Each week we use the Opta Player Ratings to review the top-performing players from each Premier League matchday.
The Opta Player Ratings are something we introduced this summer. For a quick primer on how they’re calculated, you can check our explainer here.
In short, the Opta Player Ratings take into account over 100 different metrics to provide an accurate measure of performance for every player over a single match, specific period or whole season. Those metrics power six subcomponents for each player – categories like shooting, passing and defending. Then, those subcomponents are combined to calculate a total score (from 20-100) according to a player’s position in the match.
These scores also power our brand-new gaming experiences, which are free-to-play and can be checked out below.
Here are the top performers from Matchday 9 in the Premier League.
1. Bryan Mbeumo – 98.5 (BRENTFORD vs. Burnley)
It’s safe to say Brentford really needed their 3-0 home win against Burnley at the weekend.
This victory ended a run of six Premier League games without a win (D3 L3), while the Bees got their first home victory in the competition this season (D3 L1 before this game).
Brentford were well worth the three points, generating a total of 3.24 expected goals from their 23 shots. Those 23 attempts were the most they’ve had in a game this season and the second-highest tally they’ve registered in a Premier League game ever, while they’ve only ever amassed a higher xG total in two games since returning to the top fight.
At the heart of this fine attacking display was Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroon winger set up Yoane Wissa’s opener with a perfectly weighted square ball across the box, and then doubled Brentford’s lead himself just after the hour, running onto a lovely lay-off from Neal Maupay before powerfully firing into the top corner from outside the box.
That strike was one of four shots Mbuemo landed on target against Burnley – the most he’s ever had in a single Premier League game – while his 11 touches in the opposition box is a joint-high across his PL career. He also created three chances for teammates – no one on the pitch could better that figure.
This game saw Mbuemo score and assist in the same Premier League game for the third time at the Gtech Community Stadium, as often as all other Brentford players combined in the competition (Mathias Jensen, Ivan Toney and Mads Roerslev all once).
2. Chris Wood – 97.7 (NOTTINGHAM FOREST vs. Luton)
It looked for all the world that Chris Wood’s second-half brace – the first time he’d scored two or more goals in a league game since April 2021 – would seal a comfortable victory for Nottingham Forest against Luton.
Despite their dominance, Steve Cooper’s side inexplicably let Luton back into the game, allowing them to salvage a draw in the dying moments of the contest.
Forest dominated for large swathes of the game, recording their highest xG total since their return to the Premier League in 2022 (2.97). They also had 19 shots, attempting more on only one occasion across that period (20 vs Bournemouth in January this year). It’ll be very disappointing for Cooper that Forest let this game slip, especially as 1.1 of Luton’s 1.7 total xG came in the last 15 minutes of the game.
Wood was a threat all game, and fired off seven shots in the match, the most he’s ever attempted in a single Premier League contest. He was inches away from sealing a game-winning hat-trick too but was denied by a marginal offside call.
All seven of those shots came from inside the box, maintaining Wood’s status as one of the most consistent penalty-box strikers. Of all Premier League strikers to have taken more than 250 shots in their league career, just nine have taken a higher % of their total shots from inside the box. Wood’s ratio currently stands at 85.9%, having taken 267 of his 311 shots from inside the area.
3. James Maddison – 96.4 (TOTTENHAM vs. Fulham)
James Maddison was in silky form as Tottenham easily brushed aside Fulham on Monday night.
Maddison, who had netted twice already this season, scored his first home goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to put Spurs 2-0 up and this game to bed.
Not only did he grab a goal, but he created four chances – a total no player could better on the night – and attempted 22 passes in the final third, many of them incisive and progressive into dangerous areas.
The English midfielder has been one of the players of the season so far, thriving in a Tottenham team that is so clearly buoyed by the arrival of new boss Ange Postecoglou.
Maddison has eight goal involvements already (three goals, five assists) – just three players (all forwards) have more than that.
Beyond the top-line numbers, our sequences metric shows just how involved Maddison has been for Spurs this season. He leads all players for open-play attacking sequence involvements, while no other player has created more chances in total than his 29.
4. Erling Haaland – 95.2 (MANCHESTER CITY vs. Brighton)
Shock. A certain Erling Haaland appears in our top five once again.
The Norweigan came into this game having blanked in City’s previous two Premier League encounters against Wolves and Arsenal, attempting just one shot across those matches. Haaland has never failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games and made sure to uphold that record with City’s second goal in their 2-1 win over Brighton.
The irrepressible Haaland, who has 27 goals in 22 home Premier League appearances, scored his 61st goal for Man City in all competitions, but it was just the second to come from outside the box. It was a beauty though, with Haaland latching onto a loose ball just outside the Brighton area before smashing a thunderous strike past a forlorn Jason Steele.
This victory saw Man City win their 21st consecutive match at the Etihad Stadium in all competitions since the start of 2023, setting a new record home-winning run by a Premier League club.
5. Douglas Luiz – 93.3 (ASTON VILLA vs. West Ham)
Douglas Luiz is enjoying a hell of a season. Part of an Aston Villa side who are flying under Unai Emery (might they be Champions League bound?), Luiz is flourishing as a central midfielder with a license to burst forward and become a goal threat. He scored two in this game as Villa ran out rampant 4-1 winners against West Ham.
The first was a really cultured finish from the edge of the box and he doubled Villa’s lead in the second half with a cooly dispatched penalty.
Luiz is now joint-top of Aston Villa’s scoring charts with five league goals overall (tied with Ollie Watkins) and he became the first player to score in six consecutive home games for Aston Villa in the Premier League, surpassing the record previously held by Dwight Yorke (five set inn 1996).
As usual, the Brazilian got through so much work in midfield. He made the most touches of any player on the pitch (90) while winning back possession more times (9) than any player.
Top Performers by Game: Matchday 9
Here were the top-performing players across each game in MD 9:
Liverpool vs Everton: Mohamed Salah, 83.5
Bournemouth vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sasa Kalajdzic, 89.2
Brentford vs Burnley: Bryan Mbeumo, 98.4
Manchester City vs Brighton and Hove Albion: Erling Haaland, 95.2
Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace: Anthony Gordon, 91.5
Nottingham Forest vs Luton Town: Chris Wood, 97.7
Chelsea vs Arsenal: Mykhailo Mudryk, 91.4
Sheffield United vs Manchester United: Diogo Dalot, 85.0
Aston Villa vs West Ham United: Douglas Luiz, 93.3
Tottenham Hotspur vs Fulham: James Maddison, 96.4
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