Welcome to a new series on Opta Analyst, where each week we use the Opta Player Ratings to review the top-performing players from each Premier League matchday.
The Opta Player Ratings are something we introduced this summer. For a quick primer on how they’re calculated, you can check our explainer here.
In short, the Opta Player Ratings take into account over 100 different metrics for every player to provide an accurate measure of performance for them over a single match, specific period or whole season. Those metrics power six subcomponents for each player – categories like shooting, passing and defending. Then, those subcomponents are combined to calculate a total score (from 20-100) according to a player’s position in the match.
With that out of the way, here are the top performers from Matchday 5 in the Premier League.
1. Dejan Kulusevski – 97.9 (TOTTENHAM vs. Sheffield United)
Dejan Kulusevski was the hero for Tottenham at the weekend, with his last-gasp strike sealing an incredible turnaround for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Spurs went into the 98th minute trailing to Sheffield United before goals from Richarlison and Kulusevski turned the game on its head. It was the latest winning comeback by a side in Premier League history, surpassing Spurs’ own record (95th minute vs. Leicester City in January 2022).
It follows logically, therefore, that Kulusevksi’s strike (officially timed at 99:53) is the latest match-winning goal on record in Premier League history (since 2006-07); talk about earning your space atop the Opta Player Ratings.
The Swede is just one of a multitude of Spurs players thriving under new boss Postecoglou. His winner against Sheffield United was his second goal in his last three Premier League games, as many as he’d managed in his previous 32 appearances in the competition.
Starting as the right-sided winger in an attacking three behind Spurs’ striker, no one embodies Postecoglou’s desire to press aggressively from the front as much as Kulusevksi. He’s covered more ground than any player in the Premier League this season, while only Son Heung-min has made more pressures (151) than Kulusevski’s 123 for Tottenham this campaign.
2, 3 and 5: MANCHESTER CITY Players vs. West Ham United
Three Manchester City players feature in our top five this week, so we decided to group them into a single entry. Rodri (97.6), Bernardo Silva (96.8) and Jérémy Doku (93.7) all played instrumental roles in City’s 3-1 win over West Ham on MD 5.
The reigning champions fell behind thanks to a James Ward-Prowse goal in the first half but were comfortably the better team throughout the contest. They took 29 shots to West Ham’s six and amassed an expected goals (xG) tally of 3.63 to West Ham’s 0.94. There have been just four occasions of sides registering more than 3.5 xG in a Premier League game this campaign, and City account for two of those.
Once Doku equalised early in the second half, it felt inevitable that City would come back to win.
That strike was Doku’s first for the club, and he was a constant menace down the left flank. He attempted a game-high nine dribbles, and his mazy run leading up to his goal was one of his 14 touches in West Ham’s box. That was the most of any player on the pitch, and a higher tally than any City player has managed in a single Premier League game this season.
Bernardo Silva then put City in front, lifting the ball over an onrushing Alphonse Areola. He went on to assist Erling Haaland for City’s third, and this game was the 11th time Silva has both scored and assisted in a match for Manchester City – he has been directly involved in 112 goals in all competitions for the club, with an equal split for goals and assists (56 each).
Rodri was again peerless in midfield, attempting the most passes on the pitch (116), touching the ball more often than anyone else (130) and also creating four chances, a figure no other player could better.
He really is the most complete defensive midfielder in the game right now.
4. Callum Hudson-Odoi – 97.8 (NOTTINGHAM FOREST vs. Burnley)
Sandwiching his way in between the Manchester City players is Callum Hudson-Odoi, who marked his debut for Nottingham Forest with a delightful strike against Burnley on Monday night.
In doing so, he became the first player to score on his Premier League debut for Nottingham Forest since Geoff Thomas against Arsenal in August 1998. Indeed, his equaliser was his first goal in the competition since October 2021 for Chelsea against Norwich City.
After an underwhelming year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, the signs look promising that Hudson-Odoi can produce the quality he showed flashes of for Chelsea. He took three shots and created a further three chances on Monday, meaning the new signing was involved in 42.8% of all of Forest’s shots (6/14).
Top Performers by Game: Matchday 5
These were the top-performing players across each game in MD 5:
Wolves 1-3 Liverpool: Andy Robertson, 84.1
Aston Villa 3-1 Crytal Palace: Odsonne Édouard, 87.8
Fulham 1-0 Luton Town: Issa Kaboré, 82.2
Manchester United 1-3 Brighton: Pascal Groß, 91.7
Tottenham 2-1 Sheffield United: Dejan Kulusevski, 97.9
West Ham 1-3 Manchester City: Rodri, 97.6
Newcastle United 1-0 Brentford: Nathan Collins, 76.7
Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: Neto, 89.5
Everton 0-1 Arsenal: Leandro Trossard, 88.3
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Burnley: Callum Hudson-Odoi, 95.5
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