Declan Rice, Arsenal
Arsenal’s club-record signing made his league debut at the Emirates in Saturday’s delayed kick-off. Mikel Arteta’s side made things difficult for themselves towards the end of their 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, but Declan Rice put in a solid shift in the middle of the park, making four tackles and an interception. Rice also picked out his teammates with ease, returning a 92.3% pass success rate from 91 attempted passes. He won the ball and recycled possession well throughout.
James Maddison, Tottenham
Maddison was directly involved in both Tottenham goals as they drew 2-2 with Brentford on Sunday. Only Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze (with seven) made more key passes than Maddison (six) in the opening round of fixtures, with the summer signing providing the assists for Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal. The 26-year-old also worked hard off the ball, making one tackle, one interception and one clearance in a superb debut for Spurs.
Mark Flekken, Brentford
Flekken made four saves for Brentford in their 2-2 draw against Spurs. He could do little to stop the two goals, but the Dutchman showed why he was signed as David Raya’s replacement. Arsenal have brought in Raya to compete with Aaron Ramsdale in large part due to his distribution, but Flekken showed he can also pick a pass. The 30-year-old played seven accurate long balls against Spurs – more than any other player on the pitch.
João Pedro, Brighton
Pedro has been Brighton’s marquee summer signing and the Brazilian showed why with a goal on his debut as his new club beat Premier League newcomers Luton. The forward opened his top-flight account for the Seagulls in the second half with a penalty, one of his four shots on goal. The 21-year-old did well out of possession too, making two tackles as Brighton won 4-1 on the opening weekend.
Sandro Tonali, Newcastle
Tonali joined Newcastle from Milan last month and rapidly endeared himself to supporters with the opening goal in just the sixth minute of their league opener against Aston Villa. The Italian was tidy in possession, finding a teammate with 48 of his 54 attempted passes before he was taken off to a standing ovation late in the second half. With Tonali playing alongside Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton, there is an argument to be made that Newcastle now have the strongest midfield in the Premier League.
Moussa Diaby, Aston Villa
It was a difficult weekend for Villa. Tyrone Mings picked up an injury that is likely to keep him out for the rest of the season and the team went on to lose 5-1 to Newcastle. However, one positive to take from the game was the showing of Moussa Diaby, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. The club-record signing bagged his first Premier League goal after just 10 minutes and was a livewire throughout, completing two dribbles and making two key passes to give Villa fans some cause for optimism.
Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool
Liverpool are seeing midfield targets slip through their fingers, with the club losing out on Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia to Chelsea in recent days. However, new arrival Alexis Mac Allister put in a steady performance on his debut as he anchored the midfield in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea. The Argentinian’s fine pass released Mohamed Salah to set up Liverpool’s goal for Luis Díaz at Stamford Bridge, and he chipped in with three tackles and one interception.
Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea
Axel Disasi scored on his Chelsea debut but Jackson received even more plaudits from supporters at full time. Jackson took four shots in the 1-1 draw – the seventh successive draw between the teams – and his movement really caught the eye. The summer signing made 21 off-the-ball runs against Liverpool, the most of any player at the weekend. Chelsea fans should be excited about what is to come from the 22-year-old forward.
Jefferson Lerma, Crystal Palace
Lerma left Bournemouth in the summer after five years at the club; Crystal Palace signed him on a free transfer and he had an outstanding debut at Sheffield United on Saturday. Palace came away with the three points and he won 12 aerial duels, more than any other player in the opening round. He also made three tackles, one interception and one clearance, proving that Palace will be incredibly difficult to break down with Lerma in the middle of the park this season.
Premier League team of the week
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