# Premier League Goals Falling Short

> Premier League teams scoring fewer goals than expected this season.
- Title: Premier League Goals Falling Short · the Guardian | Shortify
- Summary: Premier League teams scoring fewer goals than expected this season. Premier League teams are scoring fewer goals than expected this season due to…
- Keywords: premier league, spurs, underperforming teams, goal averages, expected goals, sports, Premier, League, Goals, Falling, Short, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/football/2026/oct/09/premier-league-so-far-data-pointers-draw-xg
- Published: 2026-10-09T18:00:34+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: premier league, xg, spurs, underperforming teams, goal averages, expected goals, sports
## Premier League goal averages
Premier League goal averages are dropping as players take fewer touches in the box and forwards underperform against expected goals.
## Spurs lead underperforming teams
Spurs have scored fewer goals than expected this season, with only two teams in the top flight scoring fewer goals than expected.
## Underperforming xG trend
Fourteen clubs have scored fewer goals than expected this season, up from ten last season, with eight teams within a goal of their underlying numbers.
## Week-by-week underperformance
Twenty-four teams scored at least one goal fewer than expected across the first five match weeks, twice as many as last season's opening 50 games.
## Manchester United's issues
Manchester United have scored fewer goals than expected, with only one club they played finishing in the top 10 last season and five goals against Championship runners-up Ipswich.
## Player xG underperformance
The top players from each club have collectively scored 6.8 fewer non-penalty goals than expected, almost 40% of the division's goal shortfall.
## What happens next
Excessive reliance on players who underperform could prove a small-sample statistical quirk that is quickly remedied, but goal rates may not reach expected levels soon.
## Key takeaway

Premier League teams are scoring fewer goals than expected this season due to underperforming xG, with Spurs leading the underachievers.