There was plenty of football to feast on over the festive period as the Premier League returned. It didn’t feel as though there had been a break, with teams and players picking up where they left off. Here we take a look at some of the biggest talking points.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
Haaland continues to shatter records
With his double against Leeds United, Erling Haaland became the fastest player to reach 20 Premier League goals. The Manchester City hitman needed just 14 matches to achieve this landmark, smashing the previous record of 21 – set by Kevin Phillips.
The 22-year-old is well on course to beat his previous season’s best of 27 goals and the Premier League record of 31 goals in a single campaign looks likely to fall.
It is the eighth time the Norway international has scored at least two goals in a single game this term and, in truth, he should’ve had a hat-trick against Leeds having attempted eight shots on the night, seven of which arrived inside the penalty area.
Tip-top Trippier
Kieran Trippier was a standout performer for Newcastle United in their 3-0 win over Leicester City. The England international created four chances for teammates and even finished with an assist – his fourth of the campaign. He looks odds on to beat his career-best haul of five.
The 32-year-old racked up a stunning 8.8 rating on the FotMob app and is currently ranked third across the Premier League with an average rating of 7.95 this season. He’s ahead of Kevin De Bruyne in the list and only Erling Haaland (8.19) and Rodri (7.98) can boast a higher rating than the former Atlético Madrid full-back.
Boxing Day blues for Southampton
Southampton fell to a 3-1 defeat to South Coast rivals Brighton on Boxing Day and are now bottom of the Premier League table following Wolves’ win over Everton.
However, Nathan Jones will be encouraged by their showing. While the hosts may not have had much of the ball (34%), they were the more dangerous of the two teams. They had double the number of efforts that Brighton had and a significantly higher Expected Goals haul – 1.91 to 0.64.
The more often they can post those sorts of numbers, the more points on the board they will rack up.
Table toppers
The pressure was on Arsenal heading into their match versus West Ham United. They topped the table at Christmas but lost Gabriel Jesus to injury. A key cog in the Mikel Arteta system, all of the talk prior to kick-off was centred around how this could be the beginning of the end for their title bid.
They did fall behind to a first-half penalty but their response was as emphatic as it could be. Buyako Saka, once again, found the back of the net before Gabriel Martinelli added a second. Eddie Nketiah added a deserved third as the Gunners extended their lead at the top prior to Manchester City’s game against Leeds.
Martin Ødegaard was the star of the show though. The Arsenal captain created five chances and finished with two assists. It was a performance that got him into the FotMob Team of the Week with a 9.2 rating, a score no other player could better.
Life without Ronaldo
Manchester United romped to a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in their first Premier League outing following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial both scored in what was a comprehensive victory for the Red Devils. Erik Ten Hag’s men created three big chances and finished with an Expected Goals total of 2.5 while limiting Forest to chances worth just 0.71.
The win means United are now just a single point behind Spurs in the race for a top-four finish.
(Images from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Premier League season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.