Weekend awards: Best double act, saves and more!

Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks at the standout players and moments from Matchweek 5.

Best (camera) saves - Dean Henderson and Andre Onana 

The two goalkeepers were the main reason there were no goals at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson thwarted his former club Manchester United, with seven saves equalling his career-best total of stops in a Premier League match.

One of his most eye-catching stops saw him fly high to his left to help Alejandro Garnacho’s curler over the bar. Talking about the save, Henderson said: “That was so dramatic, so dramatic, I’ll be honest.” 

And when it was described to him as the cliched, photo-friendly camera save, Henderson did not disagree.

“That will be the only one that makes it on the Instagram I think,” he said while laughing. 

Henderson's performance v Man Utd

Meanwhile, in another encouraging sign of Man Utd’s defensive improvement, after he was forced to make a Premier League high 145 saves last season, Andre Onana was not quite as busy at the other end.

But his main contribution was key to Erik ten Hag’s men leaving London with a point.

Onana denied Eddie Nketiah first and then leapt up off the ground to also divert Ismaila Sarr’s follow-up wide, a double save that can no doubt be traced back to the training ground and countless hours spent performing similar drills. 

Onana's double save v Palace

Best double act - Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer 

Chelsea’s final goal in their emphatic 3-0 win at West Ham United was the latest link-up from the Premier League’s best attacking partnership right now. 

Nicolas Jackson teed up Cole Palmer to make it the 10th time the duo have combined for a Premier League goal since the start of last season, two more than any other pairing. 

Jackson's assist for Palmer v West Ham

They are both only in their second seasons at Chelsea, so are understandably some way off the most successful double acts the Premier League has seen.

That list is currently topped by Tottenham Hotspur duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, with 47 goals, ahead of another Chelsea twosome, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard (36).

But why not have top spot in their sights? 

Time is on their side, with both Jackson and Palmer in their early 20s and having signed new contracts this season that will keep them at Stamford Bridge until 2033.

Best assist - Adam Lallana 

Adam Lallana produced a moment of class to create Southampton’s goal against Ipswich Town, underlining why his team-mates have recently been comparing him to graceful tennis star Roger Federer. 

Midfielder Lallana, 36, threaded a perfectly-weighted pass through the tiniest gap to dissect Ipswich’s defence and set up his 18-year-old team-mate, and fellow Southampton Academy graduate Tyler Dibling's first-ever senior goal.

Lallana's assist for Dibling v Ipswich

It was a strike that was a combination of Southampton’s old and new. 

Dibling was just six months old when Lallana made his first Southampton debut in August 2006, while the 17 year and 306 day gap between scorer and assister is the fourth biggest in Premier League history. 

Biggest age gaps between scorer and assister in Premier League history

*Rotate device to view table

And Lallana’s contribution to it left his manager Russell Martin purring.  

“He [Lallana] is a beautiful footballer,” Martin said. “The lads were joking this week that watching him play football is like watching Roger Federer play tennis. 

“He is elegant and graceful with the ball. What he does, the way he can receive it. He is just different to most players.

“He can give us moments not many players can. He is in the team for that and he has given us one today.” 

Don’t shoot from there award - Darwin Nunez

Arne Slot was surely not alone when Darwin Nunez checked back inside against AFC Bournemouth after getting away down the wing. 

“My first instinct was why don’t you keep dribbling because he made the ball free,” Liverpool’s head coach said.

But striker Nunez had other ideas and an impression to make. 

Instead he decided to let fly with his weaker left foot from what looked like an unlikely angle to score from on the right-hand side of the box and curled a brilliant effort around Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and into the net off the far post.

Nunez's spectacular finish v Bournemouth 

Nunez has been waiting patiently for his chance to start matches this season. This was his first opportunity to make his mark from the off under Slot. 

Scoring an eye-catching goal was some way to do just that. 

Slot added: “A fraction of a second later when I saw the ball went in off the post I was like, 'okay, maybe you are a better football player than I was in the past' so, good choice from him.” 

Best use of the bench - Unai Emery & Nuno Espirito Santo 

Managers are wasting little time turning to their benches this season, with Unai Emery and Nuno Espirito Santo doing that most successfully in Matchweek 5.

Emery’s double half-time change - introducing Ian Maatsen and Leon Bailey - contributed to Aston Villa transforming a 1-0 deficit and poor first-half display against Wolves into a 3-1 win. 

Nuno made three interval alterations with Nottingham Forest trailing Brighton 2-1 when he brought on Neco Williams, Ryan Yates and Jota Silva.

And he saw Jota assist Ramon Sosa, who was introduced later in the second half, for Forest’s equaliser a week after Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi combined for a goal at Liverpool after both also coming off the bench. 

Sosa's equaliser v Brighton

Increasing decisiveness on the sidelines appears to be a trend this season.

Nine of the 20 managers made at least one change before the start of the second half at the weekend.

The current rate of 0.9 subs per match before the second-half restart - 44 in 50 - matches is the highest ever in a Premier League season.

Meanwhile, the weekend’s total of 14 such substitutions has only been beaten in three previous Premier League match rounds (15 on each occasion). 

Best starters - Brentford 

Fail to be switched on from the very first whistle against Brentford at your peril. 

When Bryan Mbeumo netted inside 30 seconds at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Brentford became only the second side in Premier League history to score in the first minute of successive matches since Manchester City did so against Newcastle United and Arsenal in February 2019.

A week earlier, Yoane Wissa had given the Bees a dream start at the Etihad Stadium.

Brentford's record breaking goals v Man City & Spurs

“We work on the kick-offs and sometimes it’s a ball forward, but it’s also how we position ourselves on second balls and what we do after that so I’m very pleased with that,” head coach Thomas Frank said.

Brentford’s rapid start was not the only one in Matchweek 5, with Chelsea, Southampton, Fulham, Spurs and Man City also scoring inside the first 10 minutes. Bournemouth also had an early goal at Liverpool overturned by VAR for offside. 

There was late drama across the weekend too, with Aston Villa, Ipswich, Fulham and Man City also scoring at the death, making the total of 11 goals either in the first 10 minutes or the last 10 minutes the highest on a single matchday so far this season.