Moukoudi scored in the fourth minute as AEK beat Panetolikos

AEK Athens won 5-0 at the Allwyn Arena, creating far more than they usually do at home.

Harold Moukoudi scored in the fourth minute, and by the 38th AEK Athens had three goals on the board. Aboubakary Koita made it two at 23 minutes, and Ambrósini António Cabaça Salvador added the third before half-time. An early lead can settle a match, and this one never offered Panetolikos a way back.

AEK had 52% of the ball, which is less than the 60% they average in home games this season. Possession is simply the share of time each side spends in control of the ball, so a team that usually keeps more of it had a little less here. The chances did not follow that pattern, though.

AEK took 25 shots, against an average of 16 at home, and 17 of them came from inside the box. Expected goals, or xG, is a way of scoring how good each chance was, so a tap-in counts for far more than a long-range effort. AEK's chances added up to 3.29, more than double their usual home figure of 1.32, which tells us the shots were largely good ones.

Panetolikos took eight shots, which is exactly what they average on the road, but their chances were worth only 0.31 against a usual away figure of 0.89. Their possession of 48% was slightly above their away average of 45.6%, so they were not shut out of the ball. V. Xenopoulos made seven saves, the most work any goalkeeper had in the match, yet the goals kept coming. The side usually concede about 1.89 xG away from home, and this time they faced considerably more.

VAR, the video review, confirmed a penalty at 53 minutes, and Barnabás Varga scored from the spot at 56. Oleksandr Zubkov added the fifth at 90, with Llazaros Rota providing the assist. Koita was the clear standout, scoring and creating, and his rating of 8.7 reflects that. Panetolikos picked up three yellow cards and no red.

The result comes after a home run for AEK, who have won four and drawn two of their six matches at home, without a defeat. Panetolikos arrived having lost four of their last six away matches, winning one and drawing another. Their away scoring has been modest all season, and this game added to a run that has yet to turn around on the road.

AEK sit fourth in the table on 14 points, while Panetolikos are ninth on 9.

Player of the matchA. Koita1 goal · 1 assist8.7

H. Moukoudi1 goal8.3

L. Rota1 assist8.2

S. Pilios2 chances created8.0