Weekend awards: Best goal, save, celebration and more!

Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks at the standout players and moments from Matchweek 25.

Best goal - Kaoru Mitoma 

The bar was set high by the opening goal of Matchweek 25, scored by Brighton & Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma.

Standout strikes from players including AFC Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie, Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood and Matheus Cunha of Wolverhampton Wanderers then followed. 

But it remained hard to look beyond Mitoma’s stunning effort in Brighton’s 3-0 win against Chelsea for the goal of the weekend. 

With an incredible first touch as the ball sailed over his head and dropped out of the sky, Mitoma brought down goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen’s long pass.

Mitoma then cut inside past Trevoh Chalobah and bent the ball into the bottom corner, providing a scoring finish that the first touch deserved.

The superlatives that followed in-form Mitoma’s third goal in his last five Premier League appearances, as many as he had managed in his previous 33 games, said it all.

Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, was adamant Mitoma’s effort was a goal of the season contender. “No doubt about that.”

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher described Mitoma’s first touch as “Messi-like" and "pure genius.” 

Meanwhile ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville was reminded of another legend. 

“I'm putting Mitoma in the same bracket as [Dennis] Bergkamp,” he said, recalling the third goal of the Dutchman’s iconic hat-trick for Arsenal at Leicester City in 1997.

Best substitution - Mikel Arteta/Mikel Merino

“We have to be creative,” Mikel Arteta said on his plans to solve Arsenal’s striker shortage after Kai Havertz’s season-ending hamstring injury.

Arsenal’s manager could hardly have been more inventive than he was at Leicester, deploying someone who had never played up front during his professional career as an emergency striker.

The plan proved to be a masterstroke. Midfielder Mikel Merino came off the bench to score twice, earning Arsenal a vital 2-0 win in their pursuit of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Before Merino’s introduction on 69 minutes, Arsenal toiled against Leicester’s deep and disciplined defence, and lacked a genuine target for all their crosses.

Only one of their eight open-play deliveries had been successful before Merino came on.

But their final two were met and converted by the Spaniard to make it 13 cross-assisted goals for Arsenal this season, the most in the Premier League.

Going forward, Arteta said different scenarios will require different players to fill in up front like Merino did against Leicester.

But the Spaniard convinced some of his suitability with his cameo off the bench. “He looked natural - really really good,” former Man City goalkeeper Joe Hart said.

Best individual performance - Omar Marmoush

A game billed as a battle between strikers Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak ended up being all about Man City striker Marmoush.

Marmoush stole the show in City’s 4-0 thumping of Newcastle United with a stunning hat-trick scored in just 14 first-half minutes as he announced himself to the Premier League.

“He is a player we missed,” manager Pep Guardiola said. The qualities Marmoush showed in scoring his first career hat-trick explained why. 

Haaland has been shouldering the goalscoring burden among Man City’s attackers more than ever so far this season until a recent flurry from Phil Foden.

In his first season at the club back in 2022/23, Haaland had Foden chipping in with a double-figure tally of 11 Premier League goals.

Foden again, with 19, and Julian Alvarez, with 11, helped Haaland out last season too. 

Marmoush scored his three goals against Newcastle from only four shots, in an encouraging and clinical display of the added goal threat he will bring to Man City’s squad.

The Egyptian's first two goals in particular showcased his off-the-ball movement.

After making 21 off-the-ball runs against Chelsea (third-most for Man City) and 19 against Arsenal (ranking second), Marmoush produced a team-leading 27 against Newcastle, highlighting again how he will give Guardiola’s side another alternative to Haaland to trouble opponents with runs in behind. 

Best save - Alex Palmer

With Ipswich Town having used two other goalkeepers before him this season, it might be third time lucky if Alex Palmer’s fairytale debut is a sign of things to come.

Palmer was making a hard-earned Premier League bow at Aston Villa, aged 28 and having played in every division from the National League North up previously.

He marked it with a man-of-the match display in 10-man Ipswich’s 1-1 draw capped by one of the saves of the season. 

Palmer readjusted brilliantly to flick the ball behind and prevent Conor Townsend scoring what would have been an unfortunate own goal in the third minute of stoppage time.

Watch Palmer's save v Villa

“I said to him at the end that’s one of the best saves I’ve seen,” Ipswich goalscorer Liam Delap said. 

Palmer made six saves in total and prevented 1.79 goals, making his first Premier League display for Ipswich instantly one of the best from any of their goalkeepers this season.

Palmer’s figures are only bettered by Arijanet Muric’s eight-save performance against West Ham United in October and Muric’s 2.45 goals prevented against Brighton in September. 

Muric has, though, made the joint-most errors leading to goals this season, with five.

Meanwhile Christian Walton is sidelined with a groin injury, which prompted Ipswich’s Deadline Day move for Palmer.

Palmer made a strong case to retain his spot long term following his outstanding showing at Villa Park.

Best turnaround - Beto

Beto was overcome with emotion after scoring an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time for Everton against Fulham in October.

“These last few weeks have been really difficult for me,” he said, alluding to his struggle for game time back then.

The last few weeks under David Moyes have been a huge contrast to those tough days for striker Beto.

He is now getting the opportunities that were not forthcoming previously. 

And Beto had a beaming smile on his face when he was handed his first Premier League man of the match award after continuing his resurgence at Crystal Palace.

Beto scored his fourth Premier League goal in five appearances under Moyes, as many as he managed in 42 league matches under previous manager Sean Dyche.

The dramatic improvement in Beto’s minutes per goal ratio, from 289.5 down to 88, his shot conversion rising from 7.4 to 40 per cent, and big chance conversion improving from 28.6 to 100 per cent, are among other metrics which point to his impressive turnaround since Everton’s managerial change.

“If I don’t have confidence my game doesn’t come out and I am playing now with a lot of confidence,” Beto said of the new-found belief he has been given by Moyes. 

That was evident in how he impressively tucked away Everton’s opening goal at Selhurst Park.

Beto’s Premier League record: Dyche v Moyes 

Best celebration - James Maddison

There was the usual dart throwing gesture from James Maddison after he scored Tottenham Hotspur's winning goal against Manchester United.

But there was a twist to his celebration this time as Maddison also put a finger to his lips in a message to his critics. 

Spurs midfielder Maddison had heard the “outside noise” from Roy Keane last week and responded in the best way possible - by scoring the winner against, of all teams, Keane’s former side to earn the north London side a first Premier League home win since November.

The goal was additionally significant for Maddison as it was finally his first against Man Utd in his 12th appearance against the Red Devils.

“You do see it [criticism] and it is there especially when it’s a big name,” Maddison said post match. 

“People have their opinions and I just wanted to do my talking on the pitch. I hope there's a certain few who enjoyed me being the matchwinner today.”

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou added: “It doesn’t surprise me that Madders didn’t accept what was being said about him and threw a shot back over the bow.”