Sports
Premier League Table Based on Open Play Goals (2025/2026)
In the 2025/2026 season, the Premier League has gone through an evolution that has been as rapid as it has been significant. After years of teams trying to play progressive front-foot football and be pleasing on the eye, more and more sides are paying attention to the important role set-pieces can have.
Arsenal currently lead the way at the top of English football’s top-flight, and are partly there as a result of being the best set-piece team in the country, scoring more goals from dead-ball situations than any other. While fans and pundits alike rue the sudden change in how teams go about scoring goals – even Liverpool boss Arne Slot has had some choice words to say following the Reds’ defeat to Brentford – set-pieces are of course here to stay.
But what would the top-flight look like if set-pieces simply weren’t a thing? Well, below is the latest Premier League table based on if only open play goals were counted. It’s no surprise to say there are some big changes, including Mikel Arteta’s Gunners falling from top spot.
20
Wolves
Staying rooted to the bottom of the table even in this alternate world, Wolves would remain on the same number of points they have in the real Premier League standings. Vitor Pereira’s side have comfortably been the worst team in the top-flight thus far, and it remains to be seen how exactly they change things around given that they have stayed relatively injury-free.
Wolves’ start means they are on course to be one of the worst teams in Premier League history, which would represent a sad decline for a team that were pushing quite high even just a couple of seasons ago.
19
Nottingham Forest
In what has been a turbulent season – largely orchestrated by the club’s owner himself, Evangelos Marinakis – Nottingham Forest unsurprisingly are staring right into the face of a relegation battle this season. The club had performed spectacularly under Nuno Espirito Santo last year in order to finish in the European places, but they have been far from it in terms of displays this time around.
That being said, Forest would actually be a couple of points better off if only open play goals counted, with Sean Dyche’s side falling to a draw against Manchester United at home thanks to the away side’s two goals coming via corners.
18
Leeds United
On their return back to the Premier League, Leeds United have already picked up a couple of notable victories, including against the likes of established top-flight sides like West Ham, Wolves and Everton. The Whites look a lot more set up to fight off relegation this season, and unsurprisingly, being good at set-pieces is one of the reasons why.
So in this world of open-play goals not being counted, Leeds actually become the first team where they would lose points from the table. Joe Rodon’s decisive goal against West Ham would not have counted and thus resulted in that game being a draw, while the Welshman’s header against Bournemouth would have been wiped out too.
17
Everton
Aside from Arsenal, Everton are one of three teams in the Premier League who would be four points worse off courtesy of only open play goals being counted. The Toffees have been back to their resilient and dogged old selves under David Moyes, and with a towering back-line, have unsurprisingly looked pretty dangerous from corners in particular.
Already this season, the Merseyside club have seen Michael Keane net from a set-piece against West Ham in a 1-1 draw, while the likes of James Tarkowski and Jake O’Brien will be hoping to add their names to the score-sheet very soon too.
16
Brentford
Given all the talk about Brentford and their long throw-ins and the time it takes to deliver them, it’s no surprise that they are one of the sides badly affected by set-piece goals not counting for anything in this table. Keith Andrews’ side have looked a dangerous threat anytime the ball is delivered into the box, and in right-back, Michael Kayode, arguably have the biggest exponent of the long throw in the Premier League today.
He launched the throw for Dango Ouattara’s opener against Liverpool, while a throw-in was also the source of the Bees’ equaliser against Chelsea in the last minute.
15
West Ham
Another team much like Nottingham Forest who have endured a difficult campaign to say the least, West Ham would move out of the bottom three in this no set-piece goals allowed universe.
The Hammers would actually be three points better off, as not only would Michael Keane’s opener for Everton be canceled out, and thus given the club a win instead of a draw, but Leeds United’s second goal through a corner headed by Joe Rodon would have been removed and earned West Ham another point.
14
Manchester United
Manchester United are another one of the sides whose Premier League points in real life would take a bit of a hit in this world where no set-piece goals are counted. The Red Devils have finally looked like a proper team again, with Ruben Amorim masterminding a turnaround that included a superb 2-1 victory away at Liverpool in the Premier League.
United have scored some big goals from dead-ball situations this season, not least in that win against the Reds when Harry Maguire got on the end of a recycled corner to head home the winner, while they scored twice from corners against Nottingham Forest in the 2-2 draw at the City Ground.
