Highlights

• Goalkeepers are a vital figure in any football team and need to be at their best if their side is to succeed.
• A great way to measure goalkeeper performance is to look at how many 'expected goals' they've managed to save.
• Looking at that data, we've ranked every Premier League goalkeeper to have played at least seven times this season.

Over the years, more and more ways to track player performances through data have emerged. One huge metric that is used at great length these days is expected goals, commonly known as xG. This is a certain form of data used to measure how good a chance is when someone takes a shot and identifies whether they should have scored it or not. On the flip side, expected goals saved effectively represents the number of goals a 'keeper should have let in but didn't, and therefore, how much they have over-performed when it comes to shot-stopping.

For example, if a shot has a high xG attached to it, then a keeper has done an incredible job if they keep it out. On the other hand, if they fail to keep a shot out that has a low xG, then they've had a bit of a nightmare. Taking all of that into account, we've decided to bring you the results, and with stats shared on FBref, we've ranked which shot-stoppers have performed the best and worst when it comes to how many ‘expected goals’ they’ve saved this season so far.

Before we begin, we should point out that only goalkeepers who have played in at least seven Premier League games have been included for obvious reasons.

1 Jose Sa, Wolverhampton Wanderers

+5.7

After Julen Lopetegui's departure just three days before the start of the new Premier League season, it looked as though Wolverhampton Wanderers were going to be in serious trouble. That hasn't quite happened, though, and Gary O'Neil has done a tremendous job so far. A lot of that credit has to go to goalkeeper Jose Sa for his incredible consistency.

Now into his third season with the club, the 30-year-old continues to impress as number one. The Portuguese shot-stopper has been in sharp form from the get-go, preventing his team from conceding 5.7 goals more than they actually have done. If Wolves are to continue impressing under O'Neil this season, Sa will more than likely have a lot to do with that.

2 Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham Hotspur

+5.6

Replacing Tottenham Hotspur stalwart and club captain Hugo Lloris was never going to be easy, but Guglielmo Vicario has had a fantastic start to life in north London. No doubt one of many to have been helped by Ange Postecoglou's revitalising managerial style, the goalkeeper has come straight into the team without too much drama.

Spurs have seen their fair share of injuries so far this season, but Vicario has been a consistent star in goal for Postecoglou's side and stands in second in the entire list, keeping out an astonishing 5.6 expected goals. He's a difference-maker, there's no doubt about it.

3 Andre Onana, Manchester United

+4.0

While he's faced a lot of criticism in his debut campaign at Old Trafford, for some pretty glaring mistakes, Andre Onana has more often than not been a solid purchase for Manchester United. He's kept out a total of four expected goals so far this year, and his club have really started to turn things around lately.

Considering the issues they faced earlier in the season, things could have been even worse if Onana hadn't been the man in between the sticks for the club. He might not be the overwhelming success that the fans will have been hoping for when he came in to replace David de Gea, but the underlying numbers show that he's been quietly solid.

4 Alphonse Areola, West Ham United

+3.8

While West Ham United have had a bit of a tumultuous season, one man who has been consistently solid is Alphonse Areola. The West Ham United man had to spend most of the previous Premier League season on the bench, but after being the starting option in the club's Europa Conference League triumph, the 30-year-old appears to now be David Moyes' number-one choice ahead of Lukasz Fabianski.

Despite many fearing a difficult campaign for the Hammers without Declan Rice onboard anymore, they haven't quite fallen into the pits of the Premier League and Areola can be credited for some of that. So far, he's conceded 3.8 fewer goals than he's expected to have had and that's a testament to his performances in between the sticks.

5 Emiliano Martinez, Aston Villa

+3.6

Aston Villa have had a fantastic campaign so far this season under Unai Emery and are actually in with a good chance of securing Champions League football as a result. A lot has been made of their impressive attack, with the likes of Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins earning plenty of plaudits for their performances.

Emiliano Martinez has also been fantastic in goal, though, as someone who might have flown under the radar. The Argentine has conceded 3.6 fewer goals than expected at this stage of the season. He's been incredible since joining Villa from Arsenal in 2020 and that hasn't changed this year either.

