Weekend awards: Most impressive win, best celebration and more!

Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks at the standout players and moments from Matchweek 23.

Most impressive win - AFC Bournemouth 5-0 Nottingham Forest

One of the weekend’s most eye-catching fixtures had a result to match after AFC Bournemouth blew Nottingham Forest away 5-0 in the battle between two of this season’s big surprise packages.

Bournemouth extended their longest unbeaten run in the Premier League to 11 games with a thrilling display against third-placed Forest that maintained their momentum in their bid to qualify for Europe for the first time. 

It was chosen as the most impressive win by Premier League fans on our new WhatsApp channel.

Bournemouth's success this season is testament to Andoni Iraola’s impressive management and so is the way he has navigated the Cherries’ striker crisis.

After losing Evanilson and Enes Unal to injury, Iraola decided winger Dango Ouattara had the best attributes to fill in as an emergency striker and the move has proved inspired. 

Bournemouth have scored 16 goals in their last four matches in all competitions, with Ouattara scoring five, including a clinical second-half hat-trick against Forest, which made him the first player from Burkina Faso to score a Premier League treble. 

Ouattara's hat-trick v Forest

Iraola has also inspired career-best form out of Justin Kluivert. The Dutchman's fine strike against Forest made it 12 goal involvements in his last 12 Premier League matches, more than the 11 he managed across his previous 42 appearances.

Bournemouth are now just a point outside the top four, with a nod to the club’s nickname, Kluivert joked: “That [qualifying for Europe] would be the cherry on the cake! That’s a good one, eh?”

Best celebration - Yoane Wissa (Brentford)

Yoane Wissa told Brentford’s website in August that his partnership with Bryan Mbeumo is so good that “even blind I know where Bryan is.” 

Perhaps their telepathy was why he was so certain Mbeumo would score his penalty retake in Brentford’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.

Or maybe it was his total belief in Mbeumo’s proven ability from the spot which was not shaken by his initial miss.

Either way, Wissa was so convinced Mbeumo would succeed from the spot second time round there was the unusual sight of him wheeling off to celebrate well before his team-mate had kicked the ball.

“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. It’s crazy,” former Premier League midfielder Jamie Redknapp said. Wissa’s faith in Mbeumo was well-placed.

With the initial effort against a post wiped from the records as a retake was awarded, Mbeumo has now scored all 10 penalties he has taken in his professional career.

Mbeumo's penalty against Palace

Nine of those have been in the Premier League, giving him the joint-fourth best 100 per cent penalty record in competition history. 

Best reaction - Man City's players, fans and staff to Abdukodir Khusanov

Firstly it was the supporters’ standing ovation when he was substituted against Chelsea.  

Then it was the admirable and heartwarming attempts to pick him up from his team-mates and members of Manchester City’s staff as he made his way to his seat on the bench.

After the sort of chastening start to his debut that had former Manchester United defender Gary Neville saying “you feel like crying for the lad,” Abdukodir Khusanov would no doubt have been grateful for the public shows of support.

“The reaction from the bench was amazing, the whole staff,” manager Pep Guardiola said. 

Defender Khusanov endured a baptism of fire against Chelsea after being handed an immediate bow just days after joining Man City from Lens.

Inside the first eight minutes he gifted Chelsea a goal, misplaced four of his seven passes and was booked, his fourth-minute caution the earliest one for a Premier League debutant since August 2018 (Lee Peltier for Cardiff City against Bournemouth, three minutes). 

To his immense credit, Khusanov composed himself and improved after his shaky start in Man City’s eventual 3-1 win, as his stats below confirm.

Khusanov's improvement v Chelsea

And the number of important contributions he went on to make would have lifted his spirits, along with the morale-boosting reception he received from many at his new club.

Best goal - Alexander Isak (Newcastle) 

Alexander Isak was back on the scoresheet at Southampton after a rare blank against Bournemouth in Matchweek 22, scoring twice at St Mary’s Stadium to become Newcastle United’s second-highest Premier League scorer, with 48 goals.

His first goal was a penalty converted after he won it while his second was arguably the goal of the weekend. 

In the latest display of the brilliant connection between Isak and Jacob Murphy, the latter glided infield from the right wing and fired a precise through-ball to the Swede, whose perfect first touch teed him up to score.

Isak's second goal v Southampton

It was Murphy’s sixth Premier League assist for Isak this season and the pair have combined for seven goals in total, more than any other duo.

Murphy has also set up eight of Isak’s 48 Premier League goals, more than any other player, and created more chances for Newcastle’s No 14 this season, with 12, than he has for any other team-mate. 

Murphy's assists for Isak 2024/25

Along with 17-goal Isak, Murphy has been a major success story for Newcastle this season.

One of four different players used in a right-wing role across Newcastle’s first 13 Premier League matches, Murphy has made the position his own, starting each of the last 10 encounters.

That has coincided with Isak’s stunning form - 13 goals in his last 10 league games, with five set up by Murphy, who is now joint-fourth in Premier League assists chart, with eight.

Also deserving of a mention for scoring standout goals over the weekend are Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert, for his long-range effort against Forest, and Arsenal’s matchwinner at Wolverhampton Wanderers, defender Riccardo Calafiori. 

Biggest surprise - Spurs 1-2 Leicester

Leicester City were on a seven-match losing streak and Tottenham Hotspur had not lost a home game to a team in such poor form since facing Notts County back in 1912.

So the Foxes' comeback victory, even against a struggling Spurs side, was still an upset.

Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss scored twice in four minutes in a stunning start to the second half for Leicester, in keeping with Leicester scoring a league-high 72 per cent of their goals after the break. 

What pleased head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy just as much as the goals was the defensive shift his side put in as they held on for a result which lifted them out of the bottom three.

Since a 3-1 win against West Ham United in his opening game in charge, Leicester had conceded at least twice in each of their following eight league games before visiting Spurs. 

They had also faced 16 or more shots in five of Van Nistelrooy’s first nine Premier League games. 

But it was a different story against Spurs as Leicester produced one of their best defensive displays under Van Nistelrooy.

Against Spurs, Leicester recorded their most interceptions, joint-most possession regains, made their second-most tackles and clearances in a single match this season.

Leicester's defensive performance v Spurs

“The effort, the dedication, the blocks and clearances. It was a joy to watch,” Van Nistelrooy said.