The last weekend of Premier League football was particularly ill-tempered as five red cards were shown across the ten fixtures.
Despite the heavy hand of the division’s referees, few decisions caused much outrage among neutrals – outside the predictably conspiratorial corners of the internet. Even the involvement of VAR was widely accepted to have been well judged.
Here are the Premier League players who shone brightest in this alternative realm of competent officiating.
“If you work this hard,” Bart Verbruggen spluttered post-game, “then you deserve a result.”
The Brighton shot-stopper rebuffed six efforts at Newcastle’s St James’ Park, frustrating Alexander Isak in particular with a pair of miraculous saves. At the other end, Danny Welbeck converted Brighton’s first shot of the match before his goalkeeper almost singlehandedly earned three points for the visitors.
Josko Gvardiol arrived at Manchester City with a record of three goals in 59 Bundesliga appearances, but has already found the net six times since arriving in the Premier League in the summer of 2023.
The all-action Croatian spanked City level against Wolves on Sunday, curling the ball beyond an in-form Jose Sa with his theoretically weaker right foot from the edge of the area.
That ability to convert from range has proven increasingly useful for Pep Guardiola’s side against deep-lying defences; City are responsible for a quarter of all the Premier League goal’s from outside the box this season.
3 – Since the start of 2019-20, only three players aged 21 or under have both created 5+ chances and completed 5+ dribbles in a Premier League game:
Michael Olise (two occasions)
Jérémy Doku v Bournemouth (Nov 2023)
Elliot Anderson v Palace (Oct 2024)Dynamic. pic.twitter.com/gThHTBAHOH
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 22, 2024
It’s telling that Eddie Howe was so reluctant to let Elliot Anderson leave in the summer. The Newcastle boss described the jinking midfielder as “a player that we loved” – that affection has been quickly picked up by Nottingham Forest fans.
Afforded more licence to roam in the final third by the absence of the suspended Morgan Gibbs-White, Anderson tip-toed between the snapping heels of Crystal Palace’s yellow shirts as the hosts climbed up to eighth place with a 1-0 win on Monday night.
With the injustice of Brentford’s opener on the cusp of half-time still burning, Alejandro Garnacho swept Manchester United level with a brilliantly controlled volley.
Garnacho is the only player in United’s squad with more than a single league goal this season and once more looked like the team’s greatest threat in a deserved 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
When Ange Postecoglou looked over his starting XI at half-time in search of a player to replace as he sought “more running power in midfield”, there was no danger of Dejan Kulusevski making way.
The Swede had already fired Spurs level against West Ham United on Saturday before the interval, but boasts a tank that never empties. Kulusevski’s unique blend of industry and dexterity was on full display in a second-half obliteration of their London rivals.
Even considering Curtis Jones’ contribution in Chelsea’s box, where he was awarded two penalties by the on-field official (the second of which was later overturned by VAR) and scored Liverpool‘s winner, the home-grown academy star arguably did his best work off the ball.
Jones was handed the unenviable task of keeping Cole Palmer quiet – a feat few have achieved against a player who averages a goal or assist every 75 minutes for Chelsea. But the hard-working midfielder ensured that his counterpart endured a rare outing devoid of any meaningful impact. Jones, by contrast, left his mark.
