Weekend awards: Best match, story, skill and more!

Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks at the standout players and moments from Matchweek 20.

Best story - Brandon Austin 

Brandon Austin had waited years for his Tottenham Hotspur debut and when his big moment came against Newcastle United, he did not disappoint. 

Having joined the club back in 2007, after being named in 78 matchday squads but going unused and four years without a competitive match, Austin was finally handed his first senior Spurs appearance.

Injury to No 1 Guglielmo Vicario and illness to his deputy Fraser Forster opened the door for third-choice goalkeeper Austin.

Aged 25 years and 362 days, he became the youngest goalkeeper to start a Premier League match for Spurs since Paulo Gazzaniga in November 2017, aged 25 years and 307 days.

If he had any nerves, composed Austin did not show it.

He was particularly impressive dealing with aerial balls into his box, a useful quality for a Spurs side who have shown a well-documented vulnerability from set-pieces.

His four high claims were the most by a Spurs goalkeeper this season while he also caught the eye with two saves to deny Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes.

And given the context of his emergency appearance, co-commentator Ally McCoist decided to ignore convention and name Austin player of the match, despite Newcastle winning 2-1. 

“I think it might be the first time in my co-commentary career that I haven’t given it to a player in the winning team,” he said. “Seventeen years, seven managers, 78 times he’s sat on the bench without getting on. You cannot begrudge him that.”

Best skill - Jadon Sancho

In south London, Jadon Sancho set up Chelsea’s opening goal with a piece of trickery that would not have looked out of place in the area’s cages where he played football growing up.  

Sancho left Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards for dead with a brilliant dummy, pretending he was going to control the ball before letting it run past him instead.

While Richards ran one way in anticipation of Sancho taking a touch back towards his own goal, the Chelsea star went the other direction.

And there was an end product to go with his skill as Sancho beat Richards again before slipping the ball between three Palace players for Cole Palmer to score. 

Sancho's skill and assist for Palmer's goal

Sancho has looked more like his former self at Chelsea, with his confidence and creativity returning.

The fact he now has his most assists in a Premier League season, with four, and has already equalled the total he got in all competitions at Manchester United, support that. 

Sancho recorded six assists in 83 matches for Man Utd and now has the same number from just 15 Chelsea appearances. 

Sancho modestly diverted praise for the goal to Palmer for doing “what he does”, but former Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson said: “That’s all about Jadon Sancho. Wow. He’s absolutely done centre half Chris Richards. That’s him at his absolute best.”

Best match - Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd

One of the season’s most eagerly awaited fixtures certainly lived up to its billing as Liverpool and Man Utd served up an Anfield epic. 

For some ahead of kick-off, it was only a matter of how many goals Arne Slot’s league leaders would score against Ruben Amorim’s struggling side.

But rather than wilt as predicted and encouraged by their hosts being below par, Man Utd produced an unexpectedly impressive performance full of quality and character as they went toe-to-toe with Liverpool to make this a classic four-goal thriller. 

Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd highlights

The first half was goalless but intriguing. Man Utd survived some nervy moments but also had some encouraging ones of their own.

All the goals then came in a see-saw, end-to-end second half as both sides went all out for victory. 

Lisandro Martinez had Man Utd dreaming of a stunning win, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah then put Liverpool on course for all three points before Amad made it 2-2.

And there was drama right to the end, with Harry Maguire missing a huge chance at the death.

In the end, both sides could argue they might have won. 

Equally both, for different reasons, would have been relieved they did not lose when they easily could have. 

Best assist - Savinho 

The quality of Savinho’s assist for Erling Haaland’s first goal against West Ham United was summed up by his team-mates’ reactions.

Rather than soak up the adulation himself, Haaland told the crowd where the praise should go by pointing to Savinho.

Savinho's first assist for Haaland v West Ham

Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva was left with his hands on his head, looking in Savinho’s direction in disbelief.

The Brazilian winger tormented West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal and sent over a cross that deceived goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, allowing Haaland to head into an empty net. 

It was another decisive moment from Savinho since his return to Manchester City’s left wing in the last two matches, the position where he starred for LaLiga side Girona last season. 

“[It’s] like old-fashioned, vintage football,” Man City manager Pep Guardiola said. “Having a left foot on the left side.” 

Savinho’s four goal contributions against Leicester City and West Ham are more than the three he managed over his first 15 Premier League matches. 

The positional move has also helped reinvigorate Haaland, with Savinho becoming a key provider for the Norwegian in their flourishing relationship.

Four of Savinho’s Premier League assists this season have been for Haaland, the joint-most from one player to another in 2024/25. Three of those have come across the last two matches. 

Savinho created four chances for Haaland against Leicester and West Ham in total. The only other players to create chances for him in those matches were Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic.

But, in contrast to Savinho’s four chances created, the trio managed just three between them, with one each. 

Best goal - Cody Gakpo

Gakpo was in line to be substituted just before the hour mark against Man Utd.

But then he scored a brilliant goal to kickstart Liverpool’s fightback after they fell behind against their arch rivals.

From Alexis Mac Allister’s perfectly weighted pass, Gakpo showed impressive composure to chop inside and deceive his Dutch international team-mate Matthijs de Ligt before firing a fiercely-struck shot into the top corner.

That made it impossible for Liverpool head coach Arne Slot to withdraw him at that point. Instead it was Luis Diaz came off for Darwin Nunez in the 60th minute.

And not only did his goal earn him almost 30 more minutes on the pitch, before he was eventually replaced by Harvey Elliott, but Gakpo’s strike was also voted the weekend's best goal by Premier League fans on our new WhatsApp channel.

Best partnership - Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa

At last, Brentford claimed their long-awaited, first Premier League away win this season at Southampton at the 10th attempt.

Of course, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa were central to it, a 5-0 victory that doubled as the Bees’ biggest success in the Premier League. 

With two goals and an assist from Mbeumo plus a goal and assist from Wissa, they took their combined goal involvement total for the season to 28. 

Wissa's assist to Mbeumo v Southampton

Only Liverpool's Salah and Diaz, with 40, and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson, with 31, have more. 

And with Mbeumo and Wissa, with 13 and 10 respectively, scoring 23 of Brentford’s 38 Premier League goals, they have also contributed the highest percentage to their team’s tally of any double act in the division, 60.5 per cent.

Thanks to their prolific pair Mbeumo and Wissa, life without talisman Ivan Toney has not proved to be as bad as might have been feared.

Indeed, Wissa’s late goal at Southampton saw him draw level with Toney as Brentford’s all-time top Premier League scorer on 36 goals, and Mbeumo is only one behind on 35.

Brentford also became the first club to have two players reach double figures for Premier League goals this season, and head coach Thomas Frank said: “I don't know how many teams, even the so called top six, have players like that. It's incredible.”

Highest percentage of goals scored by a duo in PL this season

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