What Happened On Weekend?

Greetings friends,

We’re back with our weekly deep dive, bringing you interesting stories from the weekend’s football action.

PSV Eindhoven 5 vs Fortuna Sittard 2
Following his spectacular hat-trick against Feyenoord last week, Psv Eindhoven’s Ismael Saibari is continuing his brilliant form. The Moroccan international scored two goals against Fortuna Sittard. In short, he is a dynamic attacking midfielder, combining impressive physicality with clinical finishing, that makes him an exciting prospect.

His season statistics in the Eredivisie illustrate his impact: Progressive Carries 3.4 per 90 (96 percentile), Successful Take-Ons 2.64 per 90 (99 percentile), Progressive Passes 9.88 per 90 (99 percentile), Shot Creating Actions 4.11 per 90 (89 percentile). In addition, his Champions League performance for the 2025-26 season also looks pretty good. Tackles (2.52 per 90, 96th percentile), Aerials Won (1.80 per 90, 99th percentile), and npxG (0.72 per 90, 88th percentile). In total, 8 goals and 2 assists in 11 league matches, and 2 goals in 3 Champions League. We will probably see him move to a Top 5 European League in the winter or summer transfer window.

Figure 1: Ismael Saibari radar chart profile

Burnley 0 vs Arsenal 2
Arsenal maintains a six-point lead at the top of the table over their closest rivals. In the first 45 minutes against Burnley, they didn’t allow a single shot on goal, proving their defensive solidity. The dead-ball situations are going to be an indispensable weapon for Mikel Arteta’s squad. In total, they have scored eight times from corners in the league this season, a record number for any team within the first ten games of a Premier League campaign. Also, they are the leaders of goals from corners since the start of last season. It’s still too early to make big calls, only 26% of the season is played. But there’s something really promising about this Arsenal side. Okay, fine, I’ll stop.

Figure 2: Top 5 European League Goals from corners since the start of the last season

Tottenham Hotspur 0 vs Chelsea 1
Chelsea recovered from their disappointing loss against Sunderland last week by securing a well deserved London derby. Their high-pressing game caused significant problems for Tottenham throughout the match.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Moisés Caicedo one of the Premier League’s top midfielders, his performance against Tottenham once again proved he’s operating on another level. Tottenham should be thankful to their goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, whose exceptional performance prevented the scoreline from being much worse. Total saves 8, goals prevented 2.17, saves form inside box 7, punches 1. His heatmap alone tells the story of a busy afternoon.

Figure 3: Guglielmo Vicario performance against Tottenham Hotspur

Nott. Forest 2 vs Manchester United 2
This fixture marked the one-year anniversary of Ruben Amorim’s tenure as head coach at Manchester United. It has undoubtedly been a challenging journey over the past year, and the team is not yet on a path of smooth sailing. Manchester United’s run of three consecutive wins was on the verge of ending in defeat, but Amad Diallo’s stunning volley prevented defeat with a crucial point. The next game is Tottenham Hotspur away. It might be a good thing for the team that there’s no midweek European match. Tottenham has a Champions League game against Copenhagen to focus on.

Figure 4: Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United, Premier League Week 10

Liverpool 2 Aston Villa 0
Liverpool ended a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats with a vital win over Aston Villa at Anfield. The legendary Mohamed Salah scored his 250th goal for the club. Arne Slot’s strategic decision to rest key senior players during the midweek League Cup defeat to Crystal Palace seemed to pay off well as the Reds rediscovered their winning form.

The Dutch manager made nine changes, going back to a familiar and reliable formation, including Andy Robertson at left-back and a midfield trio that notably excluded Florian Wirtz. Liverpool's next two games are against Real Madrid in the CL, followed by Manchester City away. Okay, hold on tight.

Crystal Palace 2 vs Brentford 0
Crystal Palace’s impressive run at Selhurst Park continues, as they are now unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League home games (W6 D5). Jean-Philippe Mateta has been instrumental to the Eagles’ recent success. Since Oliver Glasner’s appointment in February 2024, Mateta has scored 22 goals in 28 home starts, a statistic only surpassed by Erling Haaland (23) in the same period. Jean-Philippe Mateta, you absolute monster. Forget that thing with Zaha for a second, you’re quietly becoming one of the Premier League’s most iconic characters. Respect button here, please. 🙌

Quick Takeaways

✏️Wolfsburg, still searching for their first home win of the season, they were defeated 3-2 to Hoffenheim despite two goals from Mohamed Amoura.

✏️Real Madrid dominated Valencia at home, winning 4-0 with goals from Kylian Mbappé (2), Jude Bellingham, and Álvaro Fernández. They now prepare for a massive midweek game against Liverpool at Anfield Road. 👀

✏️Nicolas Jackson scored his first goal for Bayern Munich as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 at the Allianz Arena, reaching 27 points from 9 matches.

✏️Following a brutal 6-0 loss to Bayern to start the season, Leipzig has come back strong with seven wins in their last eight games, showing incredible resilience under manager Ole Werner. The chemistry between Nusa, Diomande, and Romulo has been outstanding. But one name deserves special attention: Forzan Assan Ouedraogo. The 19-year-old German midfielder, a product of Schalke’s academy who joined Leipzig last season, was sidelined by injuries for most of the last season. However, with the new season he has been electric. Keep a close watch on him, this kid’s rise is the real deal.

✏️Greece Super League: Rafa Benítez, who took over Panathinaikos recently, suffered his first league defeat, losing 1-0 to Volos NFC.

✏️Premier League: Manchester City climbed to second place in the league with a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth, thanks to two goals of Erling Haaland. Pep Guardiola’s team faces a tough schedule with their next two games against Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.

✏️In the Istanbul derby, Fenerbahçe made a dramatic comeback, defeating Beşiktaş 3-2 after being 2-0 down. Beşiktaş’s challenge was made much harder when Orkun Kökçü received a red card in the 26th minute, leaving his team with ten men.

✏️In Serie A, Milan beat Roma 1-0 at home with a goal from Pavlović. Roma had a chance to level it late, but Mike Maignan denied Paulo Dybala’s penalty, securing the win for Milan.

We’ve got Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League action coming up this week, a fun fixture and an amazing week of football ahead! See you soon, take care!