Lucas Leiva and Santi Cazorla topped the passing charts.
Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva and Arsenal star Santi Cazorla topped the Premier League charts this past weekend for the most accurate passes completed.
The Reds drew 1-1 with Southampton in Jurgen Klopp’s first Premier League encounter at Anfield – Christian Benteke opening the scoring before Sadio Mane found a late equaliser.
There were plenty of positives for Liverpool to take in spite of being held to a draw, with the performance of Lucas Leiva a real standout as the Brazil international bossed the midfield.
The former Gremio man shielded his defence well, made a number of ball recoveries and instigated a flurry of Liverpool attacks from deep with quick, accurate passes.
| Team | Accurate Passes | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal | 73 | 90 |
| Lucas Leiva | Liverpool | 67 | 90 |
As per the table provided by Opta Stats, Leiva’s 67 accurate passes was the second highest tally over the weekend, with Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla the only player to post more.
As with Leiva, the Spanish star was heavily involved during the Gunners’ 2-1 win over Everton.
It’s becoming a somewhat regular theme for Cazorla to be among the Premier League’s top passers, but there is little surprise as his ability to set the tempo is as good as any other top-flight player.
The former Malaga man has struck up a fantastic midfield partnership with Francis Coquelin, the Frenchman consistently winning the ball back before Cazorla initiates quick counters.
The duo are vitally important to Arsene Wenger’s side and some could argue that if either picked up an unfortunate lengthy injury, then Arsenal would desperately struggle to replace them.
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