There were some big results across Gameweek 6 of the 2025-26 Premier League.
Liverpool