Betis's 22 shots were plenty, but their chances were only ordinary

Real Betis beat Malaga 2-1 at the Estadio de la Cartuja, with two first-half goals doing the damage before Adrian Nino pulled one back.

Marc Bartra put Real Betis ahead in the 38th minute, with Isco providing the assist, and Pablo Fornals doubled the lead in the 45th. Fornals, rated 8.2, was the player who made the score comfortable before the interval. Malaga had only Adrian Nino's goal in the 68th minute to show for their trip to the Estadio de la Cartuja.

Betis had 59% of the ball, where they usually keep 52.2% at home, and they took 22 shots, against an average of 16. Those figures describe a side that kept possession and kept shooting. But expected goals, the measure that weighs each chance by where it was taken from, came to only a little above their usual level, and nine of those shots came from outside the box. That is why the number of chances and the quality of chances did not line up.

Malaga had 41% of the ball, where they average 49.6% on their travels, so they were less in control of possession than usual. Their shots were close to the amount they normally take away from home. Their expected goals were above the 0.85 they average on the road, which means the chances they did create were better than their own norm. For a side that lost, that is the more telling detail, because it shows they were not simply wasteful in front of goal.

Betis scored two, where they average 1.6 at home, so the scoreline was above their normal return. Malaga's single goal was above the 0.7 they usually score away. They conceded two, which is close to the 1.9 they usually let in on the road, so the defensive side of the afternoon was ordinary for the visitors. Neither team's goals tell a story that a reader would find unusual.

Three goals in all match the league average of three per game, so this was an ordinary match for goals. Across the division a side typically takes 13.4 shots, which puts Betis's 22 well above that mark, while Malaga's shots were just under it. The shots tell us about volume, and volume was Betis's strength rather than the quality of what they produced.

Malaga have won none of their ten away matches this season, drawing five and losing five, and they have conceded 19 goals on the road. Their away form has been poor in both directions, not merely in results. A side with that record arriving at a ground where the home team has the better chances is an ordinary problem for them rather than an unusual one.

Malaga picked up two yellow cards, one of them in the 20th minute, while Betis were booked once, in the 90th. Betis are now fourth in the table, while Malaga sit 20th on 5 points.

Player of the matchPablo Fornals1 goal8.2

Marc Bartra1 goal7.9

Adrián Niño Heredia1 goal7.8

Isco1 assist7.7