We may only be four games into the new Premier League season, but we are starting to see things shape up already. After all, Manchester City have found their form immediately and sit top of the table with four wins from four, while Everton have stuck down the other end of the division with just one goal and one point from four. The point being, we don't quite know how things will turn out just yet, but there is some evidence to at least start forming some early-season opinions. One area we can look at is goalkeepers. Indeed, when studying stats shared on FBREF (via Reddit), we can rank which shot-stoppers have performed the best and worst when it comes to how many ‘expected goals’ they’ve saved this season so far.

Ranking Premier League goalkeepers by expected goals they've saved

20 Wes Foderingham, Sheffield United (+2.2)

Wes Foderingham only made his Premier League debut this season but he has fast done well to establish himself as one of Sheffield United's more reliable players at this level. He truly caught the eye in the narrow 2-1 defeat to Manchester City when he thwarted Erling Haaland on a number of occasions – although the Norwegian did inevitably eventually get on the scoresheet. The 32-year-old may have let in seven goals so far but the tally could be a lot worse had it not been for his heroics. Indeed, as per the stats reference above, the Blades should have conceded 2.2 more goals already this season. No doubt manager Paul Heckingbottom will be delighted with his man between the sticks up to this point.

19 Bernd Leno, Fulham (+2)

The former Arsenal goalkeeper joined Fulham for an initial fee of just £3m (although that could rise to £8m) and that's looking like more of a bargain every day. In his first season, according to Opta stats (via FulhamFC), only David Raya made more saves in the league and Fulham should have conceded 60.46 times, but Leno only let in 49 goals. Carrying that form into this season, as shown by his Post Shot Expected Goals stats, Leno should have let in two more goals than he actually has done for the Cottagers. In total, Marco Silva's men have conceded ten in four matches, with most of the damage coming in the 5-1 thrashing by Manchester City.

18 José Sá, Wolves (+1.8)

While Julen Lopetegui's departure just three days before the start of the new Premier League season threw Wolves into an unwanted position, they have at least been able to rely on goalkeeper Jose Sa for some consistency. Now into his third season with the club, the 30-year-old continues to impress as number one. Indeed, the Portuguese shot-stopper has been in sharp form from the get-go, already preventing his team from conceding 1.8 goals more than they actually have done. This has at least helped new boss Gary O'Neil pick up one win in their opening four games, and Sa's team-high average WhoScored rating of 7.36 shows how important he's been already this term.

17 Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham (+1.7)

Having replaced Spurs stalwart and club captain Hugo Lloris, Guglielmo Vicario has big gloves to fill this term but has made a bright start to life in North London. No doubt one of many to have been helped by Ange Postecoglou's revitalising managerial style, the goalkeeper has come straight into the team without too much drama. In that time, the 26-year-old – who was signed from Serie A side Empoli – has kept two Premier League clean sheets, conceding four times and has yet to lose. What's more, without his efforts, Tottenham would have conceded 1.7 goals more than they have done.

16 Alphonse Areola, West Ham (+1.6)

The West Ham man had to spend most of the previous Premier League season on the bench but after being the starting option in the club's Europa Conference League triumph, Alphonse Areola appears to now be David Moyes' number-one choice ahead of Łukasz Fabiański. Despite many fearing a difficult campaign for the Hammers without Declan Rice onboard anymore, they've performed admirably well so far and sit fourth in the division as a consequence. Areola might not have a clean sheet yet but he does have three wins, one draw and no defeats from four. On top of this, he has conceded only four goals when he's been expected to have let in 1.6 more.

15 Matt Turner, Nottingham Forest (+1.5)

Another former Arsenal goalkeeper, the USMNT star completed his move from the Gunners to Nottingham Forest in the summer for a reported £10m. Having played second fiddle to Aaron Ramsdale during his first season in English football, Matt Turner will be delighted to have started all four games this term. No doubt, his most recent outing would have been his most enjoyable as he kept a clean sheet away against Chelsea in a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge. He made two saves on that occasion earning a respectable 7.3 SofaScore rating. While in total, he's stopped his team from conceding 1.5 goals more than they may have done.

