Premier League Most Goals Per Game: Top Scoring Clubs

Man City scored 77 goals this Premier League season. That is more than anyone else, but it did not win them the title. The reason sits in the goals-against column, where Arsenal conceded only 27 compared to City's 35. The raw total tells one story. The rate tells another, and the gap between how often teams score and how often they get scored on is where the actual race lives.

City averaged 2.03 goals per game across their 38 matches. Arsenal, despite scoring six fewer total goals, averaged 1.87 per game. The difference in goal output between the top two is not where the title was decided. It was the defensive side that created the 44 goal difference for Arsenal against City's 42, and that margin of two goals across a full season is as thin as it sounds.

The numbers behind the goals per game leaders

The table below sorts every Premier League club by goals scored per game in the 2025-26 season. The order changes once you look past the top few, and the middle of the table reveals some unexpected company.

Position	Club	Goals For	Goals Per Game	Goal Difference
1	Man City	77	2.03	+42
2	Arsenal	71	1.87	+44
3	Man Utd	69	1.82	+19
4	Liverpool	63	1.66	+10
5	Newcastle	53	1.39	-2
6	Bournemouth	58	1.53	+4
7	Chelsea	58	1.53	+6
8	Aston Villa	56	1.47	+7
9	Brentford	55	1.45	+3
10	Brighton	52	1.37	+6
11	Newcastle	53	1.39	-2
12	Fulham	47	1.24	-4
13	Everton	47	1.24	-3
14	Leeds	49	1.29	-7
15	Crystal Palace	41	1.08	-10
16	Nott'm Forest	48	1.26	-3
17	Spurs	48	1.26	-9
18	West Ham	46	1.21	-19
19	Burnley	38	1.00	-37
20	Wolves	27	0.71	-41

The top three are a clear tier. City at 2.03, Arsenal at 1.87, and Man Utd at 1.82 are the only clubs averaging above 1.7. After that, Liverpool drops to 1.66, which is solid but not elite for a club with their attacking reputation. Bournemouth and Chelsea both sit at 1.53, which is respectable given their league positions, while the bottom five all fall below 1.3 goals per game. Wolves managed just 0.71 per match, the lowest in the division by a margin of nearly 0.3 goals per game.

Where the goals actually come from

The top scorers list tells you who finished the chances, but it also reveals which teams spread their goals across the squad and which relied on a single player. Igor Thiago of Brentford led the league with 22 goals from 38 appearances, nearly 3300 minutes on the pitch. That is a heavy workload and a heavy share of Brentford's 55 goals. With only one assist to his name, Thiago was a pure finisher, and his 22 goals accounted for 40 percent of Brentford's total output. That is the highest individual share of any top scorer in the league.

By contrast, Man City spread their 77 goals across multiple contributors. Phil Foden scored 7 and added 5 assists, but no City player appears in the top 20 scorers. That is not a weakness. It is the structure of a team that creates chances from everywhere. The absence of a 20-goal striker for City matters less when Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland (assuming injury or rotation limited his appearances), and others share the load. City's goals per game rate comes from system, not a single elite finisher.

Arsenal had Viktor Gyokeres on 14 goals from 36 appearances, with Bukayo Saka adding 7 goals and 5 assists. The 14 goals for Gyokeres is a strong return, but it is not the league-leading 22 that Thiago posted. Arsenal's 71 goals came from a more distributed model similar to City's, with Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli all contributing. The difference is that Arsenal also had the best defence in the league, conceding only 27 goals. That is a goals-against rate of 0.71 per game, tied with Wolves' goals-for rate. The symmetry is not coincidental. Arsenal's title was built on not conceding, not on outscoring everyone.

What the rate says about the table

The goals per game numbers expose a few things that raw totals hide. Aston Villa finished fourth with 56 goals, good for 1.47 per game, but their goal difference of +7 is the lowest among the top four. They scored respectably and conceded 49, which is more than any other team in the top six except Man Utd. Villa's position owes more to timing and results in tight matches than to a dominant attacking or defensive profile.

Liverpool scored 63 goals, the fourth highest, but their 1.66 per game is a clear step down from the top three. Combined with conceding 53, Liverpool's goal difference of +10 is modest for a team that finished fifth. The data suggests Liverpool created enough chances but leaked too many at the other end to push higher. Hugo Ekitike scored 11 goals in 28 appearances, a rate of 0.39 per game, which is strong but not enough to carry a defence that conceded 53.

The bottom three tell the opposite story. Burnley at 1.00 goals per game and Wolves at 0.71 do not create enough to survive. Burnley scored 38 and conceded 75, a goals-against rate of 1.97 per game. Wolves scored 27 and conceded 68, a rate of 1.79 against. Neither team can afford to concede nearly two goals per game while scoring barely one. Relagation was not a surprise. The numbers were clear from early in the season.

FAQ

Which team scored the most goals in the Premier League 2025-26 season? Man City scored 77 goals, the highest in the league. Arsenal finished second with 71 goals, and Man Utd third with 69.

Who was the Premier League top scorer? Igor Thiago of Brentford scored 22 goals to win the Golden Boot. He played all 38 matches and recorded 1 assist.

What is the average goals per game for Man City? Man City averaged 2.03 goals per game across their 38 matches, the best rate in the division.

How many goals did the lowest scoring team manage? Wolves scored only 27 goals in 38 matches, an average of 0.71 per game, the worst in the league.

Key takeaways

• Man City led the league with 2.03 goals per game but finished second to Arsenal, who conceded only 0.71 per game.
• Igor Thiago scored 22 of Brentford's 55 goals, the highest individual share of any top scorer in the league at 40 percent.
• Arsenal's 1.87 goals per game was second best, but their defensive record of 27 conceded was the deciding factor in the title race.
• Wolves averaged 0.71 goals per game and conceded 68, the worst combination in the division, leading to a 20th place finish.
• The top three scoring teams all averaged above 1.8 goals per game, while no team below 9th place averaged over 1.4.