Welcome back to the second season of the Premier League Ones to Watch column, a weekly piece that highlights the most notable performance of the previous matchday, as well as predicting a top performer for the weekend ahead. This column is made for West Coast fans in particular, as I help you decide which games you should wake up for by identifying the players who are worth the price of admission, so to speak.
It was another eventful set of matchdays in the Premier League this week, with the headlines featuring Erling Haaland.
Haaland pulled off a brace in Manchester City’s 3-0 win against Bournemouth. His two goals bring his total tally to 13 goals and an assist in only 10 games this season.
With such dominant performances so far, he looks to be running away with the golden boot this season. If he were to continue his current form for the rest of the season, he would be on pace for 49 goals and break his own single-season record of 36, the most in Premier League history.
Diego Gomez of Brighton had a pair of goals against Leeds to help his squad secure a 3-0 victory, which makes his performance the second most notable.
The 22-year-old Paraguayan will look to extend this outing into a hot stretch as Brighton hopes to have another young star on their hands.
The last performance of the week worth mentioning came from Declan Rice. The Arsenal midfielder’s goal helped lead the Gunners to a 2-0 victory over Burnley. With Rice being the anchor of the midfield, they now lead the league by six points and look to finally win a title this season.
With such massive fixtures next week, the One to Watch will look a bit different this week.
The One to Watch is the matchup between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad. This matchup has routinely been a game-of-the-year contender for years now. With both teams competing for the league title this season, it looks as though the trend will continue.
Another matchup to keep an eye on is Manchester United against Tottenham at Hotspur Stadium. Last season, the two sides came back from misery to contention in Europe. With both Premier League giants picking up form again, this matchup is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Lastly, there is one player who could be due for a big performance: Chelsea’s Joao Pedro. Fresh off a great performance, he could be on the verge of picking up form. With three goals and three assists on the season, a matchup against the last-place Wolves is more than ideal to improve his stat lines.
In the predictions from last week, none of the players chosen scored or assisted. However, Eberechi Eze and Hugo Ekitike played a role in their victories, while Nick Woltemade struggled in a poor loss to West Ham.