🏆 PL Awards: Player, Team, Goal and Surprise of the Weekend | OneFootball

The Premier League produced the usual thrills and spills over the weekend.

And it is time to hand out our awards from the action.

Player of the Weekend

It isn’t often a player claims a hat-trick of assists in one game.

It is an ever rarer feat that the man who does so is a defender but, in his 157th Premier League appearance, Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier achieved just that.

Three deadly deliveries (two from set-pieces) resulted in goals as he became just the second player to provide three assists with each goal being a header – after Jason Puncheon first did it for Crystal Palace against West Ham in 2015.

Trippier was also the first Newcastle player to claim a trio of assists since Allan Saint-Maximin three years ago.

Team of the Weekend

Alisson; Trippier, Tarkowski, Evans, Digne; Guimarães, Bissouma, Foden; Saka, Son, Mitoma.

Goal of the Weekend

Bruno Fernandes’ sublime first-time volley from a perfect Jonny Evans’ chipped pass was a beauty.

It was also vital in lifting the pressure on Manchester United after a poor recent run.

Result of the Weekend

Sheffield United 0-8 Newcastle.

They don’t come much more eye-catching than that.

The Magpies recorded the biggest away win in their history in the top flight, while also condemning the home side to their heaviest ever loss in their 4,988th league game.

It is also the first time ever in the Premier League that a team has had eight different players get themselves on the score sheet in a single game.

“Honestly, I can’t even remember who scored all of the goals!” manager Eddie Howe laughed afterwards.

Surprise of the Weekend

Without a win yet this season and with just one victory from their previous eight, few expected much when Everton travelled to Brentford on Saturday night.

And it looked like being a case of the same old story when the Bees equalised just moments after Everton hit the bar to go 2-0 up.

But they refused to be rattled and a brave second half performance was rewarded with a 3-1 victory that lifts them out of the relegation zone.

Stat of the Weekend

Chelsea have now failed to score in 13 league games in 2023 – more than any other side for the calendar year.

It is also their poorest start to a season after six games since 1978/79. That season, they finished bottom and were relegated.

Quote of the Weekend

For the second week in a row, Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom provided the standout soundbite.

However, his admission that results like the one his side suffered are almost to be expected surprised everyone.

“These results are going to come. We expect them but it is the nature of the performance that we’re upset about,” he told Sky Sports.

“No-one wants to see that. There were things I saw in the second half that I’ve never seen here. There are certain things, like being outfought and outrun, that are unacceptable and I’ve made that clear.”