We’ve used stats to rank the Prem keepers and the numbers highlight how important Alisson has been for Liverpool.
Courtesy of the wonderful FBREF we’ve used the PSxG minus goals allowed metric to rank the top-flight stoppers. ‘What the f*** is that?’ you might reasonably ask…
Post-shot expected goals is expected goals based on how likely the goalkeeper is to save the shot. When the number of goals they have conceded is subtracted, we are left with the figures below. FBREF explains that positive numbers suggest better luck or an above-average ability to stop shots. We’ve included only those goalkeepers with eight or more appearances.
1) Alisson (Liverpool): +11.7
You might think conceding four goals v Manchester City would bruise these numbers, but his Reds defence left him so exposed that his performance was actually about par. And then a clean sheet followed in El Shitico. And he ended up in the black v Arsenal.
2) Bernd Leno (Fulham): +7.1
Leno was always too good to sit on Arsenal’s bench and the German has been a very astute purchase for Fulham. And he’s a busy boy in that Fulham goal; he made six saves in the win over Everton.
3) Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea): +4.5
“If you look at the XG of the McGinn goal, it’s not that big of a chance,” said Graham Potter shortly before he was sacked. It has been a decent season from Kepa but conceding two goals from two shots on target is sub-optimal. And Frank Lampard wasn’t his biggest fan.
4) David Raya (Brentford): +3.3
More saves than any other keeper in the Premier League. Made seven saves v Wolves and Brentford still lost the game 2-0.
5) Neto (Bournemouth): +3.1
Since signing for Bournemouth from Barcelona in August, Neto has brought some reliability to a goal where previously there was little. The contrast there between him and Mark Travers is stark. Currently boasts the best save percentage in the Premier League.
6) Jordan Pickford (Everton): +2.7
Has been largely excellent for an oft-rotten Everton side this season.
7) Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa): +2.3
Keeping a clean sheet v a Chelsea side that mustered seven on-target shots took the World Cup winner into the green. He was then properly tested by Leicester City. Not so much by Forest.
8) Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal): +1.1
West Ham mustered three on-target shots on Sunday and scored with two of them. Neither was Ramsdale’s fault but it does not reflect well in the statistics.
9) Nick Pope (Newcastle): +1.0
Pope was one of the signings of the summer for only £10million from Burnley but he was really very poor v Aston Villa and looks like the third-choice England keeper for a reason.
10) Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham): +0.5
Returned against Southampton and kept a very impressive clean sheet; then conceded five to Newcastle, including one he gifted to Alexander Isak. He was excellent v Fulham, mind.
11) Vicente Guaita (Crystal Palace): +0.4
Just about in the green and likely to be protected more by Roy Hodgson’s Eagles.
12) Edouard Mendy (Chelsea): -0.3
One of Thomas Tuchel’s last acts was to drop Mendy and Graham Potter saw no reason to bring back the Senegal stopper.
13) Hugo Lloris (Tottenham): -2.3
After 145 caps, for the first time in almost 15 years, France have to think about a future without their No.1. That day is surely coming for Spurs too, even if the 36-year-old has a couple of years remaining on his deal.
14) Keylor Navas (Nottingham Forest): -2.3
One clean sheet in 11 Forest games for the three-times Champions League winner.
15) David de Gea (Manchester United): -2.4
He was by no means the only problem, but conceding seven goals from eight on-target shots from Liverpool meant he was very much part of the capitulation. But despite all that, he is on course for the Golden Glove award for most Premier League clean sheets.
16) Robert Sanchez (Brighton): -2.8
Spanish Bob forced his way into the national team reckoning with his form after becoming the Brighton No.1, but has he really maintained those levels? He has lost his Brighton place to Jason Steele and it’s hard to argue that it’s harsh.
17) Jose Sa (Wolves): -2.9
The leader in this metric last season is getting better as the season progresses but the numbers still make for dire reading.
18) Ederson (Manchester City): -3.8
Ederson remains the ideal goalkeeper for Manchester City but still some way from being the perfect goalkeeper. City play a high line, like Liverpool, but Ederson is rather more rash than his compatriot Alisson when it comes to dealing with one-versus-ones.
19) Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest): -4.1
“I didn’t really want the manager to see me in training because I knew he’d probably want to keep me,” said Henderson about United boss Erik ten Hag. The Forest loanee presumably hopes he doesn’t see his stats too.
20) Danny Ward (Leicester): -5.5
Eventually dropped.
21) Mark Travers (Bournemouth): -6.9
The numbers look even worse for Travers. He has the lowest save percentage in the Premier League at 51.7%, compared to his rival for Bournemouth’s gloves, Neto, who has been around the top five keepers since he arrived in the Premier League.
22) Illan Meslier (Leeds): -9.2
Leeds fans love Meslier, and plenty of other clubs are apparently watching the young Frenchman, but his numbers aren’t great. Last season, he finished with a PSxG of -16.2, so you could argue that this term has brought about an improvement, with Leeds’ defence protecting him marginally better.
23) Gavin Bazunu (Southampton): -14.8
Maybe the Southampton goal is no place for a youngster this season. Bazunu was superb for Portsmouth in League One last year but the step up to the Premier League has been a big one for the Republic of Ireland stopper.