Welcome to the ninth edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each Thursday, Anantaajith Raghuraman analyses the entire division through a specific lens.

After looking at each club’s disciplinary record last week, our focus this time is on ‘big chances’, defined by Opta as “a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity where a player is reasonably expected to score, typically from a one-on-one situation or a shot from close range with little pressure”.

As usual, the article that follows is long but detailed, so please settle down and enjoy it all — or search for the side you want to read about.

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Matchweek eight saw the Premier League’s 20 teams create 55 big chances, the highest of the season — yet, those opportunities brought multiple head-scratching misses, including a couple with game-state-altering potential.

With that in mind, this week’s Alternative Table dives into each side’s big-chance conversion rate, which serves as our primary qualifier, as well as teams’ total big chances created.

Key takeaways include:

• Crystal Palace, led by Adam Wharton, have created the most big chances, averaging 4.1 per game, with Manchester City (3.4) and Liverpool (3.0) second and third
• Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak have scored just one (Salah’s penalty at Burnley) of a combined nine big chances this season
• Tottenham Hotspur have their lowest big chances total after eight games since the 2019-20 season
• Winless Wolverhampton Wanderers have created the fewest (five in eight matches) but, conversely, boast the best conversion rate at 80 per cent, ahead of Burnley’s 75 (six out of eight big chances scored) and Chelsea’s 57 per cent (13 out of 23).

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Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first Premier League hat-trick handed Crystal Palace a draw against Bournemouth after trailing 2-0 and then 3-2. The France international attempted 11 shots, matching the second-highest tally by a player in the league since the start of 2018-19 (behind Salah’s 12 against Brighton & Hove Albion in March 2024).

Mateta scored three big chances and missed three more, taking his total record to five of 15 big chances converted. The most glaring miss was this one deep into stoppage time, awarded an expected goals (xG) figure of 0.57.

It is largely good for Palace that these opportunities are falling to Mateta, though, with no other player in the squad having more than five big chances. Even a marginal improvement from their centre-forward will make them even more dangerous.

Wharton, meanwhile, is the joint-best big-chance creator in the league with five, level with Salah.

Bournemouth often let quality opportunities slip in 2024-25, converting just 36 per cent of their 2.8 big chances per 90 minutes. The eight games this season have seen that fall to 1.8 per 90, but their conversion rate has improved to 50 per cent.

Eli Junior Kroupi, who scored twice against Palace, has converted all three of his big chances. Despite hitting the crossbar from a yard out against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Antoine Semenyo has converted three of his seven (43 per cent), an improved rate on the five of 17 (29 per cent) he managed last season.

Wolves are facing a serious creativity issue without Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri, the duo who left in the summer after creating 21 of their 60 big chances (35 per cent) in 2024-25.

Marshall Munetsi, Hugo Bueno, David Moller Wolfe, and Fer Lopez have created one big chance each across the last eight matches. Three of those have ended in goals, while Santiago Bueno scored their other big chance against Spurs from the second phase of a corner. Jhon Arias was the only one to miss, skying Moller Wolfe’s cutback against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Worryingly, star striker Jorgen Strand Larsen has not received a single big chance in his 455 minutes of action, having shone as a poacher in 2024-25, converting 10 of 23 such opportunities. He also created six big chances last season and was deprived of a first assist in 2025-26 when Jackson Tchatchoua wasted this chance to equalise against Sunderland last weekend.

Burnley have also struggled to create big chances, though this has largely been due to the defence-first approach Scott Parker has deployed. Their 42.9 passes into the attacking third per 90 and overall pass accuracy of 76 per cent are Premier League lows this season.

What has helped Burnley is their efficiency. Their 15 per cent shot-to-goal conversion rate ranks third, behind only Manchester City and Spurs.

Left-winger Jaidon Anthony has been the hub of their attack and has received four of their eight total big chances, scoring three of them. Lesley Ugochukwu has headed in both his big chances too, opening the scoring against Leeds United over the weekend and scoring a consolation against Aston Villa in early October.

Leeds United find themselves in the opposite camp, ranking bottom in big-chance conversion rate after converting just three of 17 such opportunities.

Eleven of those opportunities have come in their last three matches against Bournemouth, Tottenham and Burnley, a sign that they are creating more than in previous games. However, they have converted just one of those (Noah Okafor against Spurs).

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been Leeds’ worst culprit, missing all five big chances, but their most glaring miss of the weekend came from Lukas Nmecha, who diverted a near-post header worth 0.69 xG well over the bar. Brenden Aaronson, Jack Harrison and Jayden Bogle also missed presentable opportunities in the 2-0 defeat against Burnley.

Struggling West Ham United are just ahead of them, having converted two of their 10 big chances in 2024-25. Both of those came in the 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest in August, courtesy of Lucas Paqueta’s penalty and Callum Wilson’s stoppage-time header.

West Ham’s key struggle has been in providing Jarrod Bowen with high-quality opportunities. Bowen led the club in receiving big chances last season (13, scoring five of them). He has received one from his team-mates despite playing every available minute in 2025-26, but did create one by himself against Forest, only for Wilson to take it off his feet and shoot straight at Matz Sels.