13
Aston Villa
After a tough start to the Premier League campaign, Aston Villa have found themselves back on track in recent weeks, rattling off win after win, including against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Unai Emery’s side have had the number of City at Villa Park in the last couple of seasons, and it was the same again this time around.
However, in this world of no set-piece goals being counted, Matty Cash’s winner would not have counted, thereby taking away a couple of points from Villa in this scenario.
12
Fulham
A disappointing campaign thus far has seen Fulham just hovering above the relegation zone in the Premier League, recording just the three wins. The Cottagers do, however, pick up two extra points in this alternate universe, with Leandro Trossard’s winner for Arsenal at Craven Cottage being ruled out as it came via a corner for example.
Marco Silva’s side no longer have the presence of Aleksandr Mitrovic up front who used to thrive off deliveries into the box, while defending set-pieces have been much more of an issue too.
11
Newcastle United
Following on from a difficult summer transfer window, Newcastle appear to be finally emerging from the shadow cast behind by former star striker Alexander Isak. Nick Woltemade has settled into life in English football superbly, and he has been one of the key reasons behind why Magpies fans should feel more optimistic heading into the rest of the campaign.
Indeed, in this table of only open play goals being counted, Newcastle would actually be one point better off than they are in the real table, with one of the goals being chalked off against them being Gabriel’s late winner for Arsenal at St James’ Park.
Tottenham are said to have learned the asking price for one of their attacking transfer targets. Spurs are in the midst of a record-breaking transfer window, with the Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali deals taking the North London side’s spending above what they have ever spent before.
Roberto De Zerbi is being fully backed in this window, and as much as £237million has been spent so far, with more spending still to come. De Zerbi likely demanded summer spending before taking the job, and Spurs have followed up on their promise after surviving the Premier League drop.
With the midfield now seen as complete, Tottenham will now likely prioritise a winger transfer, and AC Milan star Rafael Leao has been heavily linked, along with Manchester City’s Savinho and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.
Leao wants out from Milan
It is no secret that Leao is looking for a new club after seven years with AC Milan, and he is likely to have his pick of a number of top clubs this summer.
The winger said before the World Cup: “Personally, I’ve given everything at AC Milan. It’s a club that helped me grow a lot and supported me through tough times.
“Fortunately, I managed to make my mark in their history. Everyone has ambitions and I dream of a new challenge in a new league.
“If that happens, I’ll be very happy and fulfilled because I did my job at AC Milan.”
Tottenham learn Leao price tag
With AC Milan bracing for Leao’s exit, it is reported by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio that the Italian giants want €60-70million (£51.3m-£59.9m) for the winger this summer. Leao is currently away with Portugal at the World Cup, so his future is unlikely to be resolved until after he returns, but a move is almost certain this summer.
The 27-year-old scored 10 and assisted three last season, but it was a disappointing season for him and Milan as a whole, leading to the Italian club missing out on Champions League football. Still, the ‘world-class’ Leao is thought of as one of Europe’s top-bracket wingers, and he has already been linked with Arsenal, Tottenham and many others.
Former Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri said Leao has ‘genius’ while speaking back in 2025. He added: “He’s been out for 45 days, so he’s still finding rhythm. Last week, he came on out of necessity and did well. He’s worked hard this week – we need him back quickly. He and Nkunku are technical players who can solve matches. He played as a striker at Lille, so it’s not new to him. His movement on [Luka] Modric’s pass was perfect.”
Petar Sucic has revealed what Cristiano Ronaldo told him after Croatia were knocked out of the World Cup by Portugal in controversial circumstances on Thursday evening.
Croatia went into the match as underdogs but took the lead shortly after the half-time break when Ivan Perisic opened the scoring.
Ronaldo restored parity with 22 minutes remaining as he made no mistake from the penalty spot, before Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the lead in stoppage-time.
Croatia thought they had equalised in the final seconds of the match when Josko Gvardiol found the net from close range. However, the goal was chalked off by VAR due to a controversial offside call.
FIFA have since released a statement explaining why the goal was chalked off.
Inter Milan midfielder Petar Sucic was not happy at all with the decision to disallow the goal. He said after the match, per the BBC:
“The referee told us he didn’t see our striker touch the ball. He said that the sensor in the ball said it did. It’s really difficult to explain, but we expect an explanation. What I saw is that Matanovic didn’t touch the ball. Today is like that, luck was on their side.”
