It’s been another exciting week of Premier League action, which has bought about this year’s first managerial sacking. Frank de Boer lasted just 77 days as Crystal Palace manager before being relieved of his duties on Monday morning. These were the players who made the standout contributions over matchday five.
Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea)
Courtois proved the value of having an alert goalkeeper in Chelsea’s victory over Leicester City on Saturday. He had very little to do in the first half but made a superb save to deny Jamie Vardy when called upon. He will have to be on top form this season if Chelsea are to enjoy any success in the Premier League or Champions League.
Jamaal Lascelles (Newcastle United)
Lascelles started the season on the Newcastle bench, but after this performance, it looks unlikely that Rafa Benitez will be able to leave the Englishman out of his side in the near future. Not only did Lascelles head home a second half winner, but he was also brilliant defensively and led the side superbly from the back.
James Tarkowski (Burnley)
Burnley’s victory over Crystal Palace won’t go down as a classic, but this was a big three points for the Clarets. Tarkowski was a bit part player for much of last season, but following the sale of Michael Keane to Everton, has stepped up, and was brilliant in dealing with the threat of Christian Benteke on Sunday afternoon.
Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City)
The game against Liverpool was the first time we have really seen the best of the world’s most expensive defender since he moved to Man City from Monaco. Mendy was a constant threat down City’s left, and took advantage of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s lack of experience and put numerous dangerous deliveries into the box.
Christian Eriksen (Tottenham)
Eriksen often goes under the radar at Tottenham due to the focus on Englishmen Harry Kane and Dele Alli. However it could be argued that Eriksen is Tottenham’s most important player, and he put in another masterclass against Everton, where better finishing from his side could have seen them win by even more than the three they did.
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
De Bruyne has found himself playing in a much deeper role under Pep Guardiola this season, and he was superb in pulling the strings against Liverpool. The Belgian seems to be playing in a similar role to that of Andres Iniesta during Guardiola’s time at Barcelona, and from what we’ve seen in the opening weeks of the season, he’s well suited to it.
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
You very rarely see Kante have a bad game for Chelsea, and he showed his former club Leicester just what they were missing when he returned to the King Power Stadium on Saturday. The Frenchman scored brilliantly from range and was all over the pitch once again, and looks to be forming an excellent partnership with Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Pascal Gross (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Gross will go down in Brighton history as the man who scored their first ever Premier League goal, but it was an all round impressive performance from the German. He helped himself to a brace, and will have to continue this form throughout the season if Brighton are to have any chance of staying up.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Stoke City)
Much of the talk following Stoke’s draw with Manchester United revolved around the two managers, rather than the action that took place on the pitch. Choupo-Moting was the standout player on it, and scored two excellent goals, his first in English football, to earn Stoke a well deserved point.
Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)
Welbeck’s place in the Arsenal lineup is under real threat with the signing of Alexandre Lacazette this summer, but he certainly staked a claim for a place with his performance against Bournemouth. Welbeck still doesn’t come across as a natural finisher, but he is definitely good enough to do a job for the Gunners this season.
Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
It is becoming abundantly clear that Gabriel Jesus is one of the most talented young players on the planet at the moment. The young Brazilian’s partnership with Sergio Aguero seems to be thriving, and he helped himself to another couple of goals against Liverpool.
Main Image Credit:
Embed from Getty Images
