Eng Prem Key Players
Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest
For Palace, Edward Nketiah played 9 games last season and missed 29 not really a Eng Prem Key Players due to the number of games played. The Eagles won 22% with him (PPG 1.11) compared to 38% without (PPG 1.48). They scored almost the same (1.33 vs 1.34 goals per game), but the expected goals tell a better story — Palace created 1.47 xG with him versus 1.29 without, suggesting he sharpened the attack even if results didn’t show it. Cheick Doucouré (4 games, 34 missed) brought a similar output — win rate 25% vs 35%, with the side generating 1.24 xG with him compared to 1.34 without. Chadi Riad, Matheus França and Caleb Kporha hardly featured, so their statistical impact is negligible.
For Forest, Nicolás Domínguez was a consistent presence with 23 games and 15 absences. Forest won 52% when he played (PPG 1.70) versus 47% without (PPG 1.73), showing very little difference in results. The attack returned 1.52 goals per game with him against 1.53 without, while xG figures were also stable (1.27 for, 1.50 against compared to 1.29 for, 1.60 against). In short, his presence kept things steady rather than transformative.
Eng Prem Key Players Everton vs Brighton
Eng Prem Key Players Everton’s defensive lynchpin Jarrad Branthwaite played 28 times and missed 10. With him, the Toffees won 32% of matches (PPG 1.39) compared to 20% without (PPG 0.90). Goals For were 1.18 vs 0.90, and Goals Against improved to 1.00 from 1.60 when absent. xG numbers were almost identical in attack (1.16 vs 1.17) but slightly better at the back with him (1.39 vs 1.41). By contrast, Nathan Patterson made just 3 appearances (35 missed), all defeats, with Everton scoring 1.00 and conceding 1.33 per game, compared to 1.11 for and 1.14 against without him.
Brighton’s Adam Webster had 11 appearances and missed 27, and his impact was huge. With him, Brighton won 82% (PPG 2.55) versus only 26% without (PPG 1.22). They scored 2.64 goals per game with him compared to 1.37 without, and conceded fewer too (1.18 vs 1.70). The xG story echoed this: 1.59 for and 1.16 against with him, against 1.40 for and 1.13 against without. Julio Enciso featured just twice, with Brighton losing both — but his presence lifted the attack (xG For 1.71 vs 1.44). Solly March played only once, where Brighton won and scored three, though the sample size is too small to matter.
Fulham vs Manchester United
For United, Lisandro Martínez played 20 games and missed 18. The win rate with him was 40% (PPG 1.35) compared to 17% without (PPG 0.83). United scored 1.30 goals per game with him (vs 1.00 without), while conceding slightly fewer (1.40 vs 1.44). On xG, the attack dipped a little (1.39 vs 1.48) but the defence improved (1.14 vs 1.26). In short, results and defensive numbers were better when he was involved.
By contrast, Noussair Mazraoui played almost the whole season — 34 appearances, just 4 missed. With him United’s win rate was 26% (PPG 1.06) compared to 50% without (PPG 1.50). Goals For fell from 2.50 without him to 1.00 with, while Goals Against worsened to 1.29 from 2.50. The xG numbers backed it up: 1.41 for and 1.21 against with him, against 1.64 for and 1.07 against without. Despite being a starter, his inclusion correlated with weaker results.
https://smartbettingstats.com/today-injuries/?league=England+Premier+League
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/scores-fixtures
