Premier League table by goals allowed: Ranking the toughest defences

All successful Premier League teams are built around a solid defensive line and goalkeeper. The Chelsea side who won the division back in 2005 conceded just 15 goals in their 38 league games. That team had John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho as their central defence, with Petr Cech in goal, but it also had Claude Makelele in the defensive midfield role.

Missing your regular midfielder has been prominent in this season’s Premier League. Defending champions Manchester City have missed their Ballon d’Or winning player in that position, Rodri. This has left Pep Guardiola’s side eighth in the table ranked by goals allowed. There are other surprises though, including Everton being above City and Arsenal leapfrogging Liverpool.

And here’s how things look if we rearrange by allowed goals.

Arsenal top the Premier League table based on goals allowed. This will give Gunners fans hope that they can catch Liverpool in the title race this season. The problem for Mikel Arteta’s team, however, is putting the ball in the opponent’s net. This was prominent in their defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup on penalties last weekend.

The Gunners had 26 shots, with seven on target against United, but the game ended 1-1 and the Red Devils won on penalties. Many of Arsenal’s chances were wasted by their striker Kai Havertz – who also ended up missing from the penalty spot.

Arteta has an excellent centre-back partnership with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, plus David Raya is a fantastic goalkeeper. They also have Thomas Partey and Declan Rice to protect the back four. However, the Gunners’ problems have been in attack and they have had to rely on Gabriel to be a threat from set pieces in too many games this season.

Given how Everton sit 16th in the Premier League, it’s a surprise to see them above even Manchester City in the goals conceded table. However, they have had Sean Dyche as their manager in all their matches so far. Therefore, it should not be such a shock that they have only conceded 25 goals.

Dyche is known for his pragmatic approach to football. He has since been sacked and replaced by club legend David Moyes. The man who was Everton boss for 11 years before joining Manchester United has a similar style to Dyche. Therefore, Toffees fans can expect more of the same when it comes to their side being tight at the back.

What Everton fans want is for their team to be more entertaining. Moyes will need to prioritize winning games to ensure the club stay in the Premier League before he moves to their new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock. Having Moyes back will no doubt encourage the supporters to ensure they give Goodison Park a proper send off.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently 17th in the Premier League. But when it comes to the division based on goals allowed, they are at the bottom. This should come as no surprise after Wolves sold their best defender Max Kilman to West Ham United last summer.

Wolves suffered some heavy defeats when Gary O’Neil was their manager. This included a 6-2 thrashing of Chelsea, a 5-3 loss to Brentford and a 4-0 defeat of Everton. Since Vitor Pereira has taken over, they have been supported defensively – conceding just six goals in five games.

Their defensive record was to improve under Pereira. However, they are not out of the woods yet when it comes to surviving relegation. The goals allowed table is also grim viewing for fans of West Ham, Leicester City and Southampton.