It was another fascinating weekend in the Premier League with some great performances, top goals and big upsets, Reelradio.com.ng reports.
It’s time to hand out our awards.
Player of the Weekend
With Liverpool down to 10 men and Newcastle ahead, things looked bleak for Jürgen Klopp and the Reds on Sunday. Until Darwin Núñez was introduced.
The Uruguayan is yet to start a Premier League game this season and had to wait until the 77th minute to make an impact at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
Within four minutes he was through on goal, pouncing on an error by Sven Botman. It was a position Darwin found himself in a number of times last season, bearing down on goal just to the right, lining up an effort across goal. And repeatedly, last season, he dragged an effort wide. Not this time.
The 24-year-old fired low and hard into the bottom corner, leaving Nick Pope with no chance. The goal revitalised Liverpool and an injury time turnover in midfield saw the ball arrive with Mohamed Salah, who spotted another run from the Liverpool number nine.
This time it was Dan Burn and Darwin breezed beyond him onto Salah’s perfectly weighted ball and from almost the same spot of turf he found the far corner again, just lifting the ball as Pope looked to come out and narrow the angle that time.
“VAMOS!” the striker screamed as he looked up to the adoring away end losing its collective mind.
“VAMOS!”
Team of the Weekend
Goal of the Weekend
Matty Cash hadn’t scored for Aston Villa for 15 months before Unai Emery played him on the right of the Aston Villa midfield on Sunday. Within 20 minutes he had netted twice, scoring the earliest Premier League brace by a Villa player since May 2011.
The second of those goals was a fantastic team move as Ollie Watkins spread the play wide to Cash, who cut inside and nudged the ball outside for an overlapping Moussa Diaby. The Frenchman burst into the area before chopping a perfect cutback to Cash and the Polish international confidently fired into the near post.
A goal like clockwork, there’s nothing better.
Result of the Weekend
Given the context of the Virgil van Dijk red card, Liverpool’s result was incredible. A nod too to Manchester United, who won having gone two goals down in the opening five minutes against Nottingham Forest.
But two big underdogs upset sides who entered the weekend with perfect records.
Fulham can confidently claim result of the weekend with all the drama that accompanied their 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
A first-minute lead was followed by an expected Arsenal comeback but nobody could have called what happened next; down to 10-men, Fulham kept pushing forward for an equaliser and they got one through João Palhinha, who directed a corner towards the far post and sparked wild celebrations in and in front of the away end.
Only five teams took something from Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last season and only six teams did it the season before. With the Gunners aiming ever higher, this was a big point for the Cottagers.
Surprise of the Weekend
As we already said, three teams entered the weekend having won both of their opening two games. The side top of the table were Brighton, who had recorded back-to-back 4-1 wins and welcomed West Ham to the south coast.
Apparently buoyed by last weekend’s win over Chelsea, the Hammers recorded another big result and they did so in emphatic fashion.
Brighton may have dominated the possession as expected but they struggled to create clearcut chances and David Moyes’ side made the most of theirs, taking an early lead through James Ward-Prowse before expertly-timed counter-attacks were finished off by Jarrod Bowen and then Michail Antonio to make it 2-0 and then 3-0.
A late Pascal Groß strike was a mere consolation as the Hammers rose to second in the table.
Stat(s) of the Weekend
Pep Guardiola wasn’t present at Sheffield United on Sunday following back surgery but did still make it 200 wins in just 269 Premier League games, obliterating the record for the fastest manager to reach that mark.
Arsenal became the first team in Premier League history to concede a first minute goal three times in a single calendar year as Fulham did what Bournemouth and Southampton have done before them. Perhaps even more incredibly, all three have happened in north London.
Liverpool’s win at Newcastle made it 11 Premier League wins in a row for Jürgen Klopp when facing Eddie Howe, the longest such run any manager has ever had against another in the Premier League.
Quote of the Weekend
“In my 1,000 games as a coach I’ve never had a game like this. With 10 men in an atmosphere like this against an opponent like this, I am pretty sure it never happened. These moments are rare and super special.
“That this (could be) really something we can tell our grandkids. I will see mine in 10 days and I will tell them. Two things were clear then: we cannot concede a second, Trent cannot get another yellow card – and if that happens we have a chance.”
Jürgen Klopp ranked Liverpool’s win alongside the best of his entire career as he revealed his half-time team talk.
