Weekend awards: Best match, goal, assist and more!

Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks at the standout players and moments from Matchweek 17.

Best performance - Morgan Rogers

Given all their current issues, Manchester City could probably have done without a player who was recently on their books adding to them.

In their 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa, Man City could not cope with their former youngster Morgan Rogers - especially the powerful ball-carrying qualities he repeatedly displayed on his way to scoring and assisting in a Premier League match for the first time.

Attacking midfielder Rogers attempted and completed more dribbles than any player at Villa Park, with seven and five respectively. He has also had the highest number of shots (four) and, among Villa's players, he had the most touches in the opposition box (six). 

No moment showcased Rogers' best attributes better than his goal in the second half.

Rogers collected possession in his own half, left Kyle Walker and Mateo Kovacic trailing, and traded passes with John McGinn before firing Villa into a 2-0 lead.

Rogers' goal v Man City

His runs and dribbling ability led to other standout moments including his assist for Jhon Duran’s opener and when he hit the post shortly before scoring.

Man City manager Pep Guardiola insisted the decision to let Rogers leave for Middlesbrough in July 2023 was the right one at the time due to the competition he faced, but admitted that now he would be part of his squad.

Guardiola said: "He exploded last season and this season he is a really, really top class player. England have another exceptional player."

Villa v Man City - Leading attackers

Best assist - Jacob Murphy 

Jacob Murphy is one of the Premier League’s most in-form wingers and evidence of his current confidence levels was there for all to see in his audacious assist at Ipswich Town. 

Following a slaloming run into the Ipswich box, Murphy’s back-heeled cross teed up Alexander Isak to complete his first Premier League hat-trick. 

Murphy's sublime assist for Isak (see 1:05 in video below)

The winger's brilliant moment of invention, which was reminiscent of Raul Jimenez’s assist for Fulham against Man City in Matchweek 7, followed a thumping first-half finish for his 50th career league goal.

Murphy now has six goal involvements in his last three Premier League matches, compared to two in his first 11.

He also became the first Newcastle player to score or assist two or more goals in three successive top-flight matches since Papiss Cisse in April 2012.

Murphy was a key attacking outlet throughout at Ipswich, creating three chances. Only Bruno Guimaraes created more, with four.

And Murphy's heavy involvement was largely a result of Newcastle targeting Ipswich’s left-hand side, looking to exploit the space left by attacking full-back Leif Davis.

Newcastle had 47.2 per cent of their attacking touches down Murphy’s right flank, a significant increase on their average of 36.5 per cent in their previous 16 Premier League matches. 

Best save - Aaron Ramsdale

Aaron Ramsdale made a welcome return for Southampton at Fulham after missing their previous five Premier League matches with a broken finger.

And both his finger and specially-adapted gloves were thoroughly put to the test at Craven Cottage.

Ramsdale’s left glove (below) was modified so there was just one hole for his left-hand ring and middle fingers, making it an eye-catching four-fingered glove rather than the usual five.

The change ensured he had sufficient support for the damaged digit but there was a downside.

"It’s at its worst when you’re trying to tell the lads ‘four-man wall' and you’re holding up three fingers," Ramsdale joked in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. 

Other than that though, Ramsdale was not hindered as he produced an impressive Man-of-the-Match display featuring five saves.

One was a stunning reaction stop to deny Fulham’s Harry Wilson in the second half, as bottom-of-the-table Southampton earned a point and only a second Premier League clean sheet this season with a goalless draw, watched from the stands by new manager Ivan Juric.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given said: "This is an absolute rocket [from Wilson]. To get your hands up that quick, that is a world-class save. 

"He [Ramsdale] is a big plus for Southampton, for him to be fit again."

Best match - Spurs 3-6 Liverpool 

"Are you not entertained?" Ange Postecoglou asked as he defended his approach following Tottenham Hotspur's chaotic, 4-3 EFL Cup quarter-final win against Manchester United last week.

The question came to mind again when Spurs followed that victory up with a nine-goal thriller against Liverpool. Defeat left Postecoglou exposed to more questions about his philosophy.

But the spectacle they were involved in against Liverpool was definitely entertaining, just as he expected when sarcastically joking pre-match that it had "all the hallmarks of a dour 0-0."

It was predominantly a statement display of almost relentless attacking from league leaders Liverpool, featuring some real moments of class from the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold. 

Spurs v Liverpool highlights

Depleted Spurs more than played their part though. Some generous defending and questionable decision-making allowed Liverpool to rack up the highest Expected Goals (xG) recorded by a team in a Premier League match this season, of 5.63.

But Spurs' commitment to attack, even when the match looked beyond them, was admirable and a big factor too. 

The end result was the highest scoring Premier League fixture this season and joint-most goals in a league match between the two sides.

Meanwhile Spurs’ Premier League matches under Postecoglou have averaged 3.6 goals-per-game, the highest rate of any manager to oversee at least 50 matches, underlining that his team's fixtures are the ones to watch if you want goals and entertainment guaranteed. 

Best goal - Luis Diaz

The way Liverpool created the first of the nine goals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium yesterday set the tone for a match of pure entertainment. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold received the ball and saw Luis Diaz free and bent in a cross so perfect that his team-mate had the simplest of tasks in nodding it in. 

Diaz's first goal v Spurs

It was a cross reminiscent of David Beckham in his prime and one that whet the lips of Alan Shearer, who said that he would have "loved to be on the end of his crosses".

It was also the goal that was selected by Premier League fans on our new WhatsApp channel as the best from the weekend.