The first edition of midweek football in this fledgling season did not disappoint. Whilst Matchweek 5 may not have been quite as goal-laden as recent weeks, what it lacked in goals it made up for in drama with Liverpool’s 98th-minute winner against Newcastle on Wednesday night standing out as the blockbuster moment of the season so far.
Among the other highlights were West Ham’s battling London derby with Tottenham, Southampton delivering another early season blow to Chelsea with a superb victory, and Erling Haaland proving again what a ridiculously good goal scorer he is with a second hat-trick in four days.
From the explosively brilliant to the quietly efficient, here are our latest picks for Premier League Stars of the Week.
Stars of the Week: Matchweek 5
Goalkeeper: Neto (Bournemouth)
It’s been a tough start for Bournemouth. Having been on the end of a record-equalling 9-0 humiliation at the weekend that resulted in the first managerial sacking of the season, the Cherries managed to steady the ship a little bit in Wednesday night’s home clash with Wolves, securing a 0-0 draw.
Amongst the changes came the debut of Brazilian goalkeeper Neto, who put in a strong performance on his first Premier League appearance. The former Barcelona man made three saves throughout the game, including a fantastic one-on-one stop from Wolves forward Raul Jimenez that looked certain to end in a goal.
It wasn’t the most Hollywood goalkeeping display of all time, but if it helps to propel Bournemouth towards recovery then it could well prove to be one of the most important.
Defender: John Stones (Manchester City)
You always felt that there would be goals in Manchester City’s home tie with newly promoted Nottingham Forest and those assumptions were emphatically proven right with City emerging as 6-0 winners.
Whilst all the attention from the match has understandably been fixated on goal scorers Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, City defender John Stones also enjoyed a fine night at the back. Having grown steadily in his influence throughout the last two games, Stones turned in a Rolls Royce of performance against Forest, finishing the game with 96% passing accuracy and winning all three of the duels he contested.
The England centre-back even contributed down the other end of the pitch as well, assisting Haaland’s hat-trick goal with a fine headed pass shortly after having a goal of his own ruled out for offside.
Back in the team and back to form.
Midfielder: Tomas Soucek (West Ham United)
West Ham’s stuttering start to the season has been well-documented, but a draw coupled with an encouraging performance against high-flying Tottenham Hotspur was the latest sign that the Hammers are starting to get back on track.
The home side were a goal down and in a difficult position at half time, but put in an inspired second half performance, with midfielder Tomas Soucek at the heart of it. Ten minutes into the second half, the Czech international made one of his trademark bursts from midfield to fire a strike past Hugo Lloris, following good work from Michail Antonio.
Aside from his goal, Soucek also enjoyed a productive evening in the middle of the park, making two blocks, two interceptions and four tackles.
Forward: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Another game played, another goal scoring record smashed by Erling Haaland.
As we learned on Saturday, where there’s goals, there’s Haaland, and the new striker’s start to life in the Premier League went into overdrive against a Forest side who simply couldn’t live with him. The Norwegian superstar poked home a cross on the half volley after just ten minutes to give City the lead, and soon after scored a tap-in with his right foot to double the advantage.
A close-range header on 38 minutes wrapped up a perfect hat-trick as well as three points for City, with Haaland becoming the first player to hit back-to-back Premier League hat-tricks in almost five years.
Who can stop him?
Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl (Southampton)
Southampton’s first four matches this season was just starting to bring some quiet optimism to St Mary’s, and that feeling was increased tenfold following a fantastic victory over Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Having led his side to a huge three points, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl richly deserves the plaudits he’s getting. Chelsea may not have been great so far this season, but the contrast from Southampton between this game and the same fixture last season, which they lost 6-0, is remarkable. A busy transfer window has led to an influx of exciting young players that fits Hasenhuttl’s ideals, and it was these youngsters such as Romeo Lavia and Armel Bella-Kotchap who were among the best players on the pitch against the Blues.
They have their ups and downs, but this lively, new-look team look like they could be going somewhere under Hasenhuttl.
