EPL sharpest - & not-so-sharp - shooters with Utd shock outliers boffins

After running the numbers, stats boffins have revealed who the least efficient strike force in the Premier League is, with one side managing to under-perform their expected goals by a whopping 0.40 strikes.

The efficiency has been calculated by quantifying the number of expected goals - penalties excluded - a team might have according to how dangerous each chance is, the number of shots on target a team has, and how many they manage in total.

As such, each team has been given a value that shows just how well or poorly they have performed in at the business end of the pitch over the course of the campaign.

While it is not a direct indicator of where sides sit in the standings, the teams in and around the top and bottom of the stats table do general correlate with placement in the division - although Manchester United are a notable stand-out.

Here Mail Sport run you through the numbers, provided by CIES Football Observatory, to show who has under- and over-performed their expected goals so far this season.

According to the data, the most efficient side at putting away chances is Premier League leaders Arsenal, who are exceeding their expected goals by a whopping 0.43 per game.

That the Gunners lead the way is perhaps not surprising given that they are also the top scorers in the division with 70 strikes in 2023-24, five clear of Liverpool in second.

The Gunners are currently averaging 2.21 non-penalty goals a game, with an expected tally of 1.78, which is only the sixth-best of the 20 teams in the table.

Although Liverpool are the next most prolific side in the top-flight, and Manchester City have an embarrassment of attacking riches and creative maestros within their ranks, it is in fact the Gunners' arch nemesis Tottenham in