ARSENAL 2–1 EVERTON: BY THE VISUALS
ARSENAL 2–1 EVERTON: BY THE NUMBERS
2 – Points separating Manchester City and Arsenal going into the final game of the season meant that the reigning champions had to drop points at home to West Ham if Arsenal were to win their first league title in 20 years.
Realistically, we knew it was improbable, but anything can happen in football, and it’s the hope that kills you. We understood the chances of any last-day drama were minimal from the outset, and they were reduced even further when City went two up early on. Then, Idrissa Gueye’s deflected free-kick (0.06 xG) in the 40th minute put Everton ahead.
Three minutes later, Tomiyasu equalised (0.08 xG) following an Ødegaard cut-back, and around the same time, West Ham reduced the deficit in Manchester. However, there would be no dramatic twist in the title race as City eventually went on to win 3-1.
Late on, we managed to finish our season with a win as Jesus latched onto a poor pass from Ashley Young and found Ødegaard, whose miskick set up Havertz to score from close range (0.50 xG).
23 – Games won on the final day of the season for Arsenal, more than any other side in the competition’s history.
26 – Shots for Arsenal, the joint 3rd-most we amassed in the league this season.
3.01 – Expected goals for Arsenal, the 6th-highest total we’ve recorded in a league game this season.
9 – Shots for Kai Havertz, the most he’s had in a league game all season and the joint-most any Arsenal player has had this season, tied with Bukayo Saka against West Ham (H).
124 – Goals scored against Everton by Arsenal, the most by any team against any opponent in Premier League history.
89 – Completed passes by William Saliba with a 96% completion rate (first overall). His progressive passes covered the highest progressive distance with 525 meters – which refers to passes directed towards the opponents’ goal. For context, Jordan Pickford finished the day in second place with a progressive pass distance of 461 meters.
Wilo became the first Arsenal player in the competition’s history to feature in every single minute of a Premier League campaign (3,420).
29 – Progressive passes received by Gabriel Martinelli (first overall). The Brazilian also completed 15 progressive carries (second place had four), 11 carries into the penalty area (second place had three), and made four recoveries (joint first).
I thought Gabi was very good considering he was played out of position. He’s always involved in the game but just let down by his end product. The hope is, with a better functioning left side, we’ll see an improvement next season.
MARTIN ØDEGAARD’S GAME BY NUMBERS
Most touches in the attacking third (56), most key passes (7), most passes into the penalty area (7), most progressive passes (15), most crosses (10), highest expected threat (1.70), highest expected assists (0.6), most shot-creating actions (13), and two assists.
—
28 – Wins for Arsenal, the joint most in the Premier League.
29 – Goals conceded by Arsenal, the fewest in the league.
20 – Set-piece goals scored by Arsenal, the most in the league.
18 – Clean sheets kept by Arsenal, the most in the league…
…and the list goes on. I’ll provide a comprehensive summary when I compile the By The Numbers season report. But for now, it’s time to reflect on what, by all accounts, was a fantastic season. There was no “bottle-job.” We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams the Premier League has ever witnessed, assembled by one of the world’s very best coaches, without financial restraint and amidst 115 alleged breaches.
The average age of Arsenal’s most frequently played players this season is 25, making it the third youngest team in the Premier League, behind Chelsea and Burnley. This group of players has consistently bounced back stronger from adversity, improving with each passing season. We’re not going anywhere, and I’m already looking forward to seeing where we end up in 12 months’ time.
—
On a personal note, I want to thank everyone who has followed By The Numbers this season. Writing it has been a pleasure, and I hope to improve it by incorporating more visuals, refining the existing ones, and finally building my own database – that will effectively eliminate any discrepancies that arise from pulling in stats from multiple sources.
Follow me on Twitter @jonollington
Sources: Opta, fbref, @Orbinho twitter feed
Always enjoy checking your analysis against what I think when watching the games. Thanks for your work.
2 is the key number. Scored 2, 2 Odegaard assists, hit the woodwork twice, 2nd in the league, for the 2nd season.
Looking forward to 1 being the key number next season!
And thanks for this and every analysis you have done this season, much appreciated!!
Though it wasn’t a ‘bottle job’ last season. Injuries to Saliba, Tomi and TP were the thing that stopped us winning the PL.
Such a shame, isn’t it? If we had finished last season the way we finished this one, we win the league. If we had started this season the way we did last one, we win the league. This is why I am silently confident that we will see a different beast next season. The defiant tone I have heard from the likes of Arteta, Havertz, Øde, and Rice gives me that believe that they are coming out for blood next year. Let’s just hope it would be enough. I think they now FULLY KNOW that every point counts and that… Read more »
I couldn’t agree with you more. The bottle-job jibes annoy me way more than they should, hence why I’ve probably referenced it too many times this season.
I’m not a PL fan (I support a lower league team) and barely care about the top flight now because of this Man City nonsense. It has ruined the game. Even if Arsenal win the league next year, it will mean that you should have won three in a row, which is historical. We should be going from one historical era, grounded in fairness (Klopp at Liverpool) to another historical era grounded in fairness (Arteta at Arsenal). Instead, fans of those historical teams have to hope that they can be perfect enough to squeeze by Man City in one season… Read more »
Thanks for one last time this season for the easy your easy to digest stats.
The standout for me in this age of goals galore is the 29 conceded, fucking outstanding collective defensive effort. Keep that up, add 5-10 more goals and we’ll get over the line.
Onwards and upwards!
Thanks you Jon for compiling these stats and presenting them in an interesting and easy to digest manner. It’s always a pleasure to read 🙂
Always look forward to these articles after every match. Thanks for putting the time into these Jon!
Excellent write ups! I have read each and every one of them at least twice. Awaiting the same for next season. Just one small issue, the figures for assists and goals do not seem to align with the numbers next to the faces of the payers involved in the game at home to Everton. Thanks again for providing the numbers, graphs, and analysis.
Thanks a lot! Updated and fixed for next season.
@Jon: a small nitpick: The section about Ødegaard’s game says he had 10 carries, but the table above shows him with 47 (!) carries…
It says 10 crosses…
When did we win 28 games in a PL season apart from this one? Invincibles won 26. I think we won 26 in 2001-2002. Last season was 26.
Was it one of the seasons we came runner up to Man U?
Another number…115.
Allegedly.
Another on. 115 year ban if guilty.
The shithouses. Allegedly.
Job well done. Thank you for covering the season