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In the high-stakes environment of the Premier League, it's rather unfortunate when a player fails to convert a significant goalscoring opportunity. But it's not rare for even some of the best strikers in the business to fail to score from a clear-cut chance such as a one-on-one with a goalkeeper or an open net opportunity.
The 'big chances missed' statistic serves as a measure of a player or team's efficiency in capitalizing on key scoring chances. But just because a player misses a large number of opportunities, it doesn't necessarily mean that their goalscoring output is generally poor.
For example, some top centre-forwards might miss a lot of chances. But because they play for teams that churn out a lot of goalscoring opportunities, they might still end up putting the ball in the back of the net a lot.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at the five players with the most big chances missed in the Premier League so far this season (2023-24).
#5 Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United) - 9 big chances missed
Rasmus Hojlund scored his first-ever Premier League goal in dramatic fashion in Manchester United's thrilling comeback win against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. Hojlund netted an 82nd-minute winner for the Red Devils in a game where they found themselves trailing 2-0 at half-time.
Manchester United will hope that the significance of the goal and the occasion will help Hojlund turn things around. Things have simply not gone well for the Dnaish striker in the Premier League since joining the club on a €73.9 million deal this summer.
He scored five goals in the Champions League but has been starved of good service in the English top flight. But it's worth noting that the 20-year-old has also missed nine big chances in the Premier League so far this term.
#4 Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) - 12 big chances missed
Nicolas Jackson was among the plethora of big signings that Chelsea made this summer transfer window. The Blues spent a relatively modest €37 million to rope him in from Villarreal.
With another big-money striker signing, Christopher Nkunku, sidelined for nearly the entirety of the first half of the 2023-24 campaign, Chelsea have had to rely on Jackson for goals. He has not been able to hold up his end of the bargain to the Blues' liking so far.
The 22-year-old has scored seven goals in 18 Premier League appearances so far but he has also missed 12 big chances.
#3 Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) - 13 big chances missed
Ollie Watkins is having arguably the best Premier League campaign of his career so far. It certainly helps that Aston Villa have turned into a formidable force under the tutelage of Unai Emery and is capable of taking the game to the best teams in the land.
Watkins has scored nine goals and provided eight assists in 19 Premier League appearances so far this season. But he has also scuppered a lot of goalscoring opportunities. Watkins has missed 13 big chances in the English top flight so far this season.
#2 Darwin Nunez (Liverpool) - 15 big chances missed
Darwin Nunez earned a fair amount of goodwill with his work ethic and unwavering commitment in his debut Premier League season even though his goalscoring output was nothing to write home about.
But it's good that he had some credit in the bank because he most certainly needed it in the first half of the current campaign. Nunez has been wasteful in front of goal for Liverpool and the consensus seems to be that he needs to shape up or ship out.
Nunez has scored five goals in the Premier League so far this season but has also missed 15 big chances.
#1 Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - 17 big chances missed
Even the best in the business seem to struggle to put many a big chance away. Erling Haaland is the current leading goalscorer in the 2023-24 Premier League season. The Norwegian marksman has netted 14 times in the league so far this term.
There is no doubt that Haaland benefits greatly from the incredible quality of service he receives from his Manchester City teammates. The fact that he has scored 14 goals despite missing 17 big chances is a testament to the attacking juggernaut that City are.
