There was midweek mayhem aplenty as Gameweek 14 of the 2024/25 Premier League season entertained fans around the world.
More drama arrived in the title race as Liverpool dropped points before Arsenal and Chelsea secured rousing wins, while the bottom three of Southampton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town all suffered dejecting losses to make their fight against relegation that bit tougher.
There were plenty of star turns throughout the English top flight, but which players impressed the most in Gameweek 14?
There was a time when Manchester City would be guaranteed players in this type of post-gameweek list. Their troubles of late mean that hasn’t been the case in recent weeks, but they managed to put that behind them for the time being as they earned a straightforward 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Jeremy Doku is one player who has struggled for consistency but he made a telling impact on Wednesday night, doubling his tallies for both Premier League goals and assists this season with one of each at the Etihad Stadium.
The Belgian found Kevin De Bruyne in the box as City doubled their lead and rounded off an enjoyable night’s work by cutting inside and curling in a delightful effort.
Alexander Isak is quickly developing a reputation as Newcastle United‘s player for the big occasion and he stepped up again as the Magpies dealt a blow to Liverpool’s title hopes.
The home side had started brightly but Isak’s strike seemed to come out of nowhere, lashing in the opener from outside the box. The Swede then turned provider to set up Anthony Gordon as Newcastle went ahead again.
The points ended up being shared at St James’ Park but Isak’s performance lit up Tyneside.
The absence of Rodri has obviously been heavily felt by City during their recent gloomy run, but Kevin De Bruyne’s inactivity also played a large part in the slump.
There was even talk of a rift between the 33-year-old and Pep Guardiola before Forest’s visit, but there was little animosity to be seen between player and manager after his virtuoso display.
After five substitute appearances following his return from injury, De Bruyne started, scored and assisted while splitting the visiting defence open time and time again with his precise passing.
It was an all-you-can-score buffet for Chelsea forwards at St Mary’s, though there will have been pressure on Christopher Nkunku’s shoulders before kick-off. He’s had few opportunities in the Premier League and was tasked by Enzo Maresca with replacing the in-form Nicolas Jackson.
Any anxiety the Frenchman might have had was alleviated by the self-destructive Southampton, who had generously handed the Blues a 3-1 lead and a player advantage by half-time.
Nkunku capitalised by striking in the 17th minute and later teed up Cole Palmer to increase his claims for a regular starting place in the league.
His off-field contract situation is more than threatening to become a side-show in Liverpool’s season, but it’s not affecting Mohamed Salah’s ability to perform just yet.
The Egyptian once again showed his major importance to the Reds by assisting Curtis Jones’ equaliser before putting his side into the lead with a brace, making him the Premier League’s top goalscorer this term with 13 strikes.
Manager Arne Slot clearly adores Salah and who of Liverpudlian persuasion wouldn’t right now? They’ll be wanting that contract to be signed as soon as possible.
Arsenal are pretty damn good at set-pieces these days, just in case you hadn’t seen.
Key to their dead-ball expertise has been defender Gabriel Magalhaes, but his absence meant the Gunners needed different specialists to supply the goods as Manchester United visited north London.
William Saliba not only made it 2-0 by bundling in from close range but ensured United had next to no joy in attack with his astute positioning and only misplaced four of his 71 passes.
