12 games in 2020/21).
Comparing all nine seasons under Guardiola after 12 games of a Premier League season, in only two campaigns have City had more shots than in this campaign.
The problem seems to be in converting those chances, with City having their second-worst shot conversion at this stage and their worst expected goals performance. For only the third time in nine seasons, Manchester City have a negative xG performance at this stage of a campaign.
Man City after 12 Premier League games
Under Pep Guardiola
| 20/21 | 18 | 9.3% | 18.89 | −0.89 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/25 | 22 | 9.4% | 24.44 | −2.44 |
| 21/22 | 25 | 11.8% | 26.83 | −1.83 |
| 16/17 | 27 | 13.0% | 23.97 | 3.03 |
| 23/24 | 32 | 16.2% | 24.81 | 7.19 |
| 19/20 | 35 | 13.6% | 34.36 | 0.64 |
| 18/19 | 36 | 14.6% | 30.51 | 5.49 |
| 22/23 | 37 | 18.3% | 24.73 | 12.27 |
| 17/18 | 40 | 19.4% | 29.41 | 10.59 |
Highest xG without scoring
Premier League, 2024/25
| Player | Team | xG |
|---|---|---|
| Savinho | Man City | 1.80 |
| Nikola Milenkovic | Nottm’ Forest | 1.68 |
| Bernardo Silva | Man City | 1.48 |
| Kevin Schade | Brentford | 1.47 |
| Ilkay Gundogan | Man City | 1.39 |
| Phil Foden | Man City | 1.38 |
Worst shooting accuracy
Premier League, 2024/25; 15+ shots
| Player | Team | Shots | On target | Shooting accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Foden | Man City | 20 | 2 | 15.4% |
| Kenny Tete | Fulham | 17 | 2 | 22.2% |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Man City | 16 | 3 | 27.3% |
| Bruno Fernandes | Man Utd | 37 | 7 | 28.0% |
| Cody Gakpo | Liverpool | 15 | 3 | 30.0% |
Highest expected assists
Premier League, 2024/25
| Player | Mins. | Assists | Chances created | Expected assists | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bukayo Saka | 907 | 8 | 32 | 3.68 |
| 2 | James Maddison | 780 | 3 | 19 | 3.66 |
| 3 | Dwight McNeil | 979 | 3 | 30 | 3.62 |
| 4 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | 872 | 1 | 20 | 3.00 |
| 5 | Alex Iwobi | 1,038 | 2 | 23 | 2.94 |
| 6 | Savinho | 603 | 2 | 20 | 2.92 |
| 7 | Bryan Mbeumo | 1,075 | 1 | 20 | 2.84 |
| 8 | Phil Foden | 551 | 1 | 16 | 2.80 |
Salah & Haaland: Last seven appearances
Premier League
| Salah | Haaland | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Goals | 2 |
| 2 | Assists | 0 |
| 68 | Mins per goal involvement | 315 |
| 23.00 | Shots | 36.00 |
| 13.00 | On target | 15.00 |
| 30.4% | Shot conversion | 5.6% |
| 5.86 | Expected goals | 6.11 |
| 1.14 | xG performance | −4.11 |