🚀 xG Awards: Player Edition

Who were the xG heroes and villains?

June 13, 2025

The curtain’s down, the boots are off, and the players are sunning themselves in Dubai. But before we all drift off into the off-season abyss, there’s one last piece of business to attend to…

The individual awards that actually matter.

Forget the black-tie ceremonies and vague criteria. We’re handing out honours based on cold, hard expected goals.

From the most ruthless strikers to the kings of creativity, the biggest overperformers to the “how did he save that?” goalkeepers - we’re spotlighting the Premier League players who defined the 2024/25 season, xG-style.

No bias. No agendas. Just the numbers.

Let’s hand out some trophies (well, hypothetical ones)… 🏆️ 

📅 Friday 13th June 2025

On today’s menu:

🏆️ Most Clinical Finisher Award: Who turned half-chances into goals galore?

🏆️ Most Creative Player Award: The Premier League’s ultimate chance creator.

🏆️ Best Shot-Stopper Award: The keeper who defied xGOT all season long.

🧠 xG Snacks

Bite-sized facts to drop in the group chat.

🏟️ Liverpool created more xG away (45.89) than at home (45.13).

🌳 Nottingham Forest were the most clinical team in the league, netting 58 goals from 50.11(xG).

🧤 Bart Verbruggen conceded 5.26 goals more than expected, based on xGOT - the worst shot-stopping performance of any goalkeeper last season.

🐝 Sepp van den Berg was the player who accumulated the most xG without scoring (2.30).

Football Kiss The Badge GIF by Nottingham Forest

Gif by NFFC on Giphy

🔥 Most Clinical Finisher Award

🏆️ Winner: Bryan Mbeumo

💬 Why They Won: Brentford’s flying winger turned ice-cold finisher this season, delivering goals at a rate few could match - and helping the Bees buzz into the top half.

📊 Stat to Know: Mbeumo bagged 20 goals from just 12.71(xG) - smashing his expected tally by over 7 goals, the biggest overperformance in the league.

⚖️ Edge: This was a breakout year in front of goal for Mbeumo - but it's worth noting that he underperformed xG in each of the previous three seasons. Finishing form is often fleeting, and clubs circling (Man Utd 👀 ) should tread carefully - especially when Cunha, the second-most clinical, is also on their radar.

🔑 Most Creative Player Award

🏆️ Winner: Mo Salah

💬 Why They Won: Still king. Salah not only delivered 18 assists this season - he also topped both the xG and xA charts, becoming the first player ever to do so in a single Premier League campaign. He didn’t just score and assist - he carried the majority of Liverpool’s attacking data profile on his back.

📊 Stat to Know: Salah posted 14.01(xA) - the highest Expected Assists total in the league and the best creative output season of his career.

⚖️ Edge: Cole Palmer was runner-up on xA, but only managed 8 actual assists. According to the data, he should have had closer to 13 - suggesting his teammates owe him a pint (or five) 👀🍻

Happy Come On GIF by Liverpool FC

Gif by lfc on Giphy

🧱 Best Shot-Stopper Award

🏆️ Winner: Jordan Pickford

💬 Why They Won: Say what you like about the England No.1 - this season, he was elite. Pickford played a massive role in Everton’s defensive solidity, helping them concede just 44 goals - the same as Man City.

📊 Stat to Know: According to xGOT (Expected Goals on Target), Pickford saved ~5 more goals than the average keeper would’ve - the best figure in the league.

⚖️ Edge: Next best in this stat? Ederson and Alisson. When you’re ahead of those two, you’re doing something very right.

📭 That’s a wrap for 2024/25.

We’ll now be shifting to our off-season schedule, with fewer emails over the summer while we recharge and cook up some fresh data-driven goodness.

But don’t go too far - we’ll be back ahead of the new season with all the key xG insights, season preview content, and a special edition focused on FPL picks 👀

Until then, enjoy the break - may your transfer rumours be entertaining and your pre-season friendlies wildly misleading.

The xG Edge

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