Surprise NUFC player ranked 3rd in Premier League table behind Man Utd & Liverpool duo

If you asked 100 Toon fans to name the Newcastle United player who's created the most chances for us this season, a high percentage of them would probably say Allan Saint-Maximin.

The answer? Matt Ritchie!

Not only is he the top creator at Newcastle this season, only TWO players in the Premier League have actually created more chances than the winger turned wing-back over the first nine games of the 2021/22 season.

Man Utd's Bruno Fernandes is top of the charts, creating 34 chances so far, with Trent Alexander-Arnold coming next on 25 and Matt Ritchie in third on 23 - leaving him one ahead of Mo Salah (22) and two above Man City's £100m man Jack Grealish:

Now, we're not saying for a second that Matt Ritchie is now more of a creative force than Jack Grealish - he's not - but it perhaps shows how many chances we are wasting from set pieces?

Saying that, Ritchie has a habit of hitting the first man from corners, so perhaps he's creating more from open play than we realise!