A devastated Sucic was comforted by Ronaldo at full-time. The 22-year-old revealed exactly what the legendary forward said to him during their embrace. He said, per the Mirror:
“Honestly, I was very shaken. But he told me that this is football, that there will be difficult moments in football, but that I am great, to keep going and that things will get better in the future.”
He added: “I feel empty, but proud of the team, how we played, especially the second half.
“We deserved a lot more, at least extra time in the end because we really played well and had a lot of chances. The goalkeeper defended well, they disallowed three of our goals, I would like someone to explain some of the referee’s decisions to me.
“There were too many situations that were questionable and went against us. In the end, we have to congratulate Portugal on getting through.”
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Cristiano Ronaldo Speaks Out On Future
Ahead of the match, Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, revealed that he would retire from international football following the tournament.
Addressing those rumours after the game, the 41-year-old said, per AS: “Cristiano’s future is not important right now. I’ll talk about it… I’ll have time. After we win or lose, I’ll speak with my family and then make the best decision. I don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment anymore. Everything is done calmly now. Right now it’s about enjoying the present.”
On the game against Croatia, he said: “Today we had to know how to suffer. To win a competition of this magnitude, you have to know how to suffer. It was a very entertaining match for the fans.
“We controlled the game quite well in the first half, but the second half was much more chaotic. They scored, we got a little nervous, but the emotional turning point came when we converted the penalty.
“From then on, the game became easier. We still had some difficulties, but that’s what this competition is all about, and we have to keep moving forward.”
Portugal will face Spain on Monday, July 6 for a place in the quarter-final.
Arsenal are now being linked with a second Aston Villa star as they continue to mull over a potential big-money move for Morgan Rogers this summer. The Gunners have some careful squad planning to do this summer, hoping to take the next step up again after winning the Premier League but coming up short in the Champions League final.
Only penalties separated Arsenal from PSG in the final, but if Mikel Arteta is totally honest with himself, he will know PSG are currently another level above. But the Gunners are well on their way to becoming a dominant force, and they will believe they can get there with some careful recruitment this summer.
Arsenal want a new left-winger and likely a top number 8, and while they will likely have to replace some squad players who could be lured away, Arteta will want to be careful not to over-tinker with the core of his squad.
Arsenal linked with second Aston Villa squad
According to The Telegraph, Arsenal are interested in a move for Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa this summer. It’s reported Konsa is valued at £60million by the Midlands side, and that they may have to sell one of their big-money players this summer if they want to keep hold of Rogers.
Arsenal have been heavily linked with Rogers, but with a reported asking price ranging from £100million to £130million, a deal could be out of the question. The Gunners may feel there is better value elsewhere, but they could take advantage of Villa’s determination to keep their prize talent.
Aware Villa may need to sell another player, Arsenal could move for Konsa, who is representing England at this World Cup. Arsenal do not strictly need a new centre-back, already able to call upon Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber, Piero Hincapie, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori, who all either specialise in the middle or are able to play there.
But after they were left short on the right side of defence for the Champions League final, with Ben White out and Timber having been struggling for fitness, it has been floated that the Gunners could strengthen on the right this summer. And if there is one thing we know about Arteta and his defensive preferences, is that he likes to sign defenders who can also play full-back, and Konsa fits the bill, able to comfortably play right-back.
The question is whether Arsenal are willing to commit so much money to a position they don’t really need to strengthen, but there could yet be an exit among one of the defenders mentioned this summer.
Konsa an ‘outstanding’ defender
Konsa is coming off a superb season with Villa, following it up with steady performance at the World Cup. Former Villa boss Dean Smith, who signed Konsa twice in his career, said of the defender while on BBC 5Live: “He was one that was flagged up by the recruitment department at Brentford. I went to watch him against Shrewsbury in the playoffs. I remember he was playing right back at the time. He came in, he’s athletic, he’s good in the air, he’s a good defender.
“Man City played at Villa, I think it was last season, and Jack had come up to me after the game, and he was like, ‘I was thinking, I hope Ezri’s not playing it right-back, because I don’t want to be playing 1v1 against him.’
“I think that’s his biggest strength. He’s really calm on the ball, but 1v1 defending is outstanding.”
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Premier League Set-Piece Goals (2025/2026)
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