The Premier League is already four weeks old and the points table is taking shape quite interestingly. Tottenham Hotspur were the only top six club to drop points this weekend, as Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, along with Watford, have managed to register victories in their games.
There were a number of impressive performances from most games this weekend but there were a few outstanding performances in different areas of the pitch, that need special mention. In this piece, we take a look at three such midfielders, who put in a match-winning shift for their sides:
Philip Billing (Huddersfield Town):
The Terriers did pretty well to hold on to a point from their trip to Goodison Park this weekend. Billing opened the scoring on the night, giving the visitors an early lead in the game. He was a constant presence in the final third, testing the Everton midfield and backline. He scored with his only shot on target but what made him effective, is his defensive discipline. The 22-year old also won three aerial duels and made five tackles, three interceptions, two clearances and three fouls, all on his way to frustrating the home side and stealing all three points for his side.
Joao Moutinho (Wolverhampton Wanderers):
After stealing a point from Manchester City, Wolves won all three points, when they held onto a one-goal lead at London Stadium this weekend. It looked like the duo would share points but a late goal from Adama Traore, set up by Leo Bonatini, sunk West Ham United to their fourth defeat of the season. but it was the industry of Moutinho in the middle of the park, that allowed Wolves to stay in the game. The Portuguese ace registered a passing accuracy of 94% and won two aerial duels, also registering three key passes. He made two tackles, two interceptions and three clearances and was a real headache for Pellegrini’s men, who never managed to beat his cover to the backline.
Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg (Southampton):
After the victory over Brighton last weekend, the Saints have now picked up six points from their last two away games, after they beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this weekend. Danny Ings gave the visitors an early lead as they managed to stifle the Eagles for most of the game before Hojbjerg came up with a stoppage-time goal, that truly put the game away from Palace’s reach. But it is not just the goal that gets the Dane into this group. The 23-year old registered two key passes, with a passing accuracy of 87%. He also won four aerial duels, two tackles, two interceptions and two clearances, all pretty crucial in Southampton registering their second win of the current league campaign.
Stat Credit: Whoscored.com
