There may be a surprise at number one spot for best goalkeepers…
Alisson and Ederson, two Brazil internationals that fight it out for the number one shirt for their country, have dominated the subject of the Premier League’s best goalkeeper in recent seasons.
Liverpool stopper Alisson is widely viewed as the superior of the two but Manchester City fans will point to the role Ederson has played in winning six top-flight winners’ medals.
So, which of them currently heads the list of the Premier League’s best ‘keepers for the 2024-25 season? Well, neither actually, although they both appear in the top five.
The metric we have used is Opta’s Goals Prevented, arguably the most accurate for measuring goalkeeper performance. It breaks down as the xG on target (xGOT) faced, minus goals conceded.
Or, to put it in layman’s terms, how many goals they have prevented considering the quality of shots they’ve faced. The higher the number, the more goals prevented, the better the performance.
You get the idea.
So, with that in mind, here we examine who is standing out between the sticks, and we’ve added a filter of a minimum of six Premier League games to make it more accurate.
5. Ederson – Goals Prevented, 2.1
City have not been at their all-conquering best, particularly in recent weeks with Pep Guardiola’s men stumbling through an uncharacteristically poor run of form.
Their goalkeeper has not been one of the reasons why they are struggling, though.
Ederson has conceded 13 times in 11 top-flight games this season. Not bad but the data shows he ought to have conceded 15.1, meaning City could be even further behind Liverpool had it not been for their number one.
= 3. Matz Sels – Goals Prevented, 2.7
Sels has been a key ingredient in Nottingham Forest’s surprise start to the season which sees Nuno Espirito Santo’s men sitting in fifth place.
The experienced Belgium international has organised an impressive Forest defensive unit that has conceded just 10 goals this term.
= 3. Alisson – Goals Prevented, 2.7
Two places above his countryman is Alisson.
Although currently sidelined through injury, he has made six appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool this season, conceding just twice.
His Goals Prevented of 2.7 across those games is remarkable and Arne Slot will hope to have him back soon to spearhead his side’s title bid.
2. Nick Pope – Goals Prevented, 3.4
Newcastle’s number one has played in every game this season, and has been a busy man, making 42 saves.
He has been beaten 11 times, but Eddie Howe can be grateful to the former Burnley stopper as it should be over 14. Pope was again impressive in Newcastle’s 3-1 win at Forest on Sunday.
1. Andre Onana – Goals Prevented, 4.4
Onana was criticised for his performances in his first season at Manchester United but he has looked solid in recent weeks.
It may not have been enough to save Erik ten Hag but Onana will hope to make a good impression under new boss Ruben Amorim.
