Surprising Premier League stats: Spurs top of the 'league', Mohammed Kudus

The Premier League returns on TNT Sports on Saturday, with Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham welcoming West Ham to north London.

As the rivals prepare to clash, how about some surprising stats from the Opta vault?

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One that shows which table Spurs currently top, and one that shows the Hammers hero who is proving to be the league's best dribbler so far...

Spurs sharp in front of goal

Spurs have constructed one of the most creative attacks in the division this term, with Dominic Solanke coming in to complement the already teeming roster of Son Heung-min, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Timo Werner.

And that is borne out in Opta's numbers, with Spurs, ahead of both Liverpool and Manchester City, topping the table for expected goals (xG) this season so far:

TeamxGTottenham Hotspur15.03Chelsea14.66Liverpool14.03Manchester City13.94Arsenal13.09Bournemouth12.24Brentford11.3Manchester United11.11West Ham United10.96Fulham10.93Brighton and Hove Albion10.81Newcastle United10.46Aston Villa10.03Southampton8.34Nottingham Forest8.32Crystal Palace8.21Everton7Wolverhampton Wanderers6.61Leicester City5.1Ipswich Town5.06

As Solanke continues to find form – the England forward currently has an xG under-performance of -1.48 – this overall number could be an encouraging indicator for Spurs' top four hopes.

The stats also show that things aren't that gloomy for West Ham, at least on an underlying basis, with the club sitting ninth in the xG table above the likes of Newcastle and Aston Villa.

Kudus v Van de Ven showdown

He might not have hit the goalscoring heights yet this term – only opening his account last time out in the big win over Ipswich – but Mohammed Kudus is the main man when it comes to dribbles completed.

The Ghana forward is outstripping the likes of Jeremy Doku and Bukayo Saka in this category, and that should, in theory, mean more chances for the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Niclas Fullkrug in the Hammers' attack, especially against a Spurs side who typically leave space in behind.

PlayerDribbles CompletedKudus, Mohammed23Traore, Adama21Hutchinson, Omari18Doku, Jeremy16Ndiaye, Iliman15Mitoma, Kaoru15Saka, Bukayo14Rogers, Morgan14Mainoo, Kobbie14

That said, the battle between the speedsters should be one of the highlights on Saturday afternoon, with Micky van de Ven (quickest so far) and Kudus set to go head-to-head:

PlayerTop Speed (km/h)Micky van de Ven37.1Carlos Forbs36.6Anthony Elanga35.9Erling Haaland35.7Timo Werner35.7Gabriel Martinelli35.6Alejandro Garnacho35.5Cameron Archer35.5Pedro Neto35.4Yankuba Minteh35.4Marcus Rashford35.4Yerson Mosquera35.3Mohammed Kudus35.3

Chelsea the surprise package?

It's hard not to notice Chelsea's recurring presence in the Premier League's top categories in this nascent campaign.

Cole Palmer is lighting up the division in terms of goals and assists – ably aided by Nicolas Jackson in the former – but it is the collective that is showing such marked signs of improvement.

Some eyebrows were raised when Mauricio Pochettino left the club despite taking The Blues to a sixth-placed finish in 2023/24, but Enzo Maresca has built on those green shoots to create a young, attractive side.

Chelsea stats to date in 2024/25

Expected points total (2nd)

Expected goals total (2nd)

Goals scored away from home (1st)

Goals conceded away from home (2nd)

Can they continue what they have started and maintain an unexpected title tilt?

How to watch Tottenham v West Ham?

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

Tottenham v West Ham will be live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage from 11:00 UK time on Saturday, October 19 ahead of kick-off at 12:30.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

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TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

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