Forest have fared better than West Ham in creating big chances — they are level with Bournemouth on 1.8 per game — but have converted just three, all in their first two matches against Brentford and Palace.

The 3-0 defeat to Chelsea that ended Ange Postecoglou’s 39-day reign was their worst display in this respect. Morgan Gibbs-White hooked a difficult Douglas Luiz header across the box high and wide. Neco Williams then missed this volley from yards out…

… before Igor Jesus hit the bar and post.

In the 2024-25 season, Forest converted 30 of their 78 big chances (39 per cent), with Chris Wood scoring 13 of his 28. He has converted just one of four in 2025-26, including a glaring close-range miss from a header against Sunderland with his team 1-0 down in the 80th minute.

New manager Sean Dyche’s 19 matches in charge of Everton in 2024-25 saw them finish six of their 28 chances, the same ratio as Forest’s current record (three of 14).

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Brentford were inefficient with their finishing against West Ham on Monday, converting just one of five in a dominant display. Overall, they have been among the better teams, finishing 42 per cent of their 2.4 big chances per 90 minutes after managing a league-high 44 per cent (from 2.9 per 90) last season.

Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade hit the crossbar from point-blank range and Dango Ouattara put a free header wide. Schade and Ouattara have struggled with limited opportunities, scoring one of their six combined big chances. But Thiago has converted five of eight overall, with his conversion rate (63 per cent) the highest among players to have five or more big chances.

Mikkel Damsgaard and Fabio Carvalho have scored with their solitary big chances, too.

Speaking of teams hitting the woodwork, Liverpool struck it twice through Cody Gakpo (three times, when including a deflected cross) during their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s team are in a slump but have continued to create big chances. Across their three 2-1 defeats in league action, they have made 15 big chances, partly due to game state — they have been chasing games after conceding within the opening 14 minutes in those losses.

Converting opportunities has been the issue. Gakpo should have equalised with an 87th-minute header that went well wide, 23 minutes after Salah lashed at a close-range shot and missed the goal by some distance.

Salah and Isak have been the biggest culprits, whereas Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike have scored two of three apiece, and Federico Chiesa has scored one of two.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk have missed routine unchallenged headers in the box, and Dominik Szoboszlai saw a shot blocked on the line by Chelsea’s Benoit Badiashile.

Manchester United ranked second from bottom in big-chance conversion in 2024-25 at 29 per cent, only above rock-bottom Southampton (27 per cent).

The past few months have hinted at marginal improvement — United have created 2.8 big chances per game, their joint-highest rate over the opening eight league matches of a season since 2018-19. They have converted 36 per cent of these, their second-highest ratio in the same period (behind 58 per cent, from 1.5 big chances per game, in 2020-21).

Summer signing Benjamin Sesko is a statistical oddity, with three of his big chances coming in three seconds against Brentford in the form of two saved shots and a goal bundled in. He scored his only other big chance against Sunderland, too.

Bruno Fernandes, operating further away from goal, has been presented with four big chances, including three from the penalty spot. He scored with a spot kick against Burnley and headed home from close range against Chelsea.

Bryan Mbeumo is the third United player with four big chances to his name, and he has scored twice too (against Liverpool and Burnley), but missed from right in front of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma against Manchester City.

Harry Maguire scored from his first big chance of the season to secure United’s first win at Anfield in almost 10 years.

Arsenal have created the same number of big chances as Manchester United (2.8 per game) but have a marginally better conversion rate. They are also level on chances created from set pieces (nine each).

Mikel Arteta’s side have converted 31 per cent of their open-play chances, an improvement on their rate at this stage last season (29 per cent from 17 big chances) and 2023-24 (18 per cent of 11). However, their set-piece prowess in this regard has slipped — they scored with six of their first seven big chances from these situations at this point last season, compared to five of nine in this.

Arsenal remain elite from corners and free kicks, while showing signs of improvement in open-play creativity.

Viktor Gyokeres scored three of his six big chances, and Bukayo Saka has converted both of his. Gabriel (one of three), Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice (all one of two) have contributed too.

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Sticking with the traditional ‘Big Six’, Chelsea have been consistent with their chance creation, with the 5-1 win against West Ham (seven big chances created, five scored) being the outlier. Even when we exclude that match, their record still stands at a solid eight of 18 big chances converted (44 per cent).

Chelsea have been at their creative best in the second half of matches, creating 15 big chances (second-best behind Palace’s 17) and scoring eight (best). That was the case against Forest too, with three of four such opportunities coming after the break and two ending in goals.

Enzo Fernandez leads the team with six big chances, scoring three times, while Chelsea’s improvement from set pieces means Trevoh Chalobah is second (three big chances, two goals). Joao Pedro has scored both of his big chances and created four more for his team-mates (only behind Salah and Wharton).

Manchester City have not spread the load in the same way as some of their counterparts. Instead, they have relentlessly fed Erling Haaland. The Norwegian leads Europe’s top five leagues in big chances received with 17, scoring nine of those, level with Harry Kane and four more than any Premier League player (Mateta and Thiago have five each).

