Arsenal may have ended their 22-year title drought, but would they have triumphed under different scoring systems? BBC Sport and Opta crunched the numbers to explore how the table might look based on expected points, home/away splits, set-piece goals, and English scorers.
Expected Points Table
Expected points (xPTS) evaluate performance by weighing the quality of chances created and conceded. Sunderland would have been relegated under this metric, while Aston Villa would have slid into the bottom half. Chelsea, on the other hand, would have secured a Champions League spot. The data raises questions: were Sunderland and Villa truly overperformers, or is expected points a flawed gauge?
Home vs. Away Form
Tottenham struggled at home but would have made the Europa League if only away results counted. Everton and Nottingham Forest also fared better on the road, despite their reputations for electric home crowds. Fulham showed the starkest home-away contrast, thriving at Craven Cottage.
Set-Piece Dominance
Arsenal’s set-piece prowess was a season hallmark, and they topped an alternative table based solely on goals from dead-ball situations. Will clubs now prioritize set-piece specialists and towering targets, or will open-play goals make a comeback?
Long-Range Goals
If only strikes from outside the box counted, the title race would have looked very different. The table highlights teams with sharpshooters capable of producing screamers.
English Goalscorers
With England eyeing international glory, the FA might ponder a table ranking teams by goals from English players. Who would top that list?
These alternative perspectives offer fresh talking points as the Premier League season concludes, showcasing football’s endless capacity for debate.