QPR, West Brom, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Sunderland, Southampton, Manchester City and Manchester United stars all feature.
The Premier League provided no shortage of talking points over the weekend ahead of Christmas and the Boxing Day schedule with Martin Skrtel’s late header against Arsenal and Manchester United losing their winning streak.
Here are the best performers across five different areas of the stats.
Goals
| Position | Team | Goals | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Austin | FW | QPR | 3 | 1 | 90 |
| David Silva | MF | Man City | 2 | 1 | 69 |
| Ashley Barnes | FW | Burnley | 1 | 1 | 89 |
| Christian Benteke | FW | Aston Villa | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| Andy Carroll | FW | West Ham | 1 | 1 | 90 |
Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin was the star in terms of scoring goals over the weekend, with an important hat-trick against West Brom. He’s going to be a huge player for the team over the second half of the season.
Assists
| Position | Team | Goal Assist | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stéphane Sessegnon | MF | West Brom | 2 | 1 | 90 |
| Joey Barton | MF | QPR | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| George Boyd | MF | Burnley | 1 | 1 | 79 |
| William Buckley | MF | Sunderland | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Santiago Cazorla | MF | Arsenal | 1 | 1 | 90 |
Stephane Sessegnon was the man in terms of assists for the Baggies. He kept his composure against QPR but it was a shame his efforts weren’t rewarded with anything from the game.
Saves
| Position | Team | Saves | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Guzan | GK | Aston Villa | 8 | 1 | 90 |
| Wojciech Szczesny | GK | Arsenal | 8 | 1 | 90 |
| Costel Pantilimon | GK | Sunderland | 7 | 1 | 90 |
| Adrián | GK | West Ham | 4 | 1 | 90 |
| Fraser Forster | GK | Southampton | 4 | 1 | 90 |
It was a case of two goalkeepers with Brad Guzan and Wojciech Szczesny sharing the honours for Aston Villa and Arsenal respectively. In both instances, the goalkeepers were rewarded though Szczesny will be disappointed that the Gunners couldn’t hold on for a win.
Tackles
| Position | Team | Won Tackle | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Reed | MF | Southampton | 12 | 1 | 90 |
| Jose Fonte | DF | Southampton | 6 | 1 | 90 |
| Liam Bridcutt | MF | Sunderland | 4 | 1 | 20 |
| Lee Cattermole | MF | Sunderland | 4 | 1 | 70 |
| Santiago Cazorla | MF | Arsenal | 4 | 1 | 90 |
Sunderland and Southampton were the best teams in terms of tackling over the weekend. They both secured wins and both made it very difficult for Newcastle and Everton to get any time and momentum on the ball.
Accurate Passes
| Position | Team | Accurate Pass | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernandinho | MF | Man City | 107 | 1 | 90 |
| Yaya Touré | MF | Man City | 107 | 1 | 90 |
| Samir Nasri | MF | Man City | 98 | 1 | 89 |
| Wayne Rooney | FW | Man Utd | 88 | 1 | 90 |
| Michael Carrick | MF | Man Utd | 79 | 1 | 90 |
Manchester City and Manchester United players dominated in terms of accurate passing, with Yaya Toure and Fernandinho both securing exactly the same number of successful passes over the weekend.
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