GM football fans. This is Route One, the newsletter that tells you everything you need to know about football - without the boring waffle.

Today’s briefing is a ~4 min read:

1. Man United are sixth… the table lies again 🤔

2. Quick hit stats: Brentford dethroned in London derbies 👑 

3. Can Hee-chan? Yes, he can… 😲

Morning Brief 🗞️

MAN UNITED SIXTH… DOES THE TABLE LIE? 🤔

Hold up… Manchester United are sixth?

I don’t mean, hey United are 6th, they’re doing terribly.

I mean, woah, United are sixth? You’re killing it boys… how did you lads manage to get to those dizzy heights?

Gone are the days we expect United to push for first spot come Christmas.

From what we have seen (R1’s eye test), they should be mid-table… at best.

And the stats tell the same story…

• 12th for Goal Difference.

• 12th for Expected Goal Difference.

• 11th for Expected Goals.

• 12th for Goals Scored.

• 13th for Expected Goals Conceded.

Maybe we were a little generous when we said mid-table…

You’re probably thinking, “But, the table never lies.”

Well, dear friend, the sad truth is that it does.

And secondly, Man Utd have two factors working for them at the moment:

1. Effective goal distribution

2. Luck

An effective goal distribution means goals translate to points.

This means a team who wins 1-0 gets more points than a team who loses 3-2. One team scored double the goals of the other but they received three fewer points. Get it?

Well, United’s eight wins in the Premier League this season have included six wins by 1 goal and four 1-nills.

In other words, they are skating on thin ice with the results they have achieved so far this season.

Effective goal distribution explains their overperformance well… so where does luck come into play? You may ask.

Their defence.

United’s expected goals conceded are 13th in the league. That means if their opponent’s finishing was average, United would have conceded the 13th most goals in the league.

Instead, they sit top five for actual goals conceded.

It is only a matter of time until their opponents get their shooting boots on.

And it should come as no surprise that they’ve lost five games so far this season - almost double that of any other team in the top eight.

What’s more, all their Prem losses have come from teams that are clinical - Arsenal, Tottenham, Brighton, City, Newcastle. They all beat Man Utd comfortably.

It’ll be a hard few weeks ahead for United when they face Newcastle, Chelsea, Liverpool, Villa and West Ham in their run-up to Christmas.

Let’s see if Santa will keep delivering for United's defence during the Xmas period…

QUICK HIT STATS 💉

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Zero Premier League managers have been sacked so far this season. Six managers were axed at this point, last year.

🤔 Brentford lost their first Premier League London derby in 15 such matches since, while Arsenal extended their run to 17 games unbeaten in London derbies in the competition.

🤩 Haaland has now scored against 20 of the 21 opposing sides he’s faced in the Premier League. The only exception is… Brentford.

😬 Liverpool has only won one of their last 15 Premier League away games against Man City.

🇧🇷 Douglas Luiz has been directly involved in 15 goals in the Premier League in 2023 - 10 goals and five assists. Only Bruno Fernandes and James Maddison have more combined goals and assists this year.

DON’T OVERLOOK HWANG HEE-CHAN 😯

Some things in life are rare.

But… Wolves producing a winger that tears up the Premier League doesn’t make that list.

For whatever reason, Wolves recruitment team has a knack for choosing under-the-radar wingers that outperform the most expensive players in the league.

Hwang Hee-Chan is their latest instalment.

The Athletic analysed how he became Wolves’ top scorer. And here’s everything you need to know…

1/ Hwang’s finishing has been exceptional…

With yesterday’s penalty, he’s achieved seven goals when his expected goal (xG) is just 2.6.

That means he’s just one goal away from equalling last season’s tally.

Look, while xG is a good indicator of long-term trends, Hwang has been clinical. Only time will tell if he can keep this level of scoring up.

But, things are looking good for him, because…

2/ Wolves build-play is improving…

This season, Wolves have provided him with better goal-scoring chances.

His chances are coming significantly closer to the opponent’s goal, 10.8 yards compared to 15 yards last season.

And… he’s actually getting more chances.

He’s already had as many shots (18) in his 774 minutes this season as he managed in 1,130 minutes in the whole of last season.

Things are looking up for Hwang…

With Pedro Neto’s injury, Hwang’s importance at Wolves has skyrocketed. He’s proven to be a reliable scorer and creator for Gary O’Neil’s side… no doubt he’ll be on the radar of some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Can Hee-chan? Yes, he can…

EXTRA-TIME ⏱️

Paul Merson is a competitive guy. Even at 50, he put it all on the line against Crystal Palace’s women’s team. His highlights are as funny as you would imagine…

Jude Bellingham is 20 years old and on course for 20 goals in the league for Real Madrid. Amazingly, his shots-to-goal conversion rate stands at 47%, for context, Messi’s career average shots-to-goal ratio is 19%.

The most satisfying goal of all time? Whether he meant it or not is a whole other topic.

Can’t get enough acrobatic goal highlights? Look no further than the Champions League’s five-minute compilation ahead of tonight’s matches.

Defending is an underappreciated art. Manchester United’s goals against Everton are getting all the attention but at R1, we keep replaying Kobbie Mainoo’s goalline clearance.

MEME 😆

We know Man United fans haven’t had the best time recently… so we’ve dedicated today’s meme section to them after Sunday’s performance.