The Premier League has announced the shortlist for the Player of the Week award for Matchweek 6 after a weekend of dramatic twists.
Liverpool tasted their first league defeat of the season, losing 2-1 at Crystal Palace on Saturday. Arsenal flipped the script against Newcastle United, earning a dramatic 2-1 win at St James' Park, while Manchester United were on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline at Brentford. Manchester City, by contrast, swept aside Burnley 5-1.
The nominees are as follows:
Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa) came on as a substitute and produced a superb cameo, helping Villa secure their first Premier League win of the season. Six minutes after the break he delivered a key pass that led to a goal and added an assist as Villa held on for the win; he also registered his first EPL goal since March 2023.
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) delivered a commanding display against Burnley, playing a central role in City’s late goals. After the scoreline was level at 1-1, a slick through-ball he initiated sparked City’s decisive spell, and he capped the performance with a brace in the final minutes.
Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace) helped end Liverpool’s perfect start by delivering a performance of real substance. The Japanese international floated into key positions, completed more passes than any Palace teammate, and his corner played a part in Ismaila Saar’s opener.
Sean Longstaff (Leeds United) shone in Leeds United’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Elland Road, scoring one and creating another as the hosts fought back from a deficit.
Declan Rice (Arsenal) produced a commanding display against Newcastle United, helping Arsenal overturn a deficit and claim a 2-1 victory at St James’ Park.
Robin Rofs (Sunderland) the Dutch goalkeeper produced a string of crucial saves to help Sunderland seal a win away at Nottingham Forest, a rare off-the-cuff away triumph for the Black Cats.
Igor Tiago (Brentford) struck twice in Brentford’s 3-1 win, opening with a powerful finish and sealing the result with a sharp second.
Dani Welbeck (Brighton) gave Brighton a vital edge with a late headed equaliser and then finished calmly to seal a 2-1 win over Chelsea.
Tottenham players have dominated the POTW awards so far this season, capturing three of the five prizes in the early rounds. Liverpool sit second with two, while no other club has claimed the honor yet this term.
The list of recent POTW winners shows that Week 1 and 2 went to Richarlison and Joao Palinha, Week 3 to Dominik Szoboszlai, Week 4 to a Tottenham player via Van de Ven, and Week 5 to Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch. Liverpool lead the Premier League table on 15 points, two ahead of Arsenal and three in front of Crystal Palace, with Tottenham, Sunderland, and Bournemouth all on 11.
The weekend also featured Liverpool’s first league defeat away from home this season, a 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace. After a first-half goal from Ismaïla Sarr, Federico Kiess? (credited as Kié) equalised for Liverpool in the 87th minute, but Edi Nketiah struck late to seal Palace’s win and keep Liverpool chasing the pack.
As the season rolls on, the POTW race promises more drama—and more questions about consistency from the big clubs. The award remains a snapshot of form across the league’s most influential moments.
And yes, if this pace keeps up, fantasy teams will need a vacation from all the scrolling to actually watch the goals. After all, the ball isn’t going to chase itself, coach’s clipboard in hand.
Punchline: If the goals keep flying at this rate, we’ll need a bigger trophy cabinet—and perhaps a loan officer on standby for the mortgage on that imaginary trophy case. Punchline 2: My fantasy team just filed a missing-ball report; apparently the ball keeps scoring without me. Guess I’ll file for a relocation to the snack stand—at least the snacks don’t offside you.