6 Bernd Leno, Fulham

+2.4

Ranking just below Neto is Bernd Leno. The former Arsenal goalkeeper joined Fulham for an initial fee of just £3m and that's looking like more of a bargain every day. In his first season, according to Opta stats (via Fulham FC), only David Raya made more saves in the league and Fulham should have conceded 60.46 times, but Leno only let in 49 goals.

Fulham were tipped to struggle this season, losing Aleksandar Mitrovic, and while Leno's performances have taken a significant step back in comparison to last year, the club are still exceeding all expectations so far. Regardless, he's still statistically keeping out 2.4 goals more than the data suggests he should have, which is impressive.

7 Martin Dubravka, Newcastle United

+2.2

Things could have gone very poorly for Newcastle United when Nick Pope went down injured earlier this season, but Martin Dubravka has done a solid job filling in for the Englishman. That shouldn't really come as too big a surprise considering his performances in the Premier League in the past for the Magpies.

So far, he's conceded 2.2 fewer goals than he was expected to, which is pretty darn impressive. Eddie Howe's side has been ravaged by a host of injuries so far this year, but they're still within a shout of European football and Dubravka has played a crucial role in that.

8 Neto, Bournemouth

+2.1

He only arrived in England one year ago, but Neto took little time settling into the set-up at Bournemouth and, by the end of the season, had been handed the captain's armband. Although the Cherries have blown hot and cold under new manager Andoni Iraola, the Spaniard has been able to rely on his keeper for consistency.

Neto has kept out 2.1 goals, showing he's carried last year's impressive form over to this season. Under Iraola, the side from the south coast have shown glimpses of promise this year and if they can put it all together on a regular basis, the 'keeper – formerly of Barcelona – will be key.

9 Caoimhin Kelleher, Liverpool

+1.2

Stepping up in the absence of the injured Alisson is a task only few can manage, seeing as the Brazilian is one of the – if not the – best goalkeepers in world football. Caoimhin Kelleher has done just that, however, and is enjoying a superb run of games during Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour.

Keeping out 1.2 goals more than expected, per the statistics, the Irishman has proven his worth in Merseyside – and despite murmurs over his future at the club, he is ensuring to do all he can to end his Anfield stint on a high with his brilliant performance between the posts.

10 Nick Pope, Newcastle United

+1.1

Continuing his incredible form from last season, Newcastle's Nick Pope was one of the club's strongest players again this year before he picked up an injury. Whether it was in the Champions League or domestically, the England international was consistently performing at a high level before his injury ruled him out for quite some time.

He's since been replaced by Dubravka, who has done a fine job, but the Englishman, who saved 1.1 expected goals throughout the campaign, will almost certainly retake his spot as the Magpies' number-one shot-stopper once he's fully recovered and is available for selection once again.

11 Thomas Kaminski, Luton Town

+1.0

For many, Luton Town were initially picked as the side most likely to be relegated – they certainly were the least likely of the three to be promoted – but they've actually been the best of the newly promoted bunch so far. A large reason for that is Thomas Kaminski, who has had an exceptional start to life in the Premier League.

He's already been on hand to pull off some magnificent saves for the Hatters, having kept out the solitary expected goal so far this year. Rob Edwards' side currently look like they could be on the verge of what was considered impossible at the start of the season, avoiding relegation and Kaminski has been integral to their form so far.

12 Jordan Pickford, Everton

+1.0

A lot has been made about Jordan Pickford's impact at Everton and his importance to the team. His exploits over the last couple of seasons may have been the single driving force in their escape from relegation. This year, though, he hasn't been the hero he usually is.

He's not been terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but the Englishman has saved just one more goal than he should have. After a points deduction sent them crashing down the Premier League table and into the drop zone, the Toffees have begun to show life under Sean Dyche, but they may need Pickford to pick things up a little.

13 Alisson Becker, Liverpool

+0.9

Alisson Becker has saved Liverpool countless times over the years with his brilliant shot-stopping and commanding presence – and so, fans were given a reality check when he picked up an injury. The Reds have performed well so far this term, but it's interesting to note that they've had to rely on the quality of their goalkeeper to get them out of a few sticky situations.

They've had trouble defensively, going behind in more than a handful of games so far throughout the campaign. Though, with that being said, the Brazilian still conceded 0.9 fewer goals than the underlying data suggests he should have.

