Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Ederson and Trent Alexander-Arnold among those leading the way for goals, fouls conceded, chances created, minutes played and more | Top stories

From Mohamed Salah’s goals to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s assists and Ederson’s clean sheets, stats are an essential part of Premier League football.

The 2021/22 season has already seen 470 goals soar as the New Year approaches and England’s top clubs don’t appear to be slowing down.

Last season England captain Harry Kane won the top two scorers and provided the most assists after an incredible one-on-one campaign at Tottenham.

However, a mix of fitness and form has seen the striker’s standards drop in recent months and he didn’t finish 2021 nearly as strong as he started.

Ederson, however, is on track to make a Golden Glove triple round after dominating Manchester City goals all year round.

But who are also some of the most unsung heroes who have not made the headlines but have always been present in their teams.

With that in mind, here is the most comprehensive breakdown you need as talkSPORT.com takes a look at the Premier League in 2021 in review …

Statistics correct as of Saturday, December 25, 2021.

Goal implications

No wonder Salah tops the charts by far after the incredibly consistent calendar year of the Liverpool superstar in 2021.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is West Ham’s Michail Antonio, who has managed more goals than Kane and Bruno Fernandes this year.

Stats also prove how well Mason Mount has proven himself in attacking Chelsea in 2021 and similarly Raphinha for Leeds.

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Top scorers

Salah eventually finished a goal behind Kane in the 2020/21 Golden Boot race but unlike the Spurs forward, he started this campaign on fire.

The Egyptian is already five goals clear in the title race this season and has scored eight more goals than Kane in the Premier League in 2021.

Salah’s Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota has spent the first three months of the year injured, but his 10 so far this quarter have helped him place fourth.

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Help

A brace for Liverpool as Salah is finally beaten in the standings by his own teammate Alexander-Arnold.

The England international has been on a rollercoaster ride in 2021 with an injury and a miss at Euro 2020, but his assists record is more consistent than ever.

Paul Pogba’s four assists in a single game on Matchday 1 of the season helped him share third place with Gabriel Jesus.

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Clean sheets

Again, no surprises here, as Ederson won the Golden Glove last season and Man City have conceded the fewest goals this season.

Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson round out the top three, but Aaron Ramsdale ends the year in an impressive fifth place.

The Arsenal star kept five of his 13 sheets clean for Sheffield United from January through May this past despite the end of Blade at the bottom.

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Minutes played

Goalkeepers naturally dominate this entry due to a lack of rotation in their position, with Emiliano Martinez proving particularly influential for Aston Villa.

But it’s also a mark of how much Villa has leaned on its senior players, with Ezri Konsa, John McGinn and Tyrone Mings all in the top 11.

Interestingly, Liverpool talisman Salah is the only Premier League top six outfield player included.

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Chances created

Alexander-Arnold finished the year as the Premier League assistant king and that is perhaps understandable given the number of chances he has created.

United pair Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw created 172 opportunities in 2021 while Raphinha created as many chances as Masoun Mount.

Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross can also see himself as a more influential playmaker than Salah and Kevin de Bruyne this year.

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Shoot the target

After his wonderful goal against Newcastle, Alexander-Arnold joked that he waited five years to hit a ball like that.

And the stats bear this out as Liverpool’s right-back only managed to get 19 of their 64 shots on target in the Premier League.

Still, Southampton’s Nathan Redmond and Wolves speedster Adama Traore were the most wasteful in front of goal with less than 26% of their shots hitting the target.

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Yellow cards

The Aston Villa McGinn midfielder was among the players who have played the most minutes this year in the Premier League and he collected 12 cards for his problems.

Still, the Scotsman has never shown red – unlike Harry Maguire, who received two of his 11 yellow cards in a 4-1 loss to Watford last month.

McGinn’s Villa teammate Douglas Luiz is also included, while Man United and Burnley each have two representatives as well.

Fouls conceded

Thomas Soucek and Wilfired Ndidi are two masters of malpractice having committed a total of 127 faults between them.

Still, neither is on the list for most yellow cards – unlike Conor Gallagher, who has received 11 of 55 fouls he’s made this year.

This means the Crystal Palace forward – who started the year on loan at West Brom – has been warned about every five fouls he made.

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