Arsenal stumbled, Manchester City and Aston Villa kept on shining, and Liverpool’s title defence continued to falter in another captivating weekend of Premier League football.
Here’s our pick of the stats from gameweek 15.
Stats you might have missed
Villa’s historic surge
- Aston Villa have pieced together nine wins in a 10-game top-flight spell for the first time since December 1919.
Whisper it quietly…are Aston Villa now title contenders?
The claret-and-blue steam train shows no signs of slowing after their best win of the season to date: a dramatic last-minute 2-1 victory over league leaders Arsenal, a result which cut the gap between the two sides to just three points after 15 matches.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround. After a sluggish start in which Unai Emery’s men collected only three points from their opening five winless games, Villa have exploded into form. They’ve now won nine of their last 10 league matches: the first time they’ve put together a run of that magnitude over a 10-game top-flight stretch since 1919.
Chelsea’s 3pm hoodoo
- Chelsea’s wait goes on for a win in the Saturday 3pm slot.
While Manchester City and Aston Villa kept the pressure firmly on Arsenal, Chelsea have slipped in the opposite direction. Following a mid-week 3-1 loss at Leeds, the Blues delivered another flat performance in a goalless draw at Bournemouth, a result that saw them fall to 5th in the table.
The stalemate also means Chelsea are still without a single Premier League win in a 3pm Saturday kick-off this season (2D 1L) – something they will hope to change at home to Everton on Saturday.
Barry’s breakthrough
- Thierno Barry finally scored his first Everton goal in his very first shot on target at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton soared up to 5th in the table following a comprehensive 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest – their fourth win in the space of five games.
The game was notable for summer signing Thierno Barry finally netting his very first Everton goal in his 17th match for the club. His breakthrough strike arrived in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, coming from his very first shot on target at the Hill Dickinson Stadium (in the Premier League).
City’s assist artist
- No player has more Premier League assists this season than Rayan Cherki, with his five assists coming in his last six games.
Manchester City moved to within two points of Arsenal after a commanding 3–0 win over Sunderland at the Etihad; their eighth victory in their last ten Premier League matches.
Rayan Cherki provided a pair of assists for Ruben Dias and Phil Foden, which lifted him level with Bruno Fernandes and Mohammed Kudus at the top of the league’s assist charts with five.
Even more impressive is the efficiency of Cherki’s output, with all five assists having come in just 398 minutes of league action, and they have all arrived across his last six appearances. If you haven’t seen his sensational assist for City’s third goal against Sunderland, do yourself a favour, stop what you’re doing and watch it now.
Bends It Like Guimaraes
- Bruno Guimaraes is the first Newcastle player to score directly from a corner in the Premier League.
Newcastle made it 10 points from their last four games after they condemned Burnley to a sixth straight defeat.
Magpies skipper Bruno Guimaraes opened the scoring in spectacular style when he became the first Newcastle player to score directly from a corner in the Premier League.
Simons shines
- Xavi Simmons scored his first Tottenham goal and provided his first home assist in the Premier League.
Xavi Simons got off the mark, scoring his first goal for Tottenham in a much-needed 2-0 win over Thomas Frank’s former side Brentford.
The Dutchman also notched his first home assist in the Premier League in a Man of the Match performance.
Slot’s set-piece struggles
- Only Nottingham Forest (11) have conceded more goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season (excl. penalties) than Liverpool (10).
Liverpool’s defensive fragility was once again exposed after they threw away a 2-0 lead and then conceded a 96th-minute equaliser in a chaotic 3-3 draw at Elland Road.
The Reds have now leaked 10 goals from set-plays this season, the second most in the Premier League behind Nottingham Forest (excluding penalties). This unwanted tally is already more than the total Arne Slot’s Liverpool shipped from set-pieces over the entire 2024-25 league campaign (9).
Duel record
- Mateus Fernandes won 16 duels against Brighton, the most by a player in a Premier League game this season.
West Ham were denied the south coast spoils after they conceded a 91st minute equaliser away to Brighton, which kept the club in the relegation zone.
Summer signing Mateus Fernandes delivered a standout performance in the draw, with his tally of 16 winning duels the most by a player in a Premier League game this season.
Palace rule the road
- Crystal Palace have won the most away games (5), taken more points (16), and conceded the fewest goals (5) on the road in the Premier League this season.
The Eagles soared into the top-4 after they claimed a last-minute win away to London rivals Fulham thanks to a header from skipper Marc Guehi – his first ever headed goal in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace have now won more away games (5) and taken more points (16) on the road than any other side in the Premier League this season. On top of that, they’ve conceded a league low five goals from their eight games on their travels.
5 star Fernandes
- Bruno Fernandes became only the fifth player to assist in five consecutive away Premier League games.
Bruno Fernandes led by example in Manchester United’s potential banana-skin clash away to winless Wolves, during which he scored a brace and registered an assist to inspire his side to a convincing 4-1 win at Molineux.
Fernandes’ pinpoint assist for Mason Mount’s goal saw him become only the fifth player ever to record an assist in five successive Premier League matches, following in the footsteps of Muzzy Izzet, Cesc Fabregas, Gerard Deulofeu, and Mo Salah.