Our weekly Premier League awards honour the best – and worst – of the football action from the weekend.
Moment of the Week
Liverpool were cursing their luck when it came to refereeing decisions before the break, but Jurgen Klopp admitted the Reds were fortunate against Everton this time around.
Liverpool had a man advantage after Ashley Young was sent off for two first-half bookings in the Merseyside Derby, though somehow avoided the scores being levelled after Ibrahima Konate’s pull back on Beto.
Should Ibrahima Konate have been given a second yellow card for this…? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/VHP1fLgKWu
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 21, 2023
The Frenchman had been cautioned just minutes earlier, but his foul on the forward went unpunished. Liverpool went on to score a second goal and earn a 2-0 win, while Sean Dyche was left furious.
“How they didn’t have [a red card] is an impossibility of football,” Dyche said to beIN Sport after the game. “It’s a shame that we’re going to end up talking about the officials, it’s [the case] in most interviews I do.
“I don’t think it’s rocket science today. The fact their manager took off their centre-back straight away afterwards was a clear sign of what he thought. Everybody in the stadium and at home thought the same thing. But the people who count didn’t think that.
“It was a bizarre game for officiating the game, it was very bizarre.”
Another weekend of Premier League football and more contentious officiating. This one helped decide a derby that Everton arguably deserved more from.
Player of the Week
Jacob Murphy might not always be a regular at Newcastle, but the winger has increased his hopes of more minutes with an outstanding performance against Crystal Palace. The 28-year-old marked his first start of the campaign with a goal and two assists, as the Magpies continued their impressive form with a 4-0 win at St James’ Park.
Murphy opened the scoring inside four minutes after lifting his finish over Sam Johnstone, before a sublime delivery picked out Anthony Gordon at the back post to double the home side’s lead. He added a second assist after the break for Callum Wilson and has now provided four goal involvements in just 103 minutes of Premier League action this season. He’s knocking on the door for a more regular role.
⚽️🅰️🅰️
A brilliant display from @JacobMurphy95! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/JDzdMc7xDx
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 21, 2023
Goal of the Week
Brentford secured their first home win of the Premier League campaign with an impressive performance to rout Burnley 3-0 in west London. Thomas Frank’s side were in fine form, with stunning strikes from Bryan Mbeumo and Saman Ghoddos piling the pressure on their beaten opponents.
Ghoddos earns our Goal of the Week award for this spectacular effort that left James Trafford with no chance.
🌠 Saman’s super strike pic.twitter.com/68hUjtk1J6
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) October 21, 2023
Stat of the Week
Is there a tougher trip in football than to the Etihad?
Manchester City continue to win and win on home soil in 2023.
21 – @ManCity have won their 21st consecutive match at the Etihad Stadium in all competitions since the start of 2023, setting a new record home winning run by a Premier League club. Imperious. pic.twitter.com/0iMq0vr9Pk
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 21, 2023
Tweet of the Week
Footballers have an immense platform. Using it to spread important messages should be more regular than it is.
A call for peace from Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, amid the Israel-Gaza War.
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) October 18, 2023
Quote of the Week
English football was saddened following the news of Sir Bobby Charlton’s passing this weekend, after the announcement the World Cup winner had died, aged 86.
Gary Lineker, another of England’s all-time greats, took to X to provide a fitting tribute to the former Manchester United midfielder.
“A truly wonderful footballer and genuinely lovely man. A World Cup winner, Man Utd great and, for me, England’s greatest ever player. He may no longer be with us but he’ll have footballing immortality.”
Donkey of the Week
It wasn’t a great weekend for goalkeepers in the Premier League, with bad mistakes aplenty from the men between the sticks. Neto was guilty of costing Bournemouth late on after putting his team under pressure with a pass out from the back, while Chelsea vs Arsenal saw goalkeeping errors at both ends of the pitch.
Chelsea looked set to be cruising to a win over their London rivals at Stamford Bridge, but a bad mistake from Robert Sanchez turned the tide of the game. The Spaniard’s loose pass was seized upon by Declan Rice, who fired a brilliant first-time effort past the goalkeeper and into the unguarded goal.
Rice punishes Sanchez error!! ⭕
GAME ON 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Mg7rNklMJX
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 21, 2023
Hope restored, Arsenal went on to find a late equaliser and extend their unbeaten record.
Read – Premier League Team of the Week – Matchday Nine
Read Also – Tweets of the Week: Bellingham meets Zola, Salah’s message of peace, and the new Camp Nou