Weekend awards: Best skill, funniest moment and more!

Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks at the standout players and moments from Matchweek 7.

Best assist - Raul Jimenez 

Fulham left Manchester City without any points but they certainly gave the champions a good test, with Raul Jimenez producing arguably the moment of the match.

The striker’s assist for Andreas Pereira’s goal will take some beating this season - a brilliant back-heeled cross.

Jimenez's assist v Man City

There seemed to be little on offer for Fulham when Jimenez’s first touch in the box took him away from goal, but he improvised with a piece of magic to tee up Pereira.

The Mexican's contribution to Fulham’s opening goal in the 3-2 defeat was in keeping with his impressive recent form, having scored in his previous three Premier League matches.

And Pereira was perhaps the only person not surprised by his team-mate's audacious and inventive assist.

Pereira said: “When Raul got the ball, I know that he has a little bit of an acrobatic style and he can always give balls in a special way.

“When I saw he was going for the back heel, I took a bit more space and tried to read the trajectory of the ball, so I was lucky there.”

Best goal - Jeremy Doku 

Jeremy Doku’s preferred goal is one that follows a twinkle-toed dribble, but he described his spectacular long-range strike against Fulham as one of his most beautiful.

Doku gave Man City some late breathing space in their tough examination from Fulham with his nerve-settling and thumping finish. 

The Belgian winger collected the ball on the left, beat Fulham defender Timothy Castagne with his trademark feint to create shooting space - “my dribble that I always normally do,” Doku said with a smile - before unleashing a rocket of a shot that veered away from Bernd Leno and into the top corner.

Doku's goal v Fulham

“I just tried to hit the ball well and as soon as I lifted my head up, it went in,” said Doku. 

"I like goals where I dribble, for example against Luton [last season]. It depends what kind of goal you prefer, but of course this is one of the most beautiful.”

Funniest moment - Thomas Frank

Brentford’s attention to detail has been key to their record-breaking run of early goals but for once, head coach Thomas Frank joked, it did not pay off against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“We have been practising winning the coin toss the whole week and we lost that one,” laughed Frank. “That’s why our first goal took a little bit longer this time.” 

Brentford were bidding to score inside the first minute for the fourth Premier League game running against Wolves, having done so in their previous three against Man City, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

But this time, without the advantage of having the kick-off, they had to wait until the 75th second before defender Nathan Collins broke the deadlock. 

Best save - Matz Sels 

There were plenty of standout stops at Stamford Bridge and Matz Sels’ save to keep out Christopher Nkunku’s header was the best of the lot.

Chelsea forward Nkunku seemed certain to score when he flew through the air to meet Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.

But Sels plunged to his left to produce a superb save from point-blank range that was crucial to 10-man Nottingham Forest leaving Stamford Bridge with a point.

Sels' saves v Chelsea

One of seven saves by the Belgian in his busiest outing this season, it came seconds after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had denied Forest defender Neco Williams at the other end in a breathless passage of play. 

The best of Sanchez's eight saves, and one that ran Sels’s top effort close, was still to come when he acrobatically pushed away Jota Silva’s header in the final minute of stoppage time to leave Forest’s players in disbelief.

But singling out Sels, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said: “Their keeper was the best [player] of the game.”

Best performance - Bukayo Saka

Consistency is one of Bukayo Saka’s best qualities and he has taken his to a new level this season.

The talismanic winger delivered another match-defining display as Arsenal came from behind to beat Southampton 3-1.

One goal and two assists were his headline stats against Russell Martin’s side, but beyond that, there was further confirmation of the persistent threat Saka has become.

The 23-year-old had seven shots and created seven chances against Southampton, becoming the first player on record (since 2003/04) to do so in a Premier League match more than once.

Remarkably, Saka also achieved that in his previous game against Leicester City, when he had seven attempts on goal and created eight opportunities.

Saka has created goals in six of Arsenal’s seven Premier League matches this season, while his league-high seven assists is just two short of his total for the whole of 2023/24 (nine).

Home or away, regardless of opposition status, and so often when Arsenal are in need, Saka delivers.

“That’s what defines a top, top player,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “What he is doing at his age is unbelievable.” 

Best celebration - Jordan Pickford

“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a reaction in a football stadium to a penalty miss like this one,” said former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, after Anthony Gordon's spot-kick for Newcastle United’s was saved.

“It's like Everton have scored a last-minute winner,” added the Sky Sports pundit.

The wild scenes at Goodison Park were sparked by the man who denied Gordon, Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

And Pickford’s animated reaction after thwarting Newcastle's penalty taker encapsulated the drama of the moment.

He was part fan, part player - pumped up like Everton’s supporters and his team-mates, especially midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, but also, amid the euphoria, remembering the need for focus by frantically pointing to his head.

The added spice in Everton's celebrations was understandable given the narrative surrounding Gordon’s spot-kick. 

After leaving Everton for Newcastle under a cloud in January 2023, the England international had the chance to rub salt in his former employers’ wounds when he stepped up to take the penalty.

But thanks to Pickford’s heroics, it was instead a return to forget for Gordon and a moment to savour for Everton.

The goalkeeper revealed: “I watched the game last week [against Man City] and he [Gordon] reversed it against Ederson. The one before that, he went the same way, so I just fancied him going to the keeper’s left.”