The 2024/2025 Premier League season continues the trend of using full-backs as core attacking outlets, not just defensive cover on the flanks. Teams that push their full-backs high and wide create more wide entries, more crosses, and inevitably more blocked efforts that spin out for corners, which is reflected in the league’s corner and crossing data. For anyone reading matches with a betting mindset, understanding how these roles generate shots and corners is a way to move beyond simple possession numbers into more precise expectations of where and how chances will appear.

Why attacking full-backs naturally generate both shots and corners

Modern attacking full-backs live in the channels where crosses, cutbacks and blocked balls occur, so their involvement changes the geometry of chance creation. Overlapping runs draw defenders toward the touchline, opening space either for the full-back to cross or for the winger to cut inside and shoot, while underlaps create passing angles into the box that otherwise would not exist. Each of these actions increases the number of touches in wide attacking zones, which in turn raises the probability that defensive interventions will deflect the ball behind for a corner or into central shooting lanes.

League-wide, corner data shows that front-foot teams—Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham—top the charts for corners won in 2024/2025, with City averaging 6.66 corners per match and finishing the season with 253 corners, just ahead of Liverpool (252) and Arsenal (251). Those sides also rely heavily on full-backs for width and delivery, using them to pin back opposition wingers and force blocks in crowded penalty areas. The cause–effect chain is straightforward: more aggressive full-back usage tends to mean more wide entries, more crosses under pressure, and therefore more corners and secondary chances.

How 2024/2025 data illustrates the attacking full-back profile

Stat profiles of individual full-backs in 2024/2025 highlight how far the position has moved toward playmaking. Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, for example, recorded ten assists, 3.35 progressive carries per 90, 170 crosses at 25% accuracy, and six big chances created in 36 league matches. Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered 153 crosses with 25% accuracy, created 15 big chances and added seven assists, while also posting 1.72 progressive carries per 90. Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez contributed two goals, six assists, 2.86 progressive carries per 90, and 147 crosses at 27% accuracy.

These numbers are not just decoration; they describe how attacks are routed. High cross volumes and progressive carries indicate that possession frequently flows through the full-back into the final third, increasing both the number of balls flashed across the box and the number of blocked attempts that lead to corners. Across the league, teams like Brighton, Everton and Fulham sit near the top of the table for accurate crosses (around 27%–26%), reinforcing the idea that wide delivery is both frequent and effective in generating immediate or second-phase shots.

Mechanisms that turn full-back runs into shot opportunities

Attacking full-backs create shooting opportunities through a few repeatable mechanisms. Overlaps force the defending wide player and full-back to decide whether to track the runner or protect the inside channel, which can free the winger to shoot or slip a pass into the half-space. Underlaps—diagonal runs inside the winger—drag markers inward and open angles for cutbacks, which tend to produce higher-xG chances than floated crosses.

Even when the final action is not directly a shot, the sequence often ends with a defensive block or clearance that sets up another chance. Blocks on low crosses frequently go behind for corners, while clearances from deep wide areas may be recycled quickly to the edge of the box, where midfielders and inverted wingers can shoot. In tactical trend analysis for 2024/2025, the league notes a rise in inswinging corners—over 60% of corners are now inswingers—which are often won after aggressive wide play and are then used as a deliberate source of xG rather than as mere resets.

The link between attacking full-backs and team corner volume

Team-level corner stats provide a clean way to see how full-back emphasis feeds set-piece volume. Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal top the 2024/2025 table for total corners—253, 252 and 251 respectively—with Tottenham and Chelsea also in the top five. These clubs share a common tactical backbone: high, aggressive full-backs who sustain pressure and force repeated defensive interventions in wide zones.

Analytical reviews of Premier League corners show that teams have maintained an 81% cross rate from corners, with inswinging deliveries increasing to 60.6% in 2024/2025. That shift toward more dangerous inswingers favours sides that can repeatedly earn corners through overlapping pressure, because each additional corner now carries slightly higher average xG than in previous seasons. For bettors, this means that matches featuring two teams with adventurous full-backs are structurally more likely to produce high corner counts, all else being equal.

