Each week we use the Opta Player Ratings to review the top-performing players from each Premier League matchday. Here we analyse the top five players of the week from Matchday 11.
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 set of brand-new, free-to-play gaming experiences.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the top performers from Matchday 11 in the Premier League.
1. Nicolas Jackson– 99.4 (Tottenham vs. CHELSEA)
Chaos reigned in north London on Monday night, as Chelsea eventually got the better of Spurs in an extraordinary match that ended Ange Postecoglou’s unbeaten start as a Premier League manager.
The game saw five goals, another five disallowed, two red cards, a strew of injuries and Nicolas Jackson’s first hat-trick in the top five European leagues, as Chelsea won 4-1.
Jackson was the beneficiary of Tottenham’s crazy high line – something they continued to employ even when reduced to nine men – with the Senegalese striker finishing off a couple of breakaway moves once Chelsea had worked out how to exploit Spurs’ line of defence.
It does perhaps sum up Jackson’s start to life at Stamford Bridge that, for large swathes of this contest, he did look fairly unconvincing. Still, our Player Ratings don’t have an input for “looks a bit short on confidence”, instead preferring to trust the far more scientific measure of “goals”.
Jackson had three of them in this contest, one more than he’d managed in his previous nine appearances in the Premier League.
2. Jérémy Doku – 99.3 (MANCHESTER CITY vs. Bournemouth)
Jérémy Doku came so close to topping the list this weekend but was pipped to that spot by Jackson in the last game of the Matchday. Still, a score of 99.3 against Bournemouth – courtesy of four assists and a goal – is not bad going at all.
We’ve only witnessed eight occasions of a player setting up four goals in a single Premier League match, with Doku’s four assists being the first since Paul Pogba’s quadruple for Manchester United against Leeds United in 2021-22.
With a goal to go with his four assists, Doku – aged 21 years and 161 days – became both the youngest player in Premier League history with five goal involvements in a single game, as well as the youngest player to assist four goals in a single game.
City’s 6-1 win over Bournemouth took them to 13 consecutive wins against the Cherries. That is the joint-longest winning run for one team against another in Premier League history.
3. Bernardo Silva – 98.7 (MANCHESTER CITY vs. Bournemouth)
Bernardo Silva got on the scoresheet twice in the same game. His first was a lovely first-touch finish after Doku had got to the byline and cut a cross back. That combination was on show again late in the second half when Doku picked out his teammate’s run behind Bournemouth’s defence with a long, raking pass. From there, it was all Silva, as he dribbled past Lloyd Kelly before impudently lifting the ball over a sprawling Neto. After the game, Pep Guardiola described the goal like “watching Lionel Messi”.
Well, that’s good enough for us.
The Portuguese midfielder was at his probing, threatening best, drifting in off the right flank to cause all sorts of problems. He attempted 37 passes in the final third and completed 32 of them – no player on the pitch could better either of those tallies.
4. Cameron Archer – 93.4 (SHEFFIELD UNITED vs. Wolves)
Cameron Archer’s wonder goal set up Sheffield United’s first win of the Premier League season, racing onto a loose ball that had ricocheted beyond the Wolves backline and unleashing a rocket that cannoned in off the underside of the crossbar. Archer’s strike was actually Sheffield United’s first shot on target in 200 minutes of Premier League football since a Rhian Brewster effort in the 52nd minute against Man Utd on 21 October.
Wolves then equalised before Oliver Norwood stepped up to win the game with a 100th-minute penalty.
Archer was Sheffield United’s main penalty-box threat, making eight touches in Wolves’ area, more than any player on either side.
How they needed his goal and this win.
5. Rodri – 92.0 (MANCHESTER CITY vs. Bournemouth)
Manchester City’s most important player might not be their tall Norwegian striker up front, but rather the peerless Rodri in midfield. When he’s absent City look like a totally different team. Now he’s back, they look as strong as ever.
It’s no coincidence that Guardiola’s side lost all three of the Premier League games that Rodri missed through suspension, while his return against Brighton kickstarted their ongoing four game-winning run in all competitions.
Since his debut for the club in August 2019, Man City’s win rate in all competitions is 74.2% when Rodri plays compared to 60.0% when he doesn’t. Talk about indispensable.
He was imperious in this game, leading all City players for touches (104), passes (99) and final-third entries (19).
Top Performers by Game: Matchday 11
Here were the top-performing players across each game in MD 11:
Fulham 0-1 Manchester United: Alex Iwobi, 77.0
Brentford 3-2 West Ham: Mohammed Kudus, 90.5
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace: Jóhann Gudmundsson, 86.9
Everton 1-1 Brighton: Billy Gilmour, 79.8
Manchester City 6-1 Bournemouth: Jérémy Doku, 99.3
Sheffield United 2-1 Wolves: Cameron Archer, 93.4
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal: Anthony Gordon, 87.2
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Aston Villa: Orel Mangala, 88.8
Luton Town 1-1 Liverpool: Tahith Chong, 88.1
Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea: Nicolas Jackson, 99.5
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our new football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.