Krafth tops chart, Wood weighs in & Dubravka’s key role – Three stats from 2-1 win vs Brighton

It was another good result for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United on Saturday. Although the performance was under par, the team battled and managed to hang on to the three points.

Our position in the table becomes less perilous by the week and there are a lot of reasons to be positive at the moment.

Below we look at three interesting stats to come out of the weekend.

Martin Dubravka – Post-Shot Expected Goals faced (1.8)

This stat is a developing metric that rates the expected goals total for each shot faced by a goalkeeper. In a match, a keeper might make 8 saves, but if they are all straight to him, it is difficult to judge his performance. PSxG gives a clearer understanding of a goalkeeper’s performance.

On Saturday, Dubravka made three saves, but they were very good ones, including one from Danny Welbeck in the first half. Meanwhile, his late save from Leandro Trossard ensured we kept hold of the three points.

Dubravka has always been an excellent shot stopper and Saturday was a reminder of that. Over the next few months, we might be linked with some keepers in the transfer market, but this was a good showing from Dubravka.

Emil Krafth – 54 touches

It is interesting to note that Emil Krafth had more touches than any other Newcastle player. In previous weeks, this has been Kieran Trippier or Matt Targett. Against Brighton, Targett only managed 45 touches.

The return of Allan Saint-Maximin may have caused this, as the Frenchman does seem to get the lionshare of the attacking opportunities. Targett made two or three good runs after the arrival of our talisman and he was ignored. 

For Krafth, he has had a good couple of weeks. He is growing into the team and seems to benefit from knowing that he will be playing each week. In addition to his touches, the Swede made a team-high seven blocks, three interceptions and won his only attempted tackle. It was an improved performance from the right-back.

Chris Wood – 0.4 expected assists (xA)

The striker failed to have a single attempt on goal during the win over Brighton. However, it was another hard working performance and our run of form since his signing can’t be ignored. It is clear that he is playing his part.

He ended the match with a team-high xA of 0.4 after creating two chances. It was his vision that led to the first goal, as he superbly played Jacob Murphy through on goal. Few have spoken about Wood’s ability to play through balls, but this showed that he was capable of it.

Murphy didn’t score, but the rebound was put in by Ryan Fraser. It was an exceptional piece of centre-forward play and showed Wood’s ability to link the play. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *