1. Mesut Ozil
No one on the pitch lost the ball as many times as Mesut Ozil in the Chelsea vs. Arsenal fixture. It almost seemed as though Ozil was a holding midfielder who was deployed to play safe and straightforward passes.
There was absolutely no creativity from his side. Apart from feeding the wingers on a handful of occasions, the playmaker had nothing to show. He also killed the pace and tempo of the game. The same was illustrated when he picked the ball up to initiate a counter-attack.
Also to add, he did not work hard enough to provide defensive cover or win the ball back. In the first half, everybody on the field had more touches on the ball than Ozil.
2. Ben Hamer
Despite making the most number of saves over the weekend, Ben Hamer conceded six. Manchester City looked terrifying as they brutally knocked the Huddersfield defence off their perch.
They ate up loads of possession, played a high line, committed bodies forward and played with intelligence and conviction.
Ederson provided an assist, but the former Leicester shot-stopper’s positioning is questionable. He was way further down the pitch than he should have been, and that position left him in no man’s land as he didn’t know his next move. Unfortunately, you don’t give Aguero that much space.
Next, he spilt a cross from Mendy that fell kindly to Aguero, who scored another. One will argue why he is preferred over Jonathan Lossl in goal.
3. Eric Bailly
Eric Bailly, tipped by many as the most solid defender in the Manchester United side, provided a freakish performance. One would wonder, “how did he concede just three goals with that sort of a display?”
He was at fault for two of the three goals scored by Brighton. In the Seagulls’ second, he was totally out of position. Neither did he stick to his marker, nor did he marshal the defence. Their third goal was a penalty dispatched by Pascal Gross, gifted to them by none other than Bailly, who lunged into a needless tackle.
Apart from these visible shockers, Bailly never looked comfortable at the back. He wasn’t good with his passing or positioning. More often than not, he looked clueless handling crosses and counter-attacks, which is definitely not expected from a defender of his grade.
After such a disheartening show, he will have to fight for his place in the side.
4. Kenedy
Kenedy endured one of the worst outings against Cardiff City
Kenedy did everything that could be remembered for the wrong reasons. Firstly, there was no involvement from his side in the build-up play. The winger only completed 8 out of 14 attempted passes in the entirety of the match. His overambitious attitude meant that he lost the ball a staggering 18 times.
What was he doing in the 33rd minute? Well, Kenedy attempted a fancy 360-spin to get past a couple of blue shirts but ended up losing possession. Instead of fighting for it, he peevishly kicked Victor Camarasa. Luckily, the referee who sent Isaac Hayden off the pitch didn’t notice it.
A 10-man Newcastle side saw themselves in a remarkable position in stoppage time when they were awarded a penalty. The Brazilian stepped up to take it and Etheridge came up with the answer. The penalty was just what a goalkeeper prays for – tame, predictable and shot at a comfortable height.