Stats: Who would be top of the Premier League table if shots that hit the woodwork had gone in?
Leicester City could go on and win the Premier League title by the end of the season judging by their recent form. Ever since their loss to Arsenal at the Emirates in mid-February – only their third loss all season – they have won 16 points from six games as teams below them faltered.
The Foxes now have a seven-point lead at the top over second-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have lost only four times this season. Their north London rivals Arsenal occupy third spot with Manchester City in the final Champions League spot.
Claudio Ranieri’s side do not look like slipping up and it could well be the most astonishing fairytale comeback in sport. Exactly a year ago to the day, the Foxes were in 20th place in the Premier League. A late season comeback saw them eventually survive relegation and finish 14th. Now, a year on, they find themselves at the summit thanks to the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante.
| # | Club | Pld | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester City | 32 | 24 | 69 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 32 | 62 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 31 | 22 | 58 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 31 | 24 | 54 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 31 | 12 | 53 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 31 | 12 | 51 |
| 7 | Southampton | 32 | 8 | 47 |
| 8 | Stoke City | 32 | -3 | 47 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 30 | 5 | 45 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 31 | 8 | 44 |
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion | 31 | -7 | 40 |
| 12 | Everton | 30 | 9 | 38 |
| 13 | Bournemouth | 32 | -16 | 38 |
| 14 | Watford | 31 | -6 | 37 |
| 15 | Swansea City | 32 | -9 | 37 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 31 | -8 | 34 |
| 17 | Norwich City | 32 | -21 | 31 |
| 18 | Sunderland | 31 | -19 | 27 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 31 | -27 | 25 |
| 20 | Aston Villa | 32 | -40 | 16 |
The traditional top four clubs have suffered one way or another this season. Defending champions Chelsea imploded at the start of the season and the club eventually sacked Jose Mourinho. Guus Hiddink took over as interim boss at Stamford Bridge for a second time in his career, steadied the ship and the Blues haven’t lost a game in the league since. But a number of draws have hurt their top four chances.
Similarly, Manchester United saw a an initial surge to the top under Louis van Gaal before the months of October to December saw them rapidly slide down the table and also out of the Champions League in the group stages. Manchester City have failed to beat any of the other top six sides so far and Manuel Pellegrini is on his way out of the club this summer.
Gunners top list of teams who hit the woodwork the most this season
Arsenal probably had the best chance to mount a serious challenge for the title and even topped the table in January. The win against Leicester City proved to be a false dawn as a series of poor results saw them lose ground as the Foxes and Spurs pulled away from the Gunners.
But a closer look at Arsenal’s shots on goal reveals a different story. The Gunners aren’t third due to a lack of trying to score goals. They have created chances with Mesut Ozil leading the way (18 assists so far – two short of Thierry Henry’s record of 20 in a single Premier League season).
In fact, Arsene Wenger’s side have hit the posts or the crossbar more times than any other team in the league – 19 times to be exact. On the other hand, their derby rivals Spurs have been lucky to see 18 shots come off Hugo Lloris’s goal.
If these shots that hit the woodwork had gone in, the EPL table takes on a very different complexion. Arsenal would actually have been top of the table with Leicester City in second place only on goal difference (although the Gunners do have a game in hand).
West Ham, currently in sixth place would be third while Manchester City still hold on to the fourth spot. Tottenham actually fall out of the top four while United fall even further down to seventh with Liverpool moving up to fifth. Chelsea even drop down to the lower half of the table.
However, there is no change in the relegation zone with the same three teams (Sunderland, Newcastle and Aston Villa) propping up the rest of the clubs.
| # | Club | Pld | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 31 | 31 | 59 |
| 2 | Leicester City | 32 | 23 | 59 |
| 3 | West Ham United | 31 | 18 | 57 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 31 | 26 | 56 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 30 | 11 | 53 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 27 | 52 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 31 | 7 | 49 |
| 8 | Everton | 30 | 16 | 48 |
| 9 | Southampton | 32 | 12 | 48 |
| 10 | Stoke City | 32 | -10 | 42 |
| 11 | Swansea City | 32 | -4 | 41 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 31 | 6 | 40 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 31 | -8 | 40 |
| 14 | Watford | 31 | -8 | 39 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 32 | -18 | 37 |
| 16 | West Bromwich Albion | 31 | -13 | 35 |
| 17 | Norwich City | 32 | -21 | 34 |
| 18 | Sunderland | 31 | -18 | 32 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 31 | -36 | 26 |
| 20 | Aston Villa | 32 | -43 | 12 |
Stats courtesy of Opta Sports