Alternative Championship table sends Leeds United top as eight title contenders separated by hair's breadth
Leeds United are currently top of the Championship's Expected Points (xPTS) table, according to football data collection site FotMob.
The Expected Points table ranks teams based on their Expected Goals (xG) stats, where teams are determined to be doing better or worse than expected. Over the course of a 46-game season, teams' actual performance tends to mirror their expected performance, although on occasion there are exceptions.
In Leeds' case, they top the Championship standings with 13 xPTS, two more than their actual total of 11 after six matches.
This is because Leeds have exceeded their opponents' single-game xG total by a margin of 0.9 in four of their games so far this season, equating to four 'expected victories'.
Against West Bromwich Albion, Leeds and the Baggies' xG totals were almost identical, therefore a draw was the expected result given the share of chances enjoyed by both sides.
Below Leeds in the xPTS table are Middlesbrough, up ten places from 12th in the actual table to 2nd, according to the share of chances created and conceded this season. Their performances should have seen the north-east club earn 12 points from their opening six, whilst the Baggies should also have 12, but instead have overperformed and currently sit on 16.
Sunderland, Millwall, Coventry City and Sheffield United sit on 11 in the xPTS table, making up the remainder of the play-off spots, while Luton Town's xPTS total is 10.
The alternative table suggests Leeds have been slightly unfortunate not to find themselves in a higher position in the table at this early stage of the campaign, and that their performances, whilst not always the most entertaining, have actually been the most effective in the division from a chance-creation perspective.
Defensively, Leeds have been the best side, registering the lowest total Expected Goals Conceded (xGC) with 3.4 - an average of just over 0.50 per match.
Meanwhile, Leeds' own xG figure is just shy of the league's leaders in this particular metric Middlesbrough, at 10.9 compared to the Riverside Stadium club's 11.0.