With Premier League defences being thoroughly battered, goals scored in the closing stages of games have led to the highest rise in the scoring rate from season to season in England’s top division in almost a century.
In the last stretch of the season, average goals per game are at 3.24, up 13.7% from 2.85 the previous year. Since 1925–1926, when the offside rule was changed to favor attacking players, this is the largest jump.
Soccerstats.com, a statistics website, shows that almost 25% of the goals scored in this season have occurred after the 76th minute, with many of them occurring well into the extended stoppage times that have become a recurring feature of the competition.
The latest goal scored this season was Ollie McBurnie’s 103rd-minute penalty for Sheffield United against West Ham United in January while numerous other goals have come past the 100-minute mark.
Teams towards the middle of the table have also been more effective attacking units this season.
According to Simon Gleave, head of analysis at Nielsen’s Gracenote, the eight teams currently ranked 10th to 17th in the league table are averaging 1.45 goals per match, compared to their equivalents last term with 1.04 per game.
The current top nine teams, seven of which finished last season in the top nine, are recording a 5% increase.
Certain clubs have clearly worked on their attacking effectiveness too, none more so than Wolverhampton Wanderers whose average per game of 1.5 is an 84% rise on last season.
Chelsea are up 74%, Aston Villa 54%, Bournemouth 50% and West Ham United 44%.
Champions Manchester City, however, are averaging fewer goals than they were last season, as are Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.
With a three-way title race reaching its climax, Arsenal’s goalscoring prowess could give them the edge.
The Gunners have racked up 70 goals in 28 games at an average of 2.5 goals per match — their highest top-flight scoring average since the 1934-35 season.
“Since 1962-63, there have been only eight teams that have averaged 2.5 goals per match or better across a whole season; Manchester United (1999-00), Chelsea (2009-10), Liverpool (2013-14) and Manchester City (2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22),” said Gleave.
“Arsenal need to score 25 more goals in their last 10 matches to join this select group.”
For pure entertainment, however, Newcastle United’s matches are the ones to watch. Their 28 games have produced 107 goals at an average of 3.82. Only one team since the 1966-67 season – Liverpool in 2013-14 – have had an average exceeding 3.8 goals per match across a whole season.
