How to read football match stats: possession, shots and xG
Match stats describe how a game was played, not who deserved to win it. Possession tells you who had the ball, shots tell you how often a team tried to score, shots on target and xG tell you how good those attempts were, and fouls and cards tell you how the match was contested. No single figure is the answer; the picture only appears when you read them together and against the score.
What you will find on a match page
On ScoreMondo the statistics of a football match are arranged in four groups – General, Attack, Defence and Discipline – and the rows are these:
| What it covers | Rows on the page |
|---|---|
| Chance quality and control | Expected goals (xG), Ball possession |
| Shooting | Total shots, Shots on target, Shots off target, Blocked shots, Goalkeeper saves |
| Pressure | Corners, Attacks, Dangerous attacks, Offsides |
| Set pieces and restarts | Free kicks, Throw-ins, Goal kicks, Penalties |
| Discipline and changes | Fouls, Yellow cards, Red cards, Substitutions |
The left-hand column is our own shorthand for this guide, not a label on the site.
You can switch between the whole match ("Match"), the first half, the second half and extra time. During play the figures refresh by themselves, roughly every 15 seconds. A value taken from the live feed may carry a "~" to show it is approximate, and a figure changed after the final whistle is marked "corrected". Not every match has statistics – in lower leagues you may simply see "No statistics for this match yet".
Possession
Ball possession is each team's share of the ball over the match, as a percentage; the two figures add up to 100. Data providers measure it in slightly different ways, so a difference of a point or two between sources is normal.
What possession does not tell you is who was dangerous. A side can pass the ball across its own back line for long spells and threaten nobody. And a team that goes ahead early will often give up the ball on purpose, sit deep and wait to counter. High possession with few shots on target is a team that had the ball but not the answers.
Shots: total, on target, off target, blocked
The shot rows fit together in a simple sum:
Total shots = Shots on target + Shots off target + Blocked shots
- A shot on target is one that goes in, or would have gone in had the goalkeeper – or a last defender on the line – not stopped it.
- A shot that hits the post or the bar and bounces out is not on target, however close it looked.
- A blocked shot is one stopped by an outfield player before it could reach the goal.
Goalkeeper saves give you a rough cross-check: they should come to about the opponent's shots on target minus the goals conceded. If Brentford have five shots on target and score twice, expect to see around three saves next to the other goalkeeper's name.
A long list of total shots with few on target usually means efforts from distance or under pressure. A short list with most of them on target suggests a team that waited for good positions.
Expected goals (xG)
Expected goals (xG) tries to put a value on chance quality. ScoreMondo uses its own model: from each shot's position and kind it estimates how likely that shot is to become a goal, on a scale from 0 to 1, and then adds the shots up. A team's xG for a match is therefore the number of goals its chances were "worth".
On the match page you will find a two-sided xG bar under the score, an "Expected goals (xG)" card, a shot map and an "xG over the match" chart, each of which links to the methodology page. Live shot positions are approximate and are refined with full match data after the final whistle, so an xG figure can shift a little once the game is over.
xG against the score
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| xG well above goals scored | Wasted chances, or an excellent performance by the opposing goalkeeper |
| Goals well above xG | Clinical finishing, or a bit of luck |
| xG and goals close together | The score is a fair reflection of the chances |
Over one match a gap between xG and goals is perfectly normal. Over many matches it tends to shrink. Bear in mind too that a penalty carries a high xG value, so a single spot-kick can make up a large part of a team's total. For the full story, read our xG guide.
Corners, attacks and dangerous attacks
Corners are a sign of sustained pressure, not of chance quality. A team can win eight corners and never get a clean header.
Attacks and Dangerous attacks are counted by the live data feed; an attack that reaches the area around the penalty box counts as dangerous. These numbers have no fixed definition, so the absolute figure matters less than the trend. If one team's dangerous attacks climb steadily through the second half while the other's flatten out, you know which way the match is tilting even before the shots arrive.
Fouls, cards and offsides
Fouls, Yellow cards and Red cards tell you about the temper of a match, and often about a team defending under pressure.
A red card deserves special attention, because it changes how every number after it should be read. Ten players will often have less of the ball and fewer shots, so compare the figures before and after the sending-off instead of taking the full-match totals at face value. The rules behind the cards are in our cards and suspensions guide.
Offsides are easy to misread. A high count is not necessarily a sign of careless forwards; it often means a high defensive line facing repeated runs in behind. If you are hazy on the rule itself, the offside guide sets it out.
Reading the numbers together
Take an invented match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace.
| Manchester City | Crystal Palace | |
|---|---|---|
| Ball possession | 65% | 35% |
| Total shots | 18 | 6 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 4 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.9 | 1.6 |
On possession and total shots City look dominant. But only three of their 18 shots were on target and their xG is under one: plenty of the ball, plenty of efforts, few real chances. Palace had a third of the possession and a third of the shots, yet put four on target and built an xG of 1.6. Palace created the better chances, and a Palace win would be no robbery.
Three habits help:
- Start with the score and the game state. Who was leading, and from when? A team in front from the tenth minute plays a different match from one chasing it.
- Read by half. Use the first-half and second-half views. A match that is 50–50 overall may have been two one-sided halves.
- Pair the numbers. Possession with shots on target; total shots with xG; fouls with cards; corners with dangerous attacks.
Beyond the team numbers
Team stats are one layer. ScoreMondo also gives player ratings on a scale from 3 to 10, with a "Player of the match" for finished games – the player ratings guide explains how they work. To see the statistics build up in real time, open any of the matches live right now; for completed games, browse yesterday's results or the fixtures of the Premier League.
Frequently asked questions
Does a shot that hits the post count as on target?
No. If it strikes the post or crossbar and bounces out, it is not a shot on target. Only a shot that goes in, or would have gone in without a save or a goal-line block, counts.
Is more possession always better?
No. Possession shows who had the ball, not who created chances. Teams that are leading often give up possession deliberately, so always read it alongside shots on target and xG.
What is a "dangerous attack"?
An attack that reaches the area around the opponent's penalty box, as counted by the live data feed. There is no fixed definition, so use it as a trend indicator and not as a precise measure.
Why do possession figures differ between websites?
Because data providers measure possession in slightly different ways. A point or two of difference between sources is normal.
Why did a stat change after the match ended?
Figures can be corrected once full match data is available. On ScoreMondo such a figure is marked "corrected", and live shot positions – and with them xG – are refined after the final whistle.
Why does my match have no statistics?
Not every match is covered in the same depth. In lower leagues there may be no statistics at all, in which case the match page says so.