Man United’s win over Chelsea saw them take a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Fulham’s Craven Cottage comeback against Man City deprived Roberto Mancini’s side of all three points, with the visitors having to settle for a draw despite Sergio Aguero’s double. Swansea’s 3-0 thrashing of West Brom sees three of their players find a spot in WhoScored’s All Star XI, while Tottenham and Blackburn’s four-goal hauls against Liverpool and Arsenal respectively also finds places for their stand-out attacking performers. Here’s a selection of the top displays from the weekend:
Angel Rangel, Swansea City. WhoScored rating 7.9
The right-back was superb throughout as Swansea picked up their first league win of the season. The 3-0 home win over West Brom means they have yet to concede a goal at the Liberty Stadium and Angel has been integral to their steeliness at the back- he was joint-top for tackles (5) and made more interceptions (5) than any player, as well as making 2 clearances and blocking 1 shot in a superb defensive display.
Swansea’s style of play means they rarely use the centre of the pitch- just 20% of their attacks came through the middle- but it’s Rangel’s flank that tends to see most action- 48% of play came down the right, compared to 32% on the left. As a result, he saw more of the ball than any player, with an incredible 124 touches. Unsurprisingly, Rangel made the most passes (89) with an 85% accuracy, but made just 1 cross, 1 successful dribble and played 6 long balls- an indication of his manager Brendan Rodgers’ liking for possession football.
Titus Bramble, Sunderland. WhoScored rating 8.01
Sunderland answered the doubters in spectacular fashion on Sunday, ending Stoke’s unbeaten run with a brilliant 4-0 home win. The victory was the first of the season for Steve Bruce’s side and it was Bramble who gave them the perfect start, firing the Black Cats ahead with just five minutes on the clock.
The departure of Anton Ferdinand has cemented Bramble’s position alongside Wes Brown at the heart of Sunderland’s back-four, and he looked solid at the back against Stoke, defying Tony Pulis’ side with 1 tackle, 8 clearances –second only to Brown (11)- and 1 blocked shot, in addition to winning 67% of aerial duels.
In terms of possession, Bramble had 46 touches and played 32 passes with a 75% accuracy, including 8 long balls as he looked to start attacks from deep- in comparison, Brown played just 5 long balls but had a safer distribution level, with 83% of passes accurate.
Nani, Manchester United. WhoScored rating 9.41
The winger picked up the man of the match award in the weekend’s biggest fixture, with a starring role in the 3-1 win over Chelsea. While the visitors spurned chance after chance, United were far more clinical in their shooting- Nani had just 1 shot at goal and found the net with a brilliant long distance effort.
Nani tormented Ashley Cole all game- he had the most touches (79) of any home player and had a brilliant 7 successful dribbles, with Cole unable to deal with his red-hot display. Indeed, United only made 10 successful dribbles all game- an indication of his trickery and threat from out wide, with Ashley Young offering none on the opposite flank. No surprise, then, to see he was the most-fouled (3) United player, with Chelsea unable to cope with his ability.
The Portuguese player also made 50 passes and delivered 4 crosses from the flank, with a 72% accuracy, and made just 1 key pass- again, due to United’s clinical shooting, he benefitted here, picking up an assist in a lethal display.
Luka Modric, Tottenham Hotspur. WhoScored rating 9.23
A glorious opener from the Croatian helped Spurs on their way to a comprehensive home win over a poor Liverpool side. Modric’s proposed move to Chelsea seems long forgotten already, as he produced a typically masterful display in the centre of midfield.
Modric controlled the game with 118 touches and 104 passes –the most of any player for both categories. A pass accuracy of 92% highlights his class in possession, as he played 18 long balls and delivered 5 crosses in the 4-0 romp.
Such was Spurs’ superiority his defensive work was minimal, with just 1 tackle, but he also made 2 key passes and 2 successful dribbles in a sensational performance as Harry Redknapp’s side picked up their second win in a row.
Emmanuel Adebayor, Tottenham Hotspur. WhoScored rating 9.32
The former Arsenal man made the perfect home debut, grabbing two goals to endear himself to the Tottenham support. Adebayor also scored in the win at Wolves last week and is clearly in form right now- he had 5 shots, joint-top with Gareth Bale, and had 3 on target.
Dropping deep to collect the ball, he was involved in plenty of his new side’s build-up play; Adebayor had 93 touches, behind only Modric and Scott Parker (108) and made 71 passes with a 90% accuracy. In comparison, strike-partner Jermain Defoe had just 34 touches and made 19 passes, an indication of Adebayor’s quick integration into the Spurs team.
He also made 4 key passes and had 1 successful dribble in the win and rounded off his performance with a man of the match award from WhoScored.
