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Last night saw three huge games in the Premier League, as four of the ‘Big Six’ were in action. In the biggest game of the day, Manchester City swept Arsenal aside 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium, taking them within four points of second-placed Leicester City.
Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur moved into fifth place thanks to a 2-1 victory over Wolves – their fourth in the Premier League under Jose Mourinho – while Manchester United and Everton battled to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
Here are the Premier League’s 3 most outstanding performers from the games on 15th December 2019.
#1 Kevin De Bruyne
Much has been made of Manchester City’s struggles in recent matches, as Pep Guardiola’s men were held to a draw by Newcastle two weeks ago and were defeated by Manchester United last weekend, but today they comfortably outclassed Arsenal, and the man at the heart of that victory was Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian midfielder has been in imperious form throughout the season thus far, and after today he has 6 goals and 10 assists in just 15 league starts. It took him just 2 minutes to open up the Gunners this afternoon, smashing home a right-footed shot from Gabriel Jesus’s cut-back, and 13 minutes later he started a move that scythed through Arsenal’s defence, crossing for Raheem Sterling to finish, doubling City’s lead.
De Bruyne’s second – City’s third – was truly phenomenal, as he wriggled past Matteo Guendouzi with ease before practically passing the ball into the net with his left foot. Essentially, the game was over after just 40 minutes.
In the end, the Belgian ended the game with more key passes and more shots than any other player on the pitch. This was a master-class from a truly world-class player operating at the top of his game right now.
Also check out: Premier League Premier League Table Champions League table
#2 Paulo Gazzaniga
Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over Wolves might sound undeserving based on the statistics of the game; the Midlands side had more possession and double the amount of shots on goal that their opponents managed, and yet Nuno Espirito Santo’s men came away with nothing. A lot of that was down to the performance of Tottenham’s goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
The Argentine – deputising for the injured Hugo Lloris – made a number of saves throughout the game, including stops from Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez, and a spectacular, one-handed stop from a Roman Saiss header in the dying minutes of the game.
Had the header gone in, Wolves would’ve won the match – as it was, Tottenham went to the other end of the pitch and scored the winner.
Boss Jose Mourinho hailed his keeper’s “magic hand” following the key save, while current reports suggest Spurs are ready to open new contract talks with the Argentine. After his questionable performance against Manchester United two weeks ago it was important that Gazzaniga could find his form again, and judging by this showing, he’s managed to do so.
#3 Mason Greenwood
Eyebrows were raised when Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed youngster Mason Greenwood as his most natural finisher prior to the beginning of 2019-20, but while it’s taken time for him to prove himself, the England U-21 international is now beginning to blossom, and he marked a strong performance from the bench today with a goal that saved a point for the Red Devils against Everton.
The goal was Greenwood’s second in Premier League action in 13 appearances – 12 from the bench – although he also has 4 in Europa League action. Today the 18-year old was given just 25 minutes to turn the game around for Solskjaer’s side, who had a total of 24 shots on goal, albeit just 8 on target, and simply couldn’t find the back of the net.
Greenwood meanwhile found the goal with his lone shot, finishing beautifully from the edge of the box with his left foot following Daniel James’s pass. It was the kind of finish you’d expect from a grizzled veteran – not a teenager who has only played a handful of senior matches.
United are still being linked with a move for RB Salzburg’s Erling Braut Haaland, but on this evidence, it’s questionable that they would need another striker given the potential of their latest academy graduate.
