Twas the weekend before Christmas, when all hell broke loose across the Premier League.
The 17th round of fixtures began with the continuation of Manchester City’s bizarre relegation form and was brought to a breathless conclusion by a wonderfully silly nine-goal thriller between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. There was even a wild edge to this weekend’s 0-0 draws.
Here are the players who made a final push for Father Christmas’ nice list.
Enzo Maresca was one of the few people to come away from Sunday’s windswept stalemate between Everton and Chelsea unreservedly happy. However, Robert Sanchez also deserved a small smile to himself.
For the second week in a row, the Blues relied upon their divisive shot-stopper to keep them in the contest. On either side of half-time, Sanchez denied Everton a number of clear scoring opportunities, preserving just his fourth clean sheet of the season.
After nabbing a hat-trick against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, many wondered whether Gabriel Jesus would be afforded the chance to start in Arsenal’s next outing against the same opposition. For Mikel Arteta, it was never a question. “I had no doubts,” the Gunners boss insisted. “When a player is in that momentum, he has to play.”
Jesus rewarded his manager’s faith with his first Premier League goal in 11 months. The Brazilian added another inside a chaotic opening 15 minutes before Arsenal eventually secured a 5-1 win.
Unai Emery is not one for hyperbole but Aston Villa’s manager was so taken aback by Morgan Rogers’ all-round performance against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon that he used the word “fantastic” three times in less than 60 seconds.
The former City academy graduate was at the heart of both goals in Villa’s 2-1 home victory, creating the first for Jhon Duran before then finishing off a move which he began with a barrelling run from inside his own half.
On a night when almost every Liverpool player impressed, Luis Diaz warrants individual recognition for his role in a 6-3 victory over Spurs that must have felt particularly cathartic.
The Colombia international who had been so controversially denied a goal at Tottenham’s ground last year scored twice on Sunday, bookending the nine-goal bonanza with a pair of clinical – and legal – strikes.
The first Olympians were fitted with laurel wreaths, Roman gladiators could win their freedom and modern-day footballers have increasingly niche statistics foisted upon them.
Mohamed Salah is a sucker for any flattering fact or tidbit, with Jurgen Klopp previously revealing that his forward is the first to know about any data landmark. Two goals and as many assists against Spurs in another minimalistic masterpiece saw Salah reach double digits in both statistical categories quicker in a given season than anyone in Premier League history.
Alexander Isak has scored consistently since finding the net 38 minutes into his Premier League debut against Liverpool back in 2022. However, over the subsequent two-and-a-half years, Newcastle’s potent forward had never left with the match ball.
Isak completed his first hat-trick in English football during a 4-0 romp against Ipswich Town on Saturday. While he was “buzzing” with the performance, the 25-year-old admitted: “It’s been a long time coming.”
