Spurs’ dribbling dismay, how Hull maul and the death of the outswinging corner – Premier League data notebook
Welcome to The Athletic’s data notebook, a periodic look at the key trends, standout figures and tactical quirks shaping the Premier League season.
Newcastle United’s trip to Leeds United on Monday night rounds out its fourth gameweek, so it is far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions from the initial data. Free-scoring Brighton & Hove Albion will probably not play every second game against 10 men, and presumably Tottenham Hotspur will score a goal at some stage between now and the final whistle away to Aston Villa on May 30.
Still, the early signs are worth digging into, and some already look like more than early-rounds noise. Arsenal and Manchester City are four points clear of the rest already, and it is hard to see anyone else muscling in on the title race, while rock-bottom Coventry City look doomed less than a month in.
Allow us to guide you through some of the numbers behind the weekend’s fixtures that you might not have spotted.
Mauled by left-sided crosses
Speaking of early-season variance, even the most ardent Hull City fan will struggle to imagine them holding on to their lofty third-place position in the Premier League until the season ends in the spring. But their unbeaten run has been no fluke either, shaped by the clear tactical identity head coach Sergej Jakirovic established in the Championship last season, one which has scaled up well to their new surroundings.
Hull were never going to dominate possession in the top flight, and they have averaged only 29.7 per cent so far — the lowest rate in the division, but their promotion campaign was built on fast, direct football rather than a patient passing game. Alongside that robust approach, another theme from last season resurfaced in Saturday’s 2-2 draw away to Chelsea: threatening crosses from left wing-back Ryan Giles.
Giles assisted eight goals in the 2025-26 Championship, more than any other Hull player, and registered his first of this campaign at Stamford Bridge. After goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis launched the ball towards the left corner, Giles shrugged off Malo Gusto with a strong shoulder before lofting a cross towards Mohamed Belloumi. Jorrel Hato misjudged the flight of the delivery, allowing Belloumi to emphatically half-volley a shot into the bottom corner.
Hull have made 70 per cent of their crosses from that left flank, the highest share in the league. Giles should have been rewarded with a match-winning assist too, sweeping an inch-perfect cross to the back post for Mohamed-Ali Cho in the 87th minute, only for the French forward to fire straight at goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
Chelsea on Saturday became the latest team to be stunned by Belloumi and company (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
The death of the outswinging corner
Belloumi’s second goal of the game also came from a cross, though this time it was a corner. Regan Slater curled his delivery towards centre-back Semi Ajayi, whose header crashed off the crossbar before Oli McBurnie poked the loose ball back to Belloumi on the edge of the box, from where he converted with the help of a deflection.
That sort of whipped, inswinging ball from Slater that caused so much havoc is hugely familiar to avid Premier League watchers.
The set-piece revolution of the past few seasons has coincided with the decline of the outswinging corner, with teams increasingly looking to drop crosses on top of the goalkeeper. Only 8.2 per cent of corners league-wide across these first four gameweeks have been outswingers, marking a fifth consecutive season-on-season decline.
Even with new rules designed to clamp down on the physical grappling that has helped make inswinging deliveries so effective, teams are not turning to alternatives.
Hull are one of nine teams yet to deliver an outswinging corner this season.
Tottenham’s dribble-heavy approach brings no reward
It looks set to be another season of contrasting fortunes for north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.
Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs, who remain winless and without a goal, take a wildly different approach in possession from that of their Premier League champion neighbours — one built around dribbling. They have completed 11.5 take-ons per game this season, the most in the league, while Arsenal are joint-bottom with Coventry on just 4.3.
New arrivals Omar Marmoush and Savio are joint-second with nine completed dribbles, while Mathys Tel tops the leaderboard alongside Ipswich Town’s Abdul Fatawu on 10. Yet despite that squad-wide one-v-one ability, Tottenham still lack cutting edge where it counts, with De Zerbi telling the BBC’s Match of the Day that their problem lies in the final “30 metres”.
Their take-on numbers perhaps point to a team full of talented soloists, but not one with the cohesion and understanding to construct free-flowing attacking moves.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, by contrast, have developed that understanding over several years, focusing less on one-v-ones in risky areas and more on well-choreographed, fluid routines.
Bournemouth and Brentford continue to embrace the chaos
These two are the flag-bearers for the more chaotic, end-to-end brand of football that has taken root in the Premier League in recent years. And sure enough, their 2-2 draw on Saturday was, by the numbers at least, the most frenetic game of the season so far.
The ball changed hands 206 times, more than in any other match, and both sides top the list when it comes to the number of possessions per game.
Many struggle to live with their high-octane styles, but there is an inevitable downside to such an approach. Their reliance on second balls and fast breaks makes it hard to control games, a trait that can make leads difficult to protect. Bournemouth have dropped a league-high nine points from winning positions, while Brentford are second on six. Both were in the lead on Saturday, but couldn’t hold it for more than four minutes.
Neither team will suddenly abandon the entertaining style that has brought them so much success, but both Keith Andrews of Brentford and Bournemouth counterpart Marco Rose might want to consider a more measured approach when protecting a lead.
Manchester United’s ongoing woodwork woes
Even with an insipid attacking performance in which they failed to capitalise on Phil Foden’s early red card, Manchester United can still feel slightly hard done by after Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City.
Marcus Rashford sends a free-kick shot against the post on Sunday (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Officials’ body Pro Ref admitted making an error in judgement when VAR adjudicated that Erling Haaland was onside for the winner.
Outside of those moments of drama, United hit the post twice, first through a thunderous Marcus Rashford free kick and then a sweetly-struck Kobbie Mainoo effort in the second half. It is now 22 times that United have clattered the woodwork since the start of last season, the most of any Premier League side and five clear of Crystal Palace in second.
Beyond those two near-misses, and a huge late chance for Bryan Mbeumo, United created little though, and can only apportion so much blame for the loss to bad luck.