The ninth game week in the Premier League is done and dusted and it was Chelsea who made the headlines with a thumping 4-0 win over Manchester United. Jose Mourinho’s homecoming for the first time since being sacked by Chelsea for the second time did not particularly turn out to be an occasion he would like to remember. It was a perfect weekend for the Liverpool fans with Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester City all drawing their games.
Here are the best three midfielders of the game week.
Mark Noble
After a disastrous start to the season, things are finally looking a bit improved for West Ham United after their two back to back 1-0 wins. After their 1-0 win against Crystal Palace last week, the Hammers got a similar outcome against Sunderland on Saturday. Just when you need to captain to lead the side from the front, West Ham skipper Mark Noble stepped up big time.
The 29-year-old Englishman was a joy to watch thanks to his excellent passing. He registered a passing accuracy of 97.9% against Sunderland and had 116 touches of the ball, the most by a player in the game. Noble played as many as 96 passes during the course of the game, playing two key passes and six long balls. He, deservedly, makes our list.
N’Golo Kanté
Chelsea thrashed Manchester United 4-0 on Sunday and the collector’s item for the Blues was a goal from their midfield dynamo N’Golo Kanté. The Frenchman is a quality player without any shadow of doubt but he is not a player who is used to scoring goals.
Kanté absolutely dominated the midfield area against the Red Devils and capped his excelling display with a nice goal galloping past the United defence. 82 touches of the ball, 87.7% passing accuracy, one goal, 2 key passes, 3 tackles, 5 clearances- the Frenchman came up with a complete display against Manchester United.
Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool’s ‘Little Magician’ Philippe Coutinho was brilliant this week against West Brom. The Brazilian was a joy to watch thanks to his excellent dribbling skills, creativity, flair and his little shimmies. On top of that, what makes him a favourite of Klopp is his tendency to work hard for the team and creating moves from deep.
Coutinho had 6 shots against West Brom keeping two on target, with one hitting the back of the net. The 24-year-old had 86.7% passing success with 3 key passes to his name. The Brazilian was a key player in the 2-1 win for the Reds.
