This Premier League season, The Athletic will dive into the various dimensions within expected goals (xG) to spot some of those trends in our weekly Expected Premier League Tables.Having looked at the xG created by all 20 teams after Matchday 1, this week we will be diving into xG against across the first two matchdays in comparison to their average xGA per game in 2025-26. The same caveat applies – it is far too early to draw conclusions from this data, so this is just to spot trends that may be of interest for later in the campaign.Arsenal have built on their league-best defensive record from last season with another excellent defensive start to 2026-27. Across two matches, they have allowed just 11 shots, with nine of those worth an xG of 0.04 or fewer. Only one – from Coventry City’s Jack Rudoni, worth 0.15xG – has been on target and was easily saved by David Raya.Having won the league while averaging 56 per cent possession in 2025-26, they have wielded marginally more control of the ball with 62 per cent. Arsenal’s ability to limit teams, though, is still down to their excellent organization without the ball.Sunderland are right behind Arsenal for shots on target allowed with just three out of a total of 21. Two of those led to goals in the defeat to Ipswich Town – both from errors – with Emersonn’s strike into an empty goal worth 0.77xG.Fulham’s Josh King missed a 0.45xG shot over the weekend, while eight Sunderland players have combined to block nine shots, with only Nordi Mukiele managing two.Rivals Newcastle United lead the league in this category with 21 blocked shots from the 44 total that they have faced (joint most with Ipswich). Lewis Hall has thrown himself in the way of five shots, including one off the goal-line in the dying moments against Tottenham Hotspur. No player has prevented more opposition xG from blocks than Hall’s 0.66.Mathias Jaissle’s side have preferred to sit deep, inviting teams onto them, and have allowed five shots worth 0.2xG or more but conceded just once from those efforts. Lukas Hornicek has saved one of those, with the other three efforts being blocked.Beginning the season against Liverpool at home and Spurs away has a part to play in that, and Newcastle’s approach could change with Bournemouth, Leeds United, Millwall (EFL Cup) and Hull City up next.Ipswich have allowed the most xG after two matches at 5.4, while letting in six goals. The quantity of shots allowed is a major reason, with 44 in total, 15 of which have been on target. They have only blocked two of the efforts on target, frequently giving goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen too much to do.Scherpen made six saves at the weekend against Manchester United and prevented 0.7 open-play goals (four conceded excluding the own goal from 4.7 expected goals on target) but still conceded five times. Across the last three completed league seasons, only eight goalkeepers have faced more shots in a game than the 33 he faced against United.Manchester United found their cutting edge in the second half against Ipswich, but there will be a few concerns at the other end. They have allowed only 17 shots (third fewest behind Arsenal and Manchester City) but nine of those have been on target with an xG per shot of 0.181, the worst mark in the league. Six of the shots on target have been worth 0.2xG or more, with four of those ending in goals.It is a departure from Michael Carrick’s 17 matches in charge last season when they allowed an xG per shot of 0.105 and conceded 18 goals, the fifth-fewest in that stretch, where they also averaged 49 per cent possession.That has increased to 66 per cent against promoted Hull and Ipswich, but so has their vulnerability on the break, which requires attention.Hull City have had a dream start with two wins in two. They have allowed 32 shots, the sixth-worst mark, but just eight of those have been on target. Goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis kept out a 0.36xG Bryan Mbeumo effort against Manchester United before denying Taiwo Awoniyi’s part-unintentional 0.72xG shot with a sprawling save at the weekend.Sergej Jakirovic’s side have been hard to break down and, importantly, are one of only four teams yet to make an error leading to a shot alongside Arsenal, Brentford and Leeds United.Only three teams have allowed fewer shots than Brentford’s 21. That is the least they have managed in their opening two games of a season since being promoted in 2021, while the six shots on target allowed is the joint fewest.