While scoring around the world is up in most leagues due to the counting of additional stoppage time, among the big five leagues, the Premier League has seen the biggest increase in goals per 90 from the 2022-23 season from 1.31 goals per 90 minutes to 1.44. Some is explainable due to the stoppage time but that shouldn't impact the Premier League more than other leagues around the world as each has implemented additional added time. The Premier League's added time average per match through October was over 11 and a half minutes, according to The Athletic. Digging away at the numbers, there may be a culprit though, a newly promoted side who are conceding goals at a historic rate.
Goals conceded per 90 minutes in top five leagues
| League | Goals conceded per 90 played minutes |
|---|---|
Premier League | 1.44 |
Bundesliga | 1.47 |
La Liga | 1.31 |
Serie A | 1.30 |
Ligue 1 | 1.19 |
The Sheffield United effect
The team that has conceded the most goals in any top-five league in the world is Sheffield United. In their first season back from the Championship, while the Blades likely won't pick up the fewest points in Premier League history, they are on pace to concede the most league goals in a 38-game season in Premier League history.
During the 2007-08 season, Derby County conceded 89 goals at a whopping 2.34 goals per game and the Blades are surpassing that so far. They've already shipped in 77 goals during 29 games or 2.66 goals per game which is the most in league history by a large margin. Also scoring five own goals this season, the Blades have scored the most own goals of any team in a top-five league truly showcasing their struggles in league play this season.
Combining that with the increase in stoppage time, it makes sense why the Premier League has seen an uptick in scoring as two other teams are also conceding more than two goals per match at this stage of the season. All three are newly promoted clubs as the gap between the Premier League elite and the Championship grows by the season but that's something that financial regulations may be able to help remedy in the future. Without changes, the gap will continue to grow which may see the gap widen and numbers continue to be inflated.