14 Ederson, Manchester City

-0.2

Signed more for his ability to play out from the back with his feet than his actual shot-stopping ability, Ederson has been a supreme goalkeeper for Manchester City over the years, but he is actually under-performing this season. It hasn't hindered his team too much, with City embroiled in a title race, but he's conceded 0.2 more goals than the data shows he should have.

His team is about as good as it gets, so it's not that big a deal, but life at the Etihad would be a lot more comfortable if he returned to the form that he's previously shown he's capable of reaching. Despite that, they're still in with a very strong chance of winning another Premier League title.

15 Robert Sanchez, Chelsea

-0.8

With Kepa Arrizabalaga joining Real Madrid on a season-long loan deal and Edouard Mendy sold to Saudi Pro League outfit his Al-Ahli, Robert Sanchez became the latest of many players to swap Brighton for Chelsea, arriving for a fee in the region of £25m. He jumped right into the starting line-up too, playing in every possible league game, before getting injured.

Unfortunately, though, you wouldn't exactly say the Blues or their new Spanish goalkeeper have impressed in this time, with Sanchez conceding almost a goal (0.8) more than he would have been expected to and the west London outfit haven't exactly turned their insipid form around under Mauricio Pochettino either.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Arsenal's David Raya has kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season with nine. Bernd Leno, Andre Onana, Jordan Pickford and Ederson have all kept eight.

16 Bart Verbruggen, Brighton & Hove Albion

-1.1

This season, Brighton & Hove Albion have been nowhere near as effective or impressive as they have been in the past. Playing 13 times in the league for the Seagulls, Bart Verbruggen has been given plenty of opportunities to take control of Jason Steele's spot as the number one choice goalkeeper at the club, but he's failed to really capitalise on any of those chances.

Conceding 1.1 more goals than he should have, Verbruggen really should be doing better, and has failed to answer any questions about whether he should be taking the number-one spot from his teammate or not. With that being said, he has still managed to perform better than Steele, who we will get to shortly.

17 Wes Foderingham, Sheffield United

-1.5

Sheffield United's return to the Premier League has been an absolute disaster so far, and it already feels safe to assume they'll be playing Championship football once again next season. Things could be much worse, though, if they didn't have Wes Foderingham between the sticks.

The keeper only made his Premier League debut this season, but he has quickly done well to establish himself as one of Sheffield United's more reliable players at this level. Despite the sheer amount of pressure they've been under from other top tier sides, and the 8-0 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle, Foderingham has still managed to concede just 1.5 more goals than he is expected to have.

18 David Raya, Arsenal

-2.5

Brought in as competition for Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal, David Raya almost immediately usurped his teammates and became the Gunners' first-choice keeper. He's had iffy moments along the way, and at times has looked very shaky, but Mikel Arteta has stood by the new addition.

The club have built off of their success last season and are currently enjoying a three-way title race for domestic gold. Raya has conceded over 2.5 more goals than the data suggests he should have, though, so if the Gunners are to be the side that comes out on top and grab some silverware, the Spaniard is going to need to step up to the plate.

19 Dean Henderson, Crystal Palace

-2.7

Just a few years ago, it seemed like Dean Henderson was destined to become a top-class goalkeeper in the Premier League and maybe even seize control of the starting spot in the England national team lineup. That hasn't happened, though, and the former Manchester United man joined Crystal Palace last summer.

The move hasn't been great either, with Henderson conceding almost three - 2.7 to be precise - more goals than he should have at this stage of the season. That's quite a feat too, considering he's played just eight times in the league so far. At the moment, the decision to sign the keeper is looking like a foolish one, unless he can turn things around soon.

20 Jason Steele, Brighton & Hove Albion

-3.2

Jason Steele managed to break into the regular starting XI last term as he earned the trust of Roberto De Zerbi ahead of Robert Sánchez, but things have fallen very differently this year. The former Blackburn Rovers man has seen his appearances in the side drop drastically as he's been forced to compete with Verbruggen for the number-one spot on the coast.

What's worse, he's had a poor campaign when he has been selected over his teammate, conceding 3.2 more goals than he should have, thus doing nothing to encourage his manager to say that he deserves to be the first-choice keeper at the club right now.