Betis had the ball at Balaídos but not the chances

Celta Vigo 0-0 Real Betis: the visitors kept more of the ball, but the home side made the better chances.

Real Betis had more of the ball at Balaídos and still left without a goal. Their 56% possession was a little higher than their usual away share of 51.8%, yet in a goalless draw against Celta Vigo, the share of the ball counted for less than it usually does. Neither side scored, and no red card, penalty or early goal shaped the afternoon, so the story lies in the quality of the chances.

That quality is measured by a figure called expected goals, which gives each shot a value between 0 and 1 based on how often shots from that position and situation tend to go in. A tap-in from close range scores high, a shot from distance scores low. Betis's total for this match was well short of their away average of 1.37, which tells us most of their 14 shots came from places where scoring is unlikely. Only seven of them were taken inside the box.

Celta had less of the ball than usual, with 44% against a home average of 49.9%, but their chances were better. Nine of their 12 shots came from inside the penalty area, and their expected goals total was above their usual home figure of 0.51. Four of their efforts were on target, twice as many as Betis managed, and the Betis goalkeeper, Álvaro Vallés, was forced into four saves to keep his side level.

Hugo González stood out for Celta. He came on at 58 minutes and had three efforts, all of them on target, which is the most direct threat either side produced in the second half. Javi Galán had three key passes and won four of his duels, while Yoel Lago won seven one-on-one contests and made four interceptions. On the other side, Vallés was the clear standout, rated 7.7, the highest mark of the afternoon, and his saves were the reason the scoreline stayed where it did.

Both managers used all five of their substitutions, with the changes coming mostly between the 57th and 81st minutes. Celta picked up two yellow cards and Betis one, which is ordinary for a game of this type. Nothing in the match changed the balance of the result, so the finding rests on the chances themselves rather than on any single incident.

Across the season, the two sides have produced very different records. Celta have scored 10 goals and conceded seven at home, which leaves them ninth in the table with 11 points. Betis have scored 16 and conceded 14 away, and sit fourth with 19 points from their matches so far.

Betis remain fourth in the table with 19 points, while Celta stay ninth on 11.

Player of the matchÁlvaro Vallés4 saves7.7

G. Lo Celso3 chances created7.4

I. Radu2 saves7.3

Dani Ceballos1 duels won7.3