Premier League TOTW 32: Irrepressible Isak, resurgent Saka, decisive Jota and creative Alexander-Arnold star

Following every round of Premier League fixtures, Pulse Sports presents the most impressive performers of the matchday.

Newcastle United returned to winning ways in style with a 6-1 annihilation of top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur while title-contending Arsenal narrowly avoided losing in Friday’s rip-roaring 3-3 draw with Southampton.

Here are the top performers from the latest round of action.

Goalkeeper

Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham United)

West Ham United thrashed in-form Bournemouth 4-0 on Sunday afternoon, but Fabianski’s shot-stopping helped to secure the Hammers’ clean sheet against a side that had won four of their previous six games before round 32.

David Moyes’s team rise to 13th, leapfrogging the Cherries, after the resounding success at the Vitality Stadium.

Defenders

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

The Liverpool right-back was creative in the Reds’ see-saw 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest at Anfield, setting up Mohamed Salah’s winning goal.

Former Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has praised the Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold following his performance in the Premier League against Leeds.

Utilised in the inverted role, Alexander-Arnold took up attention-grabbing positions in the half-spaces, fashioning no less than four chances in the win, outdone by only Andrew Robertson (five), even if the Englishman fashioned more clear-cut opportunities.

Alexander-Arnold has assisted six goals in the Premier League this term.

Fabian Schar (Newcastle United)

Newcastle blew Tottenham away in a storming first half that saw the Magpies score five times in the opening 20 minutes.

Three of those strikes came in the first 10 minutes, with Schar setting up Joelinton and Jacob Murphy in minutes six and nine.

Unfortunately, the centre-back went off injured with 16 minutes remaining.

The Magpies are on the same points – but goal difference puts them above – as United but have played one more game.

Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City)

Soyuncu often gets so much stick for his defensive performances, but the centre-back gave a good account of himself in a much-needed 2-1 victory for Leicester against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Turkey international had a 100 percent success rate in his ground (five) and aerial (six) tussles, winning all 11 duels competed as the Foxes claimed their first league win since mid-February.

Soyuncu also made seven recoveries and cleared the ball from danger on as many occasions, and the success took Dean Smith’s side to 17th, outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

Aaron Cresswell (West Ham United)

The left-back assisted Michail Antonio’s fifth-minute goal that started West Ham’s beatdown of Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

Cresswell’s assist was his first of the campaign, a surprising statistic for a player who had assisted 11 goals in the two campaigns preceding this season.

Midfielders

Lucas Paqueta (West Ham United)

Paqueta is the third West Ham player in this week’s team following an admirable showing from the Brazilian in midfield.

The former Olympique Lyon man doubled the London side’s advantage after 12 minutes, created a couple of chances and tended to play on the front foot until his 77th-minute withdrawal.

Sunday’s strike was Paqueta’s first in the league since February 4.

West Ham thumped Bournemouth 4-0 at the Vitality Stadium to move further away from the relegation zone.

Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United)

Before his withdrawal with 20 minutes left, Guimaraes was impressive despite neither scoring nor assisting.

The Brazilian fashioned four shooting opportunities, played 10 passes into the final third and was accurate with nine of 10 passes, demonstrating his passing range.

Eddie Howe’s most important midfielder also made 14 recoveries before going off.

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

When Arsenal seemed down and out, trailing Southampton 2-0 and 3-2, Saka’s involvement was pivotal in rescuing a point at the Emirates Stadium.

The wide attacker set up Gabriel Martinelli’s goal after 20 minutes and netted the equaliser in the 90 minute of the six-goal thriller.

After three appearances without a goal involvement, Saka’s goal and assist take him to 13 league goals and 11 assists in 2022-23.

Diogo Jota (Liverpool)

Even though he did not score the winning goal against Nottingham Forest, Jota’s contribution for two gameweeks in succession has been opportune.

The Portuguese twice put Jurgen Klopp’s men in front, netting a brace in the 3-2 success to take his tally for the season to four. 

After scoring a brace in Monday’s thrashing of Leeds United, Jota looks to be ending an injury-hit campaign positively.

Forwards

Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)

Eddie Howe wanted a response after last week’s 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa, and he got one in the 6-1 hammering of Spurs on Sunday.

Isak’s brace contributed to the success, with the striker’s smooth finishing contributing to a blitz that saw the Magpies score five times in the game’s opening 21 minutes.

The young Swede netted the fourth and fifth of the match, latching on to Joe Willock’s exquisite pass in minute 19 and finishing with aplomb after a flowing team move two minutes later.

Isak is now into double figures in the Premier League, finding the back of the net 10 times.

Carlos Alcaraz (Southampton)

Alcaraz played only 45 minutes on Friday night, but the forward was devastating in that first half to put table-topping Arsenal’s title challenge in a precarious situation.

The 20-year-old sneakily intercepted Aaron Ramsdale’s pass intended for Oleksandr Zinchenko to put the South Coast side 1-0 up in the opening minute and played Theo Walcott in for the away side’s second.

Taking him off at the break reduced the menace Ruben Selles’s team posed in transition, but those 45 minutes demonstrated the Argentinean’s potential.

The Saints almost stunned the Emirates as they showed top-level determination against the Gunners.