Haaland has also created three big chances, meaning he has accounted for 74 per cent of City’s total (20 of 27), while scoring 90 per cent of their big-chance goals (nine of 10 with Matheus Nunes scoring the other). Jeremy Doku is the next most involved player, with three big chances created and three received.

As the graph below shows, City are leaning on Haaland much more than in his first three seasons.

You would expect the dependence to reduce given the quality within Pep Guardiola’s squad. But for now, no team is more reliant on their centre-forward than City.

Tottenham are sixth from bottom in big chances created with 13 — the lowest they have managed at this stage of a season for six years (12 in 2019-20) and less than half the 29 from 2024-25.

In the absence of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus is leading the team (three big chances received, two created). He is yet to score from these, but Brennan Johnson has converted both his big chances.

Thomas Frank has preferred to build a solid base and Spurs have conceded the joint-fourth-fewest big chances (12, level with Sunderland, Manchester City and Brighton). A tough run of league fixtures awaits, with games against Chelsea, Manchester United (both at home) and Arsenal (away) in November, which requires more of the same defensively and an extra dusting of creativity.

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Aston Villa have also struggled to create high-quality opportunities (1.4 per game, just ahead of West Ham, Burnley and Wolves). They have not been too efficient, either, scoring three goals from big chances.

Ollie Watkins has scored one of his four, carrying on from 2024-25 when he converted just 13 of the 40 big chances he received. Morgan Rogers (three of 14) has not been involved enough in the final third but may have turned a corner after scoring against Tottenham.

Jhon Duran’s ability to convert big chances (five of 12) and score a few spectacular goals was invaluable during the first half of last season. Villa will be looking for a similar boost from Donyell Malen and Evann Guessand in the weeks ahead.

Brighton have scored with exactly half of their 2.3 big chances per game, their third-best conversion rate in the first eight matches of a season since 2018-19. Fabian Hurzeler’s team have had their best matches in this respect against Manchester City in August and 10-man Chelsea in September, converting five of seven big chances across both wins.

Most of their high-quality opportunities have fallen to Danny Welbeck, who has converted three of four since missing two big chances against Everton. Kaoru Mitoma, who scored seven of his 19 big chances and created eight more in 2024-25, has made a slow start (one big chance scored and one created) but Yankuba Minteh has begun well with three created and one scored (from two big chances).

Everton have shown marginal improvement in big-chance conversion. Having recorded a rate of 25 per cent in the first eight matches of three consecutive seasons, they have begun 2025-26 at 33 per cent.

Five of their 15 total chances came against Crystal Palace, and they converted two to get their biggest result of the season. They also finished two of three in the 3-2 win over Wolves. Everton did not create a single big chance against Liverpool and West Ham, while they frustratingly spurned three in the 0-0 draw with Villa.

James Garner and summer arrivals Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall lead the team, with three big chances created each. Iliman Ndiaye has scored all three of his big chances but his success is offset by Beto and Thierno Barry converting just one of their combined six.

This miss by Beto against Manchester City was worth 0.84 xG, making it the third-worst miss after Haaland against Manchester United (0.93xG) and Ismaila Sarr against Villa (0.91xG).

Newcastle are level with Everton in big chances created and, as my colleague Chris Waugh explained, have struggled with generating quality opportunities. Six of their big chances came against struggling Forest, with Newcastle converting just one of those, while four more came in the wild 3-2 defeat against Liverpool.

It is a significant drop-off from the final eight matches of 2024-25 when they converted 48 per cent of their big chances, the highest outside of relegated duo Leicester City and Ipswich Town (50 per cent). Personnel changes have contributed, with Eddie Howe taking his time to find the perfect system.

Champions League wins over Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica saw them score six of their 11 big chances, so perhaps they have turned a corner. Another positive is how well Nick Woltemade is settling in, with the German scoring two of the five big chances he has been presented in the Premier League.

Arch-rivals Sunderland have fared marginally better, converting five of their 14 big chances across eight matches. Regis Le Bris’ side also found joy against Forest, creating three big chances and scoring one to win 1-0. They also went two for two in the win over Brentford in August.

Sunderland have been good at spreading the opportunities around, with Dan Ballard, Wilson Isidor and Chemsdine Talbi leading the team with two big chances each. Isidor has scored both, while Ballard and Talbi have not converted either of theirs. Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete have both scored their sole big chances, too.

Granit Xhaka has been Sunderland’s primary outlet (four big chances created), with Ballard and Eliezer Mayenda contributing two apiece.

Fulham have averaged 1.5 big chances per game (the fifth-lowest) but have converted 42 per cent of them, building on a trend from recent years. Since returning to the Premier League, they lead the 17 ever-present teams in big-chance conversion (46 per cent), higher than next-best Arsenal and Manchester City. They also rank second last in chances created at 1.8 per game, only higher than Wolves (1.6).

Alex Iwobi and Ryan Sessegnon have created two big chances each. Rodrigo Muniz has been the most frequent recipient with four, scoring just one of those. He converted 15 of 24 across 2023-24 and 2024-25, giving him the best conversion rate (63 per cent) among players with 15 or more big chances in that period. It’s the type of form Muniz will hope to rediscover when he recovers from his thigh injury.