Our weekly Premier League awards honour the best – and worst – of the football action from the weekend.
Hat-trick heroes, VAR drama and more were the talking points of another brilliant weekend of Premier League football. Manchester City remain the table-toppers after a perfect start to the Premier League campaign, but Arsenal, Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham and Spurs remain in close pursuit after wins this weekend.
Nottingham Forest sprang the surprise of the weekend with a win at Chelsea, while Sheffield United and Everton played out an entertaining contest in an early season six-pointer at Bramall Lane.
Premier League Awards for Gameweek 4:
Moment of the Week
Mikel Arteta broke Arsenal’s transfer record to sign Declan Rice this summer, a deal designed to take the Gunners to the next level. Rice repaid some of that investment with his first major moment in an Arsenal shirt, as the midfielder fired home a dramatic winner against Manchester United.
Arsenal had looked set to drop points for the second time this season, in a potentially devastating blow to their title hopes this season. With 95 minutes and 43 seconds on the clock, Rice fired an effort under Andre Onana, the latest winner ever scored in a Premier League fixture between the old rivals.
There was still time for Gabriel Jesus to score another for Arsenal, in a bonkers ending that sent the Emirates into pandemonium.
“DECLAN RICE, A GUNNER FOR LIFE”
Unbelievable scenes as Declan Rice SURELY gets the winner?! ???? pic.twitter.com/Uu9MfS8qkA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 3, 2023
Player of the Week
Brighton have raked in some massive fees in recent transfer windows, and in Evan Ferguson the Seagulls appear to be sat on another goldmine.
The 18-year-old introduced himself to the division’s defences last season and reached 10 goals in the Premier League with a hat-trick against Newcastle this weekend. Newcastle had no answer to the Irishman’s instinctive finishing, as Ferguson fired home three goals to inflict a third straight defeat on Eddie Howe’s side.
Enjoy Evan’s hat-trick in all its glory! ⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/sqaTqlmlAd
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 2, 2023
Only Michael Owen (28), Wayne Rooney (15) and Francis Jeffers (12) have scored more Premier League goals before their 19th birthday than Ferguson, who still has time to add to his total before blowing out the candles on his cake next month.
Brighton have unearthed some serious talent in recent years, but Ferguson’s ceiling might just the the highest yet.
Goal of the Week
Dominik Szoboszlai arrived at Liverpool with a reputation for scoring bangers.
It’s taken just four games for the Hungarian to open his account, and what a way to do it.
— videosvideos123 (@videosvide57619) September 3, 2023
Miss of the Week
It’s not quite happened for Kai Havertz at Arsenal, with the jury out on the £65m summer signing.
This swing and miss against Manchester United perhaps summed up his time in north London so far.
“He had a swing at it and made a right mess!” ????
Kai Havertz misses a golden chance to give Arsenal the lead against Man Utd! ❌ pic.twitter.com/7nW1hDHsBO
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 3, 2023
Nicolas Jackson and Keane Lewis-Potter deserve dishonourable mentions here.
Save of the Week
Jordan Pickford has produced some clutch moments to preserve Everton’s Premier League status across the last two seasons. It’s too early to make any bold predictions this time around, but should Sean Dyche’s side survive once again, this might just be looked back at as a pivotal moment.
98th-minute. Corner away from home…
JORDAN PICKFORD. ENGLAND’S NUMBER ONE. ???? pic.twitter.com/IEUJssEF3B
— Everton (@Everton) September 2, 2023
Stat of the Week
Match balls all round in the Premier League this weekend.
3 – In Erling Haaland, Son Heung-min, and Evan Ferguson, today is only the second time three different players have scored a Premier League hat-trick on the same day, after September 23rd, 1995 (Robbie Fowler, Alan Shearer, and Tony Yeboah). Magic. pic.twitter.com/jAb0q1Rhhe
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 2, 2023
Tweet of the Week
You have to admit, James Black did a good job with the song.
BIG ANGE Is now on Spotify. Fans singing it live from the spurs stadium on sathttps://t.co/UlKxWlNX17
Here’s @MichaelBridge_ from @SkySports getting it straight away when I first played it. #coys #thfc pic.twitter.com/yV1gxlhOhR
— James Black (@thevoiceofspurs) August 26, 2023
Quote of the Week
Ian Wright talking a whole lot of sense.
There’s not much more tedious than VAR incompetency and we’ve had plenty of it in the Premier League once again this weekend. Yawn.
No time to talk about goals, quality play or key moments because all we discuss in the studio is VAR decisions. Boring. Just incident after incident. Taking the enjoyment out of the game.
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) September 3, 2023
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