The Weekend in Numbers: 10 goals, broken streaks and two very different leagues

Across the 78 fixtures in the latest GoalSense weekend window, there were 234 goals — exactly three per game.

Both teams scored in 44 of those matches, 43 went over 2.5 goals and 31 produced at least four. But the most interesting numbers weren't necessarily the biggest ones.

Some long-running trends continued. Others disappeared completely.

Here are six stories that caught our eye.

Ten goals in Scottish League Two

If you're looking for the weekend's biggest number, Edinburgh was the place to start.

Edinburgh City 7–3 Stirling Albion was the highest-scoring fixture across all 78 matches covered by GoalSense, two goals clear of the next-highest total.

And there were reasons to look towards goals before kick-off.

The fixture carried an Over 2.5 potential of 91, with Over 1.5 at 90. Stirling had conceded in five consecutive matches and 21 times across their previous ten, while Edinburgh had also conceded 21 across their previous ten.

What wasn't quite so obvious was Stirling contributing three themselves. They arrived having failed to score in their previous two matches.

Ten goals later, that wasn't much of a problem.

Twenty games of scoring. Then 0–0.

This was the weekend's reminder that a strong trend is still only a trend.

Liverpool went into their meeting with Fulham having scored in 20 consecutive matches in GoalSense history.

Their previous ten made the pattern even stronger: Liverpool had scored in all ten, Over 1.5 had landed in all ten and BTTS had occurred in eight.

GoalSense's pre-match numbers consequently leaned heavily towards goals: Over 2.5 potential was 91, Over 1.5 was 92 and BTTS was 87.

The result?

Liverpool 0–0 Fulham.

There was counter-evidence. Fulham had scored in only five of their previous ten, with BTTS and Over 2.5 occurring in just three.

But it's still one of the clearest examples from the weekend of why football data should be treated as evidence rather than certainty.

Liverpool's 20-match scoring sequence is over — and they have now kept two consecutive clean sheets.

Chelsea make it 20 — while Hull's six ends

Chelsea and Hull arrived with two almost completely opposing defensive trends.

Chelsea had conceded in 19 consecutive matches. Across their previous ten they'd conceded every time, allowing 21 goals, while seven had seen both teams score.

Hull, meanwhile, had kept six consecutive clean sheets.

Something had to give.

It was Hull's run.

The 2–2 draw extended Chelsea's sequence to 20 consecutive matches conceding and ended Hull's run without conceding at six.

The pre-match BTTS potential was 88, and in this case the underlying evidence translated neatly into the result — albeit via two teams arriving from very different directions.

Eighteen games conceding — then Slough shut the door

Perhaps the weekend's most unlikely clean sheet belonged to Slough Town.

They travelled to AFC Totton having conceded in 18 consecutive matches.

The recent numbers weren't flattering either. Slough had conceded in all of their previous ten, shipping 33 goals in the process — an average of 3.3 per game.

Away from home, their last ten now show 31 goals conceded and just one clean sheet.

That one was this one.

AFC Totton 0–1 Slough Town.

After 18 consecutive games conceding, Slough didn't just keep a clean sheet. They did it away from home and took all three points.

Sometimes the interesting thing about a streak is the moment it finally stops.

Serie A and Ligue 1 had very different weekends

Zoom out from individual teams and one of the clearest contrasts came between Italy and France.

Serie A's ten matches produced an average of 3.90 goals per game, with both teams scoring in 80% of them.

Monday's Inter Milan 5–3 Udinese led the way with eight goals. Inter have now scored in 14 consecutive matches in GoalSense history, while their last ten home matches have produced 29 Inter goals.

Elsewhere, Lecce beat Monza 3–2, Sassuolo beat Juventus 3–2 and Fiorentina won 4–2 at Venezia.

Then there was Ligue 1.

Its nine matches produced only 15 goals — 1.67 per game. Both teams scored in just three, while three of the weekend's six 0–0s came from the division.

And this wasn't necessarily what the pre-match numbers suggested.

Brest 0–1 PSG carried an Over 2.5 potential of 97. Rennes 1–0 Marseille was 98. Paris FC 0–0 Lyon was 94.

Rennes were particularly striking. Their previous ten matches had all gone over 2.5 goals, while seven consecutive games had seen both teams score.

Neither happened against Marseille.

Across one weekend, Serie A couldn't stop producing goals while Ligue 1 repeatedly went against some very strong recent trends.

Hereford make it 17 — with six of their own

There was another significant scoring run further down the pyramid.

Hereford had scored in 16 consecutive matches before South Shields arrived. They extended that run emphatically with a 6–0 win.

Their home numbers are particularly notable.

Across Hereford's last ten home matches, they have scored 24 goals, conceded eight and found the net in every one.

The six against South Shields took their overall scoring sequence to 17 matches.

Interestingly, the GoalSense BTTS potential for the fixture was 89. South Shields had themselves scored in seven consecutive matches before kick-off.

They didn't manage an eighth.

Another reminder that even when the broader goal numbers point in the right direction, how those goals arrive can be very different.

The weekend at a glance

• 78 fixtures
• 234 goals
• 3.00 goals per game
• 56% BTTS
• 55% Over 2.5
• 31 matches with four or more goals
• 6 goalless draws

And among them:

• 10 goals in Edinburgh City 7–3 Stirling Albion
• 20 — Liverpool's scoring run before it ended
• 20 — Chelsea's current run of consecutive matches conceding
• 18 — Slough's conceding run before finally keeping a clean sheet
• 17 — Hereford's current scoring run
• 3.90 vs 1.67 — Serie A and Ligue 1's goals-per-game averages

Some trends strengthened. Some ended spectacularly. And some of the strongest pre-match numbers were simply ignored by the football.

That's why GoalSense is built to explain the goal data, rather than pretend the numbers can tell you exactly what happens next.

We Explain Goal Data.