GW3 Match Centre and Ratings

Here is our statistical analysis of all the fixtures from GW3 based on our xG and xPts metric. these being the expectated goals scored by each team and attacking points by each player based on the quantity and quality of shots and key passes. 

You can find the complete GW3 xPt Ratings for every player here.

Be sure to join us tomorrow for a round-up of the first 3 GWs of action.

Arsenal 1.0 - 0.9 Tottenham
An absorbing contest and a great result for Arsenal but showed the quality of both teams. Giroud and Walcott continue to pose a very high level of threat for the Gunners.  Tottenham are still to score from open play this season. 

Key Attacking Players
Arsenal: Walcott (2.7), Ramsey (1.8), Giroud (1.8)
Spurs: Soldado (2.1), Paulinho (.3), Walker (1.2)

Cardiff 0.1 - 1.1 Everton
The Toffees will feel hard done by the penalty decision but this is the second game running that they have failed to turn possession and chances into goals. Their possession game at least is securing clean sheets. Cardiff's xG of 0.1 here is possibly the lowest we'll see all season. 0.1 basically means Cardiff would need to play this game ten times before they'd score.

Key Attacking Players
Cardiff: Kim (0.3)
EFC: Barkley (2.7), Jelavic (1.6), Mirallas (1.1)

Crystal Palace 1.5 - 1.1 Sunderland
Deserved 3 points in what may be a relegation decider come May next year. A long way off admittedly, but this is going to be a long hard season for both teams. Palace at least offer fantasy managers a few cheap attacking options. 

Key Attacking Players
Palace: Puncheon (2.4), Gabbidon (2.1), Williams (1.8)
Sunderland: Wickham (2.7), Johnson (2.1), Larsson (0.7)

Newcastle 1.9 - 0.3 Fulham
A decent performance in the end by Newcastle but the opposition in Fulham are really struggling to offer anything this season. Ben Arfa deserved his splendid goal but he still needs to be in a team that can score more goals to be worth £7m in FPL.  Cisse's scoring boots are still missing, last seen 2011.

Key Attacking Players
Newcastle: Cisse (2.7), Ben Arfa (2.2), Gouffran (1.8)
Fulham: Taarabt (1.3)

Liverpool 0.6 - 0.9 Man Utd
A deserved victory by Liverpool by all accounts, they are already in the habit this season of nicking a goal and holding on for the win. Van Persie will rue his late miss. Liverpool could easily have conceded in this game, as against Stoke and Villa too. Fine margins.

Key Attacking Players
Liverpool: Agger (1.6), Sturridge (1.1), Gerrard (0.9)
Man Utd: Van Persie (1.8), Evra (1.3), Welbeck (1.1)

Norwich 1.6 - 0.6 Southampton
A much improved performance for Norwich and pretty much the expected performance from both sides. Southampton had plenty of possession but were denied any real quality chances and Lambert was kept completely quiet. Leroy Fer had the most goal-scoring chances of anyone this weekend.

Key Attacking Players
Norwich: Fer (4.3), Elmander (1.8), Redmond (1.2)
Saints: Osvaldo (1.3), Lallana (0.9), Davis (0.6)

West Ham 0.8 - 1.2 Stoke
Allardyce was scathing of his team going forward after the game and this was a pretty inept performance against a side  that you need to be scoring against at home. The Hammers best chances fell to their defensive players. Not a good sign. Stoke are quietly going about their business and with an astute signing or two they could take advantage of poor showings from their mid-table rivals.

Key Attacking Players
West Ham: Diame (2.5), Reid (2.3), Noble (0.8)
Stoke: Walters (2.5), Jones (1.8), Wilson (1.2)

West Brom 0.6 - 1.0 Swansea
The Baggies are still to score this year and are now bottom of the league. Anelka was anonymous again. Troubles ahead. Swansea performed as expected really and Hernandez continued on from the form he showed last year before the Swan's season petered out.

Key Attacking Players
West Brom: Morrison (0.9), Yacob (0.8), Dorrans (0.6)
Swansea: Hernandez (3.0), Michu (2.2), Davies (0.7)

Check out the complete GW3 xPt Ratings for every player.

GW2 Player Ratings

GW2's finale was a bit of a damp squib in the end but you can now feast your eyes on our new Player Ratings. These are based on the shots a player has but of course not all shots are equal.

We look at the likelihood of any shot going in based on the position of the shot, whether it was from a cross or pass, whether it was a header or shot, and if it resulted from open play or a set piece. Each of these variables has a different chance of a goal. For example, a shot in the 6 yard box is five times more likely to end up in a goal than a header from around the penalty spot. 

We add a player's shots up to give them an expected goals value (xGoals) and do the same for assists (xAssists). Not all key passes are equal. Putting crosses into the 6 yard box is more likely to reward an assist than teeing someone up for a long-range effort. 

xGoals is multiplied by the player's points per goal in FPL (e.g. midfielder = 5pts) and xAssist is multiplied by 3 to give an Expected Points value (xPts). At the moment this is attacking points only. Bonus Points and Clean Sheet points are not included currently but will be soon.

It's very simple and we've tested the accuracy of xPts on last season's data and it's extremely accurate. We'll publish the proof of this soon too.

Check out GW2's top ranked players here or click the image below. In a one gameweek sample each team's opposition will make a big difference but using the search box to view players by team allows you to view player's relative to their team mates. 

Top Ranked Man Utd players from GW2