Our weekly Premier League awards honour the best – and worst – of the football action from the weekend.
Moment of the Week
It’s all going wrong for Everton.
After being thrashed in their opening two fixtures, the tide appeared to have turned for the Toffees as an impressive performance saw Everton lead Bournemouth 2-0 at Goodison Park. It could, and should, have been more for Sean Dyche’s side who were thoroughly on top for 87 minutes.
The problem, of course, is Premier League games do not last 87 minutes.
Antoine Semenyo’s response brought nerves around the ground, before Lewis Cook stunned the Toffees with a 92nd-minute leveller. The midfielder ghosted into the box unmarked to head home – but Bournemouth were not done yet.
THE greatest comeback in @premierleague history 🍿 pic.twitter.com/emI7nZ0y1x
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) August 31, 2024
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Justin Kluivert’s perfect cross picked out Luis Sinisterra to snatch all three points for the visitors. For Everton, it was the latest a Premier League team has ever been two or more goals ahead in a game they have gone on to lose.
Read – Eight takeaways from GW3 of Fantasy Premier League
Player of the Week
We’re running out of superlatives for this man.
Another game, another hat-trick for Erling Haaland who made it back-to-back Premier League trebles and seven for the season already. The Norwegian was in a ruthless mood as the champions won 3-1 at West Ham, taking all three goals in customarily clinical fashion.
Pep Guardiola said he had ‘no words’ to describe the 24-year-old and we have to agree. His record is now better than a goal-per-game in the Premier League, while just three players have ever scored more Premier League hat-tricks than Haaland. Frighteningly, he might just be getting started.
Built different, @ErlingHaaland! 😤 pic.twitter.com/POgNAmt9sf
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 31, 2024
Read – The Premier League players with the most hat-tricks
Goal of the Week
Nuno Espirito Santo will feel his Nottingham Forest team did enough to beat his old side this weekend, but a rocket from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde earned Wolves a point at the City Ground.
Sometimes you’ve just got to hold your hands up and admire the quality of a goal. Bellegarde’s blast from distance is one such example.
A 🚀 from JRB pic.twitter.com/R3VaSNhTEP
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 31, 2024
Read – Five things we learned from the Premier League weekend
Stat of the Week
It’s easy to forget that there was once a time that Mohamed Salah was criticised for not being able to score in games against Manchester United.
The Egyptian enjoyed another day out at Old Trafford this weekend as Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 win against their fierce rivals. He created two and scored another, taking his total to 10 goals in nine appearances at Old Trafford in all competitions.
Incredibly, he’s the fifth-highest scoring player at the ground since January 2021, with only four Manchester United players outscoring the 32-year-old.
10 – Mo Salah has scored 10 goals in nine appearances at Old Trafford for Liverpool in all competitions. He is only the second player to score 10+ goals at a single away ground for Premier League clubs since 1992-93, after Alan Shearer (10 at Elland Road). Thanos. pic.twitter.com/y7ZAMVTANr
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 1, 2024
Tweet of the Week
No one does elaborate dramatisation quite like Peter Dury.
Peter Drury commentating on a tap-in in a mid-table game: https://t.co/69wK1uMKjc
— Billy 🪩 (@_billyreid) August 27, 2024
Read – The best transfer reveals of the 2024 summer window
Donkey of the Week
We never enjoy talking about referee decisions, but Chris Kavanagh’s decision to send Declan Rice off this weekend is one we struggle to gloss over. A bizarre incident saw Rice handed a second yellow card for ‘delaying the restart’ on a Brighton free-kick.
Admittedly, Rice nudged the loose ball out of Veltman’s path, but there’s a number of factors Kavanagh failed to consider.
- The free-kick is not from the right position as Veltman rolls the ball against Rice as he walks away
- The ball is moving when Veltman attempts to take the kick
- Veltman needlessly swipes Rice’s legs when the ball is moved
- Joao Pedro went unpunished for punting the ball downfield after a decision
“Where’s the consistency?” 😬
Martin Keown and Peter Crouch don’t agree with the referees decision to show Declan Rice a second yellow card ❌ pic.twitter.com/1Yoo0WCiwD
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 31, 2024
Sure, Rice placed himself in a position for the referee to make a decision but this appeared a rash red card from the official. It cost Arsenal dearly as the 10-man Gunners conceded an equaliser, while Rice will also miss the North London Derby after the international break.
It’s tiresome, but the consistency and standards of Premier League officials is again in question.
Read – Premier League Team of the Week – Matchday 3
See more – Tweets of the Week: The Wot d’Or, Oasis return, Champions League confusion
