West Ham star steps up: 8 things you might have missed in the Premier League

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The first midweek round of Premier League fixtures got underway on Tuesday with four matches in total.

Defending Premier League champions Manchester City looked to extend their lead at the top of the table, taking on Watford at Vicarage Road.

Elsewhere, West Ham United hosted Cardiff City, Bournemouth took on Huddersfield Town and Brighton & Hove Albion faced Crystal Palace in the M23 derby.

Here are eight things you might have missed.

1. Ryan Fraser reclaims assister’s top spot

What a season Ryan Fraser is having. Having recorded six assists in the opening 14 games of the season, Fraser went into the game tied at the top of the assist list with Aaron Ramsey and Raheem Sterling.

But it took the Scot just four minutes to move clear at the top once again, crossing in for Callum Wilson to head Bournemouth into the lead, for his seventh assist of the season.

2. Callum Wilson matches career-best Premier League tally

There must be something in the water at Bournemouth with Callum Wilson scoring his eighth goal of the season already, heading in Fraser’s cross after four minutes.

The goal put Wilson as the second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League, with only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (10) managing more.

But what makes it even more remarkable for Wilson is that the newly-capped England international has already matched his career-best goal tally in the Premier League, scoring eight in 28 games last season – it has taken him just 15 matches this campaign.

3. Glenn Murray opens the scoring… again

There are some players you can always back to score the opening goal in a game, and Glenn Murray is proving to be one of them this season.

The 35-year-old gave Brighton the lead from the penalty spot in their crunch game against Crystal Palace, scoring his eighth Premier League goal of the season.

Remarkably, five of them now have been the first goal in a game, with only Mohamed Salah (six) managing the feat on more occasions in the Premier League this season.

4. Leon Balogun, impact sub?

Twenty-five seconds. That’s how long it took centre-back Leon Balogun to score after coming on from the bench.

The Nigerian was brought on for Pascal Groß in the first half as Brighton manager Chris Hughton tried to counter Shane Duffy’s early red card for an off-the-ball incident.

And Balogun’s first action was to volley the ball in from a corner with his first touch, scoring the second-fastest goal by a substitute in the Premier League this season. Only Daniel Sturridge against West Ham (24 seconds) managed it faster.

Talk about your impact subs.

5. Fabianski continues impressive penalty run

Players and fans alike celebrate the awarding of penalties, viewing the spot kicks as an almost guaranteed goal.

That doesn’t seem to be the case when Lukasz Fabianski is in goal, however. Cardiff were awarded a first-half penalty at the London Stadium on Tuesday night and Joe Ralls would have fancied his chances of putting the Bluebirds ahead.

But Ralls’ effort was saved by Fabianski, with the Polish goalkeeper continuing his run of having saved the past three penalties he has faced in the Premier League.

Since the start of last season, no goalkeeper has saved more penalties than Fabianski’s four, having faced seven in that time.

6. No Murray? No problem!

At the time of his goal in Brighton’s game against Crystal Palace, Murray had scored 47% of the Seagulls’ goals in the Premier League this season (eight out of 17).

For this season, fans must have been worried when the striker had to go off with a shoulder injury midway through the first half.

But Florin Andone, the man who replaced him, quickly showed there was nothing to worry about in grabbing his second goal in as many games.

7. Lucas Perez finds his Premier League shooting boots

It had been 700 days since Lucas Perez last scored in the Premier League, netting for Arsenal in a 3-3 draw against Bournemouth on January 3, 2017.

Granted, the Spaniard had managed 12 games since then, in cup competitions and while on loan at Deportivo La Coruna in Spain, but he had been waiting a long time in the Premier League.

Brought on to replace the injured Marko Arnautovic, Perez took just nine minutes to score his first Premier League goal for West Ham volleying from Robert Snodgrass’ cross.

And, like London buses, Perez had to wait just five minutes for his next Premier League goal, doubling West Ham’s lead with another good finish.

8. Man City keep up impressive first-half run

Nineteen times Manchester City have scored in the first half of a game across all competitions this season. And 19 times they have gone on to win.

The defending Premier League champions continue to improve under Pep Guardiola and moved five points clear at the top of the division with a 2-1 win away at Watford.

City were made to work for the win, however, but Watford could not prevent Guardiola’s side from scoring in the first half with Leroy Sane chesting in Riyad Mahrez’s cross.

The post Fraser the assist king: the Premier League action you might have missed appeared first on Squawka News.



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