Matchweek 30 Awards
After the blank gameweek 29, every team was back in action in week 30 of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Week 30 was a high-performance week, with plenty of great displays from players and teams with points to prove. Every manager must have drummed it into their players’ brains during the international break that the season is in the final stretch.
The marquee match of the week, Manchester City vs Arsenal, was disappointing, however. Regardless, fans had fun and are already looking forward to week 31.
Here are our awards for week 30.
Best Player – Cole Palmer
Chelsea’s shining light, Cole Palmer, is the best player from week 30’s action.
Two goals at Stamford Bridge and a performance that could have seen him bag an assist or two helped his performance stand out among many in a very high-level performance week.
In a team with Raheem Sterling, World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez and defensive giant Thiago Silva, it is the Manchester City academy graduate who is standing out.
Will the Cityzens come back for him in the future? Only time will tell.
Best XI
This week’s best XI is one of the most balanced we have had in a while. The international break definitely did something for each team as a lot of players were up to speed for their clubs.
Burnley have an entrant in Dara O’Shea, whose equaliser against Chelsea helped the Clarets continue their fight to remain in the Premier League beyond this season.
Emiliano Martinez threw us all back to his FIFA 2022 World Cup days with his performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers for Aston Villa, as he guarded his goal superbly while his outfield teammates did the damage at the other end of the pitch.
Here is our best XI from week 30.
GK: Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
DF: Ezri Konsa – Aston Villa
DF: Kristoff Ajer – Brentford
DF: Conor Bradley – Liverpool
DF: Dara O’Shea – Burnley
DM: João Palhinha – Fulham
CM: Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool
CM: Cole Palmer – Chelsea
RW: Ben Brereton Diaz – Sheffield United
LW: Harvey Barnes – Newcastle United
CF: Alexander Isak – Newcastle United
Best Goal
Harvey Barnes’ 90th minute goal to win the game for Newcastle United against West Ham is the winner of our Goal of the Week award.
The English forward, after some great work by Anthony Gordon, turned his defender with one move and scored one of the best last-minute goals in the Premier League this season.
Łukasz Fabiański could do nothing even at full stretch and St. James’ Park erupted in joy.
If Barnes keeps this up, Gareth Southgate will have a tough choice to make as he plans his Euro 2024 squad.
Best Game
Newcastle United vs West Ham was a rollercoaster of emotions. It was one of the best comeback performances by any team this season.
Unfortunately, it does not speak well about David Moyes’ team, but the Hammers also put in quite a shift for more than one hour in the game.
A late attacking flurry which was led by the returning Harvey Barnes gave Eddie Howe’s team the lifeline.
4 – 3 the scoreline. 2000 beats-per-minute, the average heart rate of fans who watched the game across the world.
Best Stats
Cole Palmer earns another spot in our week 30 awards with a brilliant stat. With eight games to go, Palmer has contributed 21 goals to Chelsea’s Premier League season (13 goals and 8 assists).
This sees him surpass Eden Hazard’s debut season (20 contributions in 2012/13), while matching Cesc Fabregas’ debut season (21 goal contributions in 2014/15) and drawing close to Diego Costa’s debut season (23 goal contributions in 2014/15).
His target is definitely Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s 32 goal contributions in 2000/01.
Can he catch up in the next eight weeks? We’re here for the ride.
Best/Worst VAR Decision
There were no over-the-top VAR calls this week in either direction, so this particular award remains in storage for now. And hopefully for the rest of the season too.
Best Substitution
Harvey Barnes narrowly missed out on being our player of the week, but he wins our best substitution award.
After some time on the sidelines due to injury, he returned to help Newcastle avoid defeat and embarrassment in front of their fans at St. James’ Park.
Two goals in the last seven minutes of regulation time, including one belter (our goal of the week), helped the Toons continue their chase for European football.
The Newcastle fans will be glad to have him back to full fitness.
Funniest Moment of the Matchweek
It is both sad and funny but Seamus Coleman’s own goal to give AFC Bournemouth all three points in their clash against Everton wins our funniest moment of the week category.
The experienced defender is no stranger to own goals but the fact that he not pressured and still managed to score such a rookie own-goal caused chuckles among many. A milestone appearance ruined by a silly mistake.
Coleman still remains one of the Premier League greats in our book though.