Sunday 11 January 2015 19:18, UK
Most dribbles? Most sprints? We’ve got all the best stats from the Premier League weekend…
It was another intriguing weekend of Premier League action that brought plenty of impressive individual performances.
Who was the player who broke the record for the most completed dribbles in a game so far this season?
Which team had two players make seven tackles in a robust performance to welcome their new manager to the club with three points?
Here are just some of the best Premier League facts and figures from the weekend games…
With so many tight games over the weekend, there were plenty of heroes. Six matches were decided by the odd goal but the only man to find the net twice was Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.
Sanchez bagged a brace in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Stoke at the Emirates Stadium and the Chilean has now contributed to more goals than any other Premier League player this season.
Lazar Markovic hasn’t adapted quite so quickly to life in England but the Liverpool youngster made 77 high-intensity runs in his side’s 1-0 win at Sunderland – scoring the winner in the process.
But as is becoming familiar for fans of the Premier League tracking data, it was Burnley that delivered the top numbers in their 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers at Turf Moor.
George Boyd covered 12.95 kilometres in a typically energetic performances, while Scott Arfield’s 93 sprints were a Premier League weekend high - he even scored a brilliant opening goal.
The top tacklers over the weekend both wore the same shirt as Crystal Palace’s Damian Delaney and James McArthur each made seven tackles in a 2-1 win over Tottenham at Selhurst Park.
There was a great atmosphere for Alan Pardew’s return and he got a response from his team – it was the first time Palace have had two men hit the seven-tackle mark in the same game this season.
Elsewhere, Matthew James made six interceptions, although his enthusiasm proved costly in the end as he was sent off, while Everton’s Phil Jagielka made 12 clearances in a dogged display against Manchester City.
Jordan Henderson and Cesc Fabregas completed 77 passes each on Saturday but that was bettered by Santi Cazorla the following day as the Arsenal midfielder found a team-mate on 83 occasions.
However, nobody could come close to Swansea midfielder Tom Carroll’s tally of 99 in a busy performance against West Ham. The fact that it was namesake Andy who took the plaudits with a brilliant goal only highlights the point that passing is a means to an end.
Aston Villa fans will know that better than most. Their side had the seven top passers at Leicester but were well beaten as the home side fashioned by far the better chances and could have won by more than one goal.
Sanchez created five chances for team-mates as well as scoring twice himself, but the most creative player at the weekend was Man City’s David Silva who played six key passes at Goodison Park.
But the final mention must go to Newcastle’s Remy Cabella. The Frenchman was unfortunate to be on the losing side in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea after causing all sorts of problems at Stamford Bridge.
Cabella completed 12 dribbles – a Premier League high so far this season. In fact, the last man to beat that total was on the opposing side on Saturday – Eden Hazard at Stoke in December 2013.