14 Alisson Becker, Liverpool (+1.2)

Alisson Becker has saved Liverpool countless times over the years with his brilliant shot-stopping and made headlines earlier this season when Eddie Howe claimed the Brazilian's stunning save against Newcastle United was one of the best he'd ever seen. The Reds have performed well so far this term but it's interesting to note that they've had to rely on the quality of their goalkeeper to get them out of a few sticky situations. Indeed, he's kept one clean sheet, as Jurgen Klopp have gone unbeaten in four (three wins, one draw) but the stats suggest things could look a little different on the league table had Alisson not prevented 1.2 expected goals being scored against his side. He does look as though he'll be key for the Reds if they are to get back to their best after last season's disappointment.

13 Jason Steele, Brighton (+0.90)

Jason Steele managed to break into the regular starting XI last term as he earned the trust of Roberto De Zerbi ahead of Robert Sánchez but after the first two matches of this season, he's already been replaced by summer arrival Bart Verbruggen who has started the last two league games for the Seagulls. The Englishman may have every right to feel a little aggrieved about this, though, as his side had won both the games he was involved in and in that time he helped prevent 0.90 expected goals being scored against his side. Neither option between the sticks has managed to keep a clean sheet this term, however, so it will be interesting if De Zerbi sticks to Verbruggen or reverts back to his previous option Steele.

12 Neto, Bournemouth (+0.80)

He only arrived in England one year ago but Neto took little time settling into the set-up at Bournemouth and by the end of the season had been handed the captain's armband. While he's been unable to lead his side to three points just yet, or pick up a clean sheet, he had at least helped them pick up two points from their first four fixtures with a couple of draws. And although it may take a while before new manager Andoni Iraola can get his men playing exactly as he wants, the Spaniard can at least rely on Neto. After all, he's helped prevent the Cherries from letting in 0.80 goals more than they actually have done.

11 Sam Johnstone, Crystal Palace (+0.40)

On the graph shared, Vicente Guaita's name is written but that's a mistake and the stats actually belong to Sam Johnstone who has already proved himself to be an adequate replacement for the Spanish goalkeeper who left in the summer. Indeed, the Englishman has managed to keep the Crystal Palace from conceding 0.40 more goals than they've been expected to. In that period, the Eagles have made a respectable start to the season with two wins, a draw and a loss, with Johnstone conceding four goals and keeping a single clean sheet.

10 Andre Onana, Manchester United (+0.40)

Much has been made about Andre Onana's arrival in Manchester to take over from David de Gea who left in the summer. And the former Inter Milan goalkeeper caught attention on debut when he clattered into Wolves' Sasa Kalajdzic and somehow avoided giving away a penalty. Matching that awkward start, Manchester United haven't really been at their best so far this term, and have two wins and two defeats from four, but their new goalkeeper probably can't be blamed for that. In fact, without his efforts – preventing 0.40 expected goals against – things could look even worse for Erik ten Hag and co.

9 Jordan Pickford, Everton (+0.20)

You have to feel a little sorry for Jordan Pickford at times. After all, the ten men in front of him can rarely be trusted to perform, regardless of how well the Everton goalkeeper does over the 90 minutes of action. Indeed, after the first three games this season, the Toffees had failed to score even once, which must have been hugely frustrating for the England star. At least in their most recent outing, they broke that duck with two goals in a draw away at Sheffield United. Had it not been for Pickford's heroics in that game, however – making a brilliant late double-save – Sean Dyche's men would have walked away with nothing. Up to this point, he's done well to not let in 0.20 more goals than what would have been expected.

8 Ederson, Manchester City (+0.20)

At the other end of the table, but performing more or less the same as Everton's Pickford when it comes to this particular stat, Ederson has proved his worth to Manchester City once more. Pep Guardiola's men look destined to continue along their path of world domination with a perfect start to the new Premier League campaign but they've had to work for it at times. Ederson's positive Post Shot Expected Goals performance of 0.20 goes to prove this. The Brazilian has also kept two clean sheets in two of the four wins, helping his side quickly jump up to their usual spot at the top of the table.

7 James Trafford, Burnley (0.00)

With Ederson between the sticks in Manchester, James Trafford was always going to struggle for game time, so it made sense for him to join Burnley this summer with the promise of more regular first-team action. Of course, he arrived at Turf Moor with big expectations having failed to concede a single goal for the England U21s (keeping six clean sheets) as the Young Lions won the 2023 UEFA Under 21 Euros, being crowned as European champions for the first time in 39 years. Life at his new club hasn't been easy though, with Vincent Kompany and co losing all three of their first three matches. But at least Trafford isn't in the negative with his 0.00 score, meaning he's essentially let in the exact amount of goals he would have been expected to.

6 Thomas Kaminski, Luton Town (-0.10)

For many, Luton Town have been picked as the side most likely to be relegated – they certainly were the least likely of the three to be promoted – but they'll be desperate to prove all the doubters wrong over the next several months. In taking steps to improve the level of their squad, they signed Thomas Kaminski from Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the summer. He was named Player of the Year in his debut season with his former club and will hope to impress his new set of fans just as much in the Premier League. The early signs though suggest this could be difficult with the Hatters losing all their games so far and Kaminski conceding 0.10 goals more than he would have been expected to.

5 Emi Martínez, Aston Villa (-0.30)

The Argentina World Cup winner has a big personality and this helps him stand out on the pitch when he's playing well, but can draw unwanted attention when things aren't quite going to plan. And seeing as it's been a mixed bag for Unai Emery and Aston Villa so far, Emi Martínez might prefer to keep a low profile for the time being. Indeed, the Villans have been thumped 5-1 away at Newcastle and 3-0 away at Liverpool, but have comfortably beaten Everton and Burnley in their other two games. Martinez played in both losses but was absent for one of the wins and this is reflected by his fairly underwhelming negative performance of conceding 0.30 goals more than expected of him so far this term.

4 Robert Sánchez, Chelsea (-0.50)

With Kepa Arrizabalaga joining Real Madrid on a season-long loan deal and Édouard Mendy sold to Saudi Pro League outfit his Al-Ahli, Robert Sánchez became the latest of many players to swap Brighton for Chelsea, arriving for a fee in the region of £25m. He's jumped right into the starting line-up too, playing all four games so far. Unfortunately, though, you wouldn't exactly say the Blues or their new Spanish goalkeeper have impressed in this time, with Sánchez conceding nearly half a goal (0.50) more than he would have been expected to and the West London outfit winning just one of their matches (drawing twice and losing the other).

3 Nick Pope, Newcastle (-0.70)

Nick Pope was outstanding in his debut campaign with the Magpies last term, playing a vital role in the team as Newcastle managed to ride their Saudi-led wave all the way up into the Champions League spots with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League. This time around, however, things have not been so smooth for Eddie Howe and co. One win and three defeats leaves the club all the way down in 14th, far below what they would have been expected to do so far this season, and Pope's form matches this too. After all, he's let in 0.70 more goals against than he probably should have. There's certainly much room for improvement on all fronts at St James' Park.

2 Mark Flekken, Brentford (-1.00)

With David Raya loaned out to Arsenal for the season, the Bees have had to turn to a different option between the sticks this term and identified goalkeeper Mark Flekken as the man for the job, arriving from Freiburg for £11m. Worryingly for the Dutchman, though, things haven't gone so well up to this point. Despite Brentford going unbeaten in the league (with one win and three draws), Thomas Frank might have been hoping for a little more from Flekken, who has conceded one (1.00) goal more than he ought to have done. Still, it's easy days yet for the new man, so perhaps he'll find his feet after the international break.

1 Aaron Ramsdale, Arsenal (-1.80)

For a side with title ambitions, Mikel Arteta certainly won't be satisfied with his number-one sitting at the bottom of this list. What's more, not only is Aaron Ramsdale last, he's by far the worst-performing goalkeeper on this particular stat, having conceded 1.80 more goals than expected of him. That's 0.8 more than Flekken, who is the next worst performer on the list, and with Raya now as an alternative option for Arsenal, Ramsdale will certainly have to up his game over the coming months if he wants to retain his spot. At the very least, he is yet to be on the losing side, so he must be doing something right.

You can see all the data below: