Manchester City edged closer to equalling an unfortunate record from 12 yards as Kasper Schmeichel denied Sergio Aguero to claim family bragging rights.
Plus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang delivered his Sunday best, Dwight McNeil continues to show plenty of promise and why Diogo Jota puts the consistent in inconsistent.
BBC Sport takes a look at the weekend’s key Premier League statistics.
Aubameyang’s Sunday best
In a thrilling finale to the weekend’s Premier League action, Arsenal ran out 3-2 winners against Everton in a match that could prove a significant result in the race for a European place.
Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was key for the Gunners, scoring twice to make it six goals in his last seven league games and take his Premier League tally to 49 goals in 74 appearances since joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.
That gives him the joint-highest return during that period, along with Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, and an overall record of 60 goals in 95 Arsenal games.
The Gabon forward already has 17 league goals this season, just five fewer than the 22 which saw him share the golden boot with Salah and team-mate Sadio Mane last season.
Aubameyang continues to make a mockery of his expected goals (xG) total as highlighted above – scoring six more than his chances would suggest he should – and he will be hoping Arsenal’s Europa League involvement means the Gunners to play their league games on Sundays.
Following his latest haul, Aubameyang has been directly involved in 38 goals in 38 English top-flight appearances on Sundays, scoring 32 times himself.
That’s compared to 17 goals in 36 games that have fallen during the rest of the week.
The vast majority of his total Premier League goals have come from inside the box – with only four of his 49 being fired in from distance.
A clear warning for West Ham then, who must keep him at least 18 yards from goal at to boost their hopes of preventing Aubameyang bringing up his half-century next time out. At least the match is on a Saturday…
Mixed penalty fortunes
Kasper Schmeichel could not prevent Leicester City falling to defeat against their rivals for second place, Manchester City, on Saturday despite his very best efforts.
But, in denying Sergio Aguero from the penalty spot, he did earn family bragging rights by eclipsing his father Peter Schmeichel’s tally for Premier League penalty saves.
Kasper’s save from Aguero was his fourth in the English top-flight – one more than his dad made in his entire Premier League career.
That makes the Foxes keeper tied fourth for Premier League penalty saves since Leicester’s promotion in 2014, with only Simon Mignolet (six), Lukasz Fabianski (six) and Adrian (five) making more in that time.
He remains some way behind the all-time leading number of penalty saves in the competition, which remains safe in the hands of former Manchester City and Portsmouth stopper David James, who made an impressive 13.
The 20 penalties that have evaded Schmeichel in that time mean his save percentage does lag behind others. A special mention for former Hull City goalkeeper Allan McGregor for his perfect record from two penalties faced, and Mignolet for saving almost half the 13 spot-kicks that came his way.
Meanwhile, reigning champions Manchester City are in the midst of a full-blown 12-yard (10.97 metre) crisis.
Pep Guardiola’s side have failed to score their last four top-flight spot-kicks and are now closing in on Arsenal’s record run of penalty misfortune.
The Gunners missed the first five penalties they ever took in the Premier League, leaving City desperately searching for a hero after Aguero joined Ilkay Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling in contributing to City’s profligacy.
It begs the question, when will goalkeeper Ederson get his shot? “Believe me, he’s the best taker we have in penalties,” Guardiola said on Ederson’s chances in January.
I think that’s something we’d all like to see. Alternatively, Guardiola’s side may want to start taking notes from Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.
With a hop, skip and an ice-cool finish, January signing Fernandes made it 13 successful penalties in a row, extending a run that stretches back to his Udinese days in April 2016.
Fernandes left Sporting Lisbon with a perfect 12/12 record and, with his opener on Sunday, he became the first United player to open their Premier League account from the penalty spot.
McNeil’s promise as Burnley chase Europe
There has been much to admire for several seasons about manager Sean Dyche’s efforts with Burnley. Youngster Dwight McNeil is the latest of them.
The 20-year-old has been in fine form this campaign for a Clarets side that, with a thumping win over Bournemouth, has recorded the club’s highest-ever points tally after 27 Premier League fixtures.
Burnley are now unbeaten in their last five games and sit just four points adrift of fifth place – which currently offers a Champions League spot following Manchester City’s European ban.
And, among the Clarets’ three-goal show on Saturday, McNeil managed to both score and assist in a Premier League game for the first time in his fledgling career.
But it is perhaps the latest assist that best highlights his ability – as well as future promise.
At 20 years and 92 days, McNeil became the youngest player to reach 10 Premier League assists since Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling did so aged 19 years and 335 days for Liverpool in November 2014.
McNeil comes in as the 11th youngest player to achieve the feat, fewer than three months behind Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs (20 years and eight days), who holds the record for most Premier League assists – and slightly under two years older than record-holder Michael Owen.
Keen to catch up, at 18 years and 171 days, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka later became the youngest player to record consecutive Premier League assists since Everton’s Francis Jeffers in April 1999.
A wonderful week for Jota
You know the saying about London buses?
Wolves forward Diogo Jota was so close to following his Europa league hat-trick against Espanyol on Thursday with another against Norwich.
He got a further two goals against the Canaries and was inches away from a third as his shot rebounded off the post to allow Raul Jimenez to seal the points for Wolves.
Linked with a £50m bid from Manchester United on Sunday, 23-year-old Jota has eight goals in his last seven home games in all competitions.
He has scored 10 goals in his last 12 appearances for Wolves – yet, while those figures reek of consistency, the opposite is more accurate.
Jota has actually scored in just four of those 12 games, bagging two doubles and two hat-tricks in a true all-or-nothing style.
Indeed, he had gone eight games without a goal prior to Thursday’s treble – since scoring five times in two games against Brighton and Besiktas in December.
Sunday’s double means he has scored in just three league games so far this season, with a total of five goals arriving in those matches.
Buses, meet Jota.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
Source link
