Five Premier League players who impressed during the midweek games | OneFootball

The Premier League brought a midweek schedule this week and delivered some brilliant games, including a five-star performance from Arsenal against Chelsea and an Everton upset in the Merseyside Derby.

Following the midweek action, we’ve picked out five players who impressed.

Martin Odegaard – Arsenal

Arsenal turned up the heat on Manchester City with a stunning performance to thrash Chelsea this week, as the Gunners thrashed their London rivals 5-0 at the Emirates.

Kai Havertz haunted his former side with a brace and Ben White was also on target twice, though it was Martin Odegaard who ran the show in north London.

When in this mood, few players in the Premier League come close to the Arsenal captain, whose passing at times was exquisite. Odegaard’s assist for Havertz was one of the passes of the entire season, while he added another assist for White.

Odegaard ended the game with eight ground duels won, eight key passes and two big chances created, while his work rate out of possession sets an example for others to follow. No player in Europe’s top five leagues has created more open-play chances than the Norwegian this season, who is entering the genuinely elite bracket.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – Everton

Dominic Calvert-Lewin appears to be approaching the light at the end of the tunnel after a torrid time in recent campaigns. Cruel luck with injuries has seen Calvert-Lewin slip from England regular to a forgotten figure but three goals in four Premier League games have offered glimpses of his best.

The 27-year-old produced his best performance of the campaign as Everton took a giant step towards Premier League safety with a 2-0 win over Liverpool. Calvert-Lewin was outstanding in the club’s first Merseyside Derby win at Goodison Park in 14 years, winning a mammoth 12 aerial duels.

He bullied Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate on occasion, pinning the duo, with one moment where he shrugged off the formidable frame of Konate a reminder of his quality. He sealed the win with a towering header, leaping high to meet Dwight McNeil’s corner and power an effort past Alisson. A proper number nine performance.

Jean-Philippe Mateta – Crystal Palace

The purple patch continues. Fresh from a match-winning performance against West Ham at the weekend, Jean-Philippe Mateta was at it again with a brace for Crystal Palace against Newcastle on Wednesday night.

The Frenchman has never been a prolific presence for Palace but he has found his goalscoring groove under Oliver Glasner. Mateta has now scored eight goals in nine games since the new manager’s arrival, more than he managed across his first two seasons with the Eagles combined.

Only Cole Palmer (10) has scored more goals in the Premier League than Mateta since Glasner arrived at Selhurst Park.

Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United

Bruno Fernandes has often been the shining light of a mediocre Manchester United team since he arrived at Old Trafford.

When the chips were down against Sheffield United in midweek, he delivered for the Red Devils. The Portugal international scored twice and created another as Erik ten Hag’s team twice came from behind to win 4-2, with Fernandes’ second a super strike from distance to put the hosts ahead for the first time.

The 29-year-old has now created 99 chances in the Premier League this season, including eight against the Blades, more than any other player in the top flight.

Frustrating, occasionally. Brilliant, often. The numbers he produces in a dysfunctional team are evidence of that. Now, Manchester United and their new ownership need to fit together the puzzle pieces.

James Tarkowski – Everton

Jarrad Branthwaite has hogged the headlines among Everton defenders this season with the Premier League’s top clubs queuing up to sign the 21-year-old this summer.

Branthwaite could hardly have had a better mentor during his first full season at Premier League level than James Tarkowski, a rock-like figure alongside him.

The 31-year-old leads the division for blocks, ranks second for interceptions, and third for clearances and aerial duels won. Of course, defensive metrics should be taken with a pinch of salt given the greater volume of defending for teams lower down the division, but Tarkowski’s knack for being in the right place at the right time is tough to teach.

He led a battling performance as the Blues beat the Reds in the Merseyside Derby this week, racking up nine clearances and seven successful duels. Liverpool could not cope with his presence in both boxes, while his three interceptions inside his penalty box were a leading total in a Premier League game this season. One of his best performances in an Everton shirt.

Read – The Premier League players with the most aerial duels won this season

See more – The Premier League players with the most chances created this season

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