Comparing attacking and more conservative full-back roles

Not every full-back is an all-action wide creator; some sides use deeper, build-up oriented full-backs or “inverted” roles that tuck into midfield. Inverted full-backs support ball progression and central overloads but often reduce traditional wide crossing volume, shifting chance creation to wingers or attacking midfielders. Deep full-backs, used as a strategic alternative in build-up, receive the ball in safer zones and release wingers earlier, which may spread the pitch but do not always lead to the same level of direct corner pressure.

In practical terms, teams whose full-backs spend more time in the half-spaces or third-line build-up may still generate shots, but those shots arise from central combinations rather than from repeated wide entries and blocked crosses. This reduces the direct correlation between full-back involvement and corner counts, even if possession and xG remain high. For match analysis, distinguishing between overlapping, crossing full-backs and inverted, possession-focused full-backs clarifies whether you should expect corners to be a primary output of wide play or just a by-product.

How UFABET users can apply full-back data to corners and shot markets

When you interpret a Premier League fixture through an interface that offers detailed markets on corners, shots, and player stats, full-back roles become more than tactical trivia. Suppose your pre-match research shows that both teams rely heavily on high, crossing full-backs—profiles resembling Robinson, Alexander-Arnold or Kerkez—with high progressive carries and cross counts, and that both sides already rank in the upper half of the league for corners per match. In that scenario, scanning ufa168’s corner totals, “team corners,” and even wide-player shot-assist or cross-based props becomes a deliberate extension of your wide-play read, rather than an afterthought; your stake decisions then reflect a clear cause–effect relationship between full-back aggression, sustained wide pressure, and the likelihood of both shots and corners piling up.

Where attacking full-backs strengthen or weaken the “corners and shots” idea

The concept that attacking full-backs equal more shots and corners is broadly sound but not automatic. Against deep, compact defences who refuse to press wide, full-backs may see plenty of the ball without turning that into clean entries, because their crosses are blocked earlier or forced from poor positions, which can suppress xG while still inflating crossing totals. Conversely, in end-to-end games where both teams press high, full-backs may spend more time retreating than overlapping, limiting their contribution to advanced crosses and reducing corner frequency despite attacking intent.

Injuries and rotations matter too. If a side’s primary attacking full-back is absent and replaced by a more conservative defender, the pattern of wide play can change dramatically, even if formations on paper look the same. For anyone reading matches with an eye on shots and corners, updating expectations based on actual line-ups and recent full-back usage—rather than relying on last season’s reputations—is essential.​

Using a simple table to organise full-back impact on shots and corners

One practical way to keep track of these dynamics is to classify teams based on how their full-backs contribute to attacking output and how that correlates with corners. You can think in terms of whether full-backs are primary crossers, secondary support, or mainly inverted, and match that to corner data and wide shot volume.

This table helps translate tactical descriptions into betting-relevant expectations. When both teams fall into the first category, counting on high corner volume and a meaningful proportion of shots from wide cutbacks or second balls is reasonable. When at least one side uses inverted or deep full-backs, you may shift focus toward central xG patterns and treat corners as more context-dependent.

Conditional scenarios: game state and full-back behaviour

Game state also changes what full-backs contribute. A team chasing a goal late will usually push full-backs higher, increasing crosses and corners, while a side protecting a lead may keep them deeper and narrower, trimming both metrics. In matches where both teams need a win—late-season European or relegation battles—full-backs often become even more aggressive, boosting both shot and corner rates in the final third of the game.

Understanding these conditional shifts helps you avoid static assumptions. Pre-match profiles tell you the baseline, but in-play behaviour—full-backs holding deeper lines or repeatedly attacking the byline—should inform live expectations about whether shots and corners will continue to accumulate at the same pace.

Summary

Attacking full-backs in the 2024/2025 Premier League are central to how teams generate both shots and corners, as their overlaps, crosses and cutbacks drive possession into zones where blocks and deflections occur. Data on crosses, progressive carries and team corner counts shows that sides with aggressive wide defenders—City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Fulham, Bournemouth and others—convert that positional choice into sustained wide pressure and repeated set-piece opportunities. For match readers and bettors, mapping full-back roles onto expectations for shot locations and corner volume offers a concrete, tactics-based way to interpret the flow of Premier League games rather than relying on abstract notions of “attacking football.”