By my calculations, that should be the last international break for a while, which means we are back to regular programming when it comes to European football and most importantly the Premier League.
With the Prem back, that means here at betcha we are ready to break down all the ins and outs from Matchweek 12 and hand out our awards for the players and teams, as we have done for most of the season.
As always settle in because for some of you, this could be enjoyable, and for other certain top-six club fans it might bring up some bad memories.
Wonderkid Of The Matchweek | Andrey Santos | Chelsea
As we have kind of alluded to in previous articles, this award and Chelsea are synonymous with one another because the Blues are one of the youngest teams in the EPL. Once again this weekend, we have another Chelsea “wonderkid” who has managed to come away with that title after his performance.
That name is one we have also seen in this series during the season: Andrey Santos, a 21 year-old Brazilian national team capped midfielder. This weekend, Santos was deployed to fill the impossible void left by Moises Caicedo against Burnley away from home.
With that difficult job put in front of him, Santos did his best impression of the Ecuadorian, putting on a masterclass in the defensive side of the ball. He made three tackles, four clearances, and five interceptions, while also making a last-ditch stop early on to prevent a Burnley transition.
What also comes with the Caicedo role is acting as a conductor from the base of the midfield, and Santos managed to fill in expertly, getting his team’s attack underway effectively more often than not.
Most Off Target | Manchester United
In what turned out to be a topsy-turvy curtain closer to the match week, Manchester United and their fanbase will be in despair after their performance against a resolute Everton side.
The game started with a bizarre red card for Everton after one of their own players slapped a teammate, which gave the referee no option other than to send him off. From there it seemed that, in front of a home crowd and with the talent advantage, United should have been able to cruise home in this one.
Over the next 20 minutes or so Everton showed they would not back down without a fight, which resulted in one of their marquee summer signings, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, finding the back of the net in emphatic fashion to give the Toffees the lead before halftime.
Coming out of the break many expected United to provide a response. Instead they fell flat and their attack looked rather toothless. No matter what changes Rueben Amorim made, there was no response from his side, which resulted in them dropping three points to a team they should no doubt handle at home with a man advantage.
XI Out Of 10 Performance | Newcastle United
I tell you what, it has been a tough past four months for Newcastle United, who, after looking like perennial European contenders, had to sell their best player while also slipping near the bottom of the Premier League to start the season.
They needed a few results to go their way, and not too many of their fans would have been excited to see Manchester City coming to town while their side was reeling. However, securing a win against one of the best teams in the league would certainly be a major jolt in the arm for Eddie Howe and his men.
To many’s surprise, they managed to do just that on Sunday morning, even with City dominating proceedings with 67% possession and 17 shots. But as we know in the Premier League, it is all about moments, and it was Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes who, when two moments came his way, rose to the occasion. In the 64th minute, Barnes blasted his team into the lead, only for it to be held briefly before Ruben Dias found City’s equaliser, sending a hush over St James’ Park.
However, Barnes came to the forefront once again, finding the back of the net for the second time, basically off City’s kick-off, which proved to be the decisive strike for his side and may well catapult them into action for the rest of the season.
Screamer Of The Slate | Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
We have spoken about this game and this goal very briefly, but what Keirnan Dewsbury-Hall managed to do for the Toffees was quite outstanding. In a game that looked written off after the early red card, Everton away from home, needed a miracle to come away with any points, let alone three.
The English midfielder, coming off a Club World Cup campaign, became the man to get the job done. In the 40th minute, he found a pocket in the left-hand half-space on the turn. After receiving the ball, he drove from about 35 metres out at the United defence. After shrugging off Bruno and evading Lene Yoro, the ball sat up perfectly for him on his right foot outside the box.
With no hesitation, Dewsbury-Hall wrapped his foot around it and buried the ball into the top-right corner, in what could only be described as a postage-stamp finish.
Matchweek MVP | Eberechi Eze
A London derby with a bit more spice for one of the players, who was linked to both clubs in the summer and ultimately chose to sign with Arsenal. That man is Eberechi Eze, who really endeared himself to the Arsenal fan base this weekend in their clash with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
With both sides vying for his signature in the summer, Eze showed exactly why both were clamouring to be the club he chose for the next step in his career. After his teammate Leandro Trossard put the Gunners in the lead, their new No. 10 took the game by the scruff of the neck, putting the side that had wanted his services firmly in the ground.
On three different occasions, Eze found himself around the penalty spot with the ball rolling his way, and each time he made the most of his chances. His first two goals were laced finishes into the bottom-left corner in the first half, extending his side’s lead to 3-0. In the second half, after Spurs pulled one back, he found himself in a similar position and managed to find the bottom-right corner, putting the game to rest.
After his hat-trick heroics, Eze was asked to imagine if things had ended differently this summer, and his response was a cold, “Let’s not talk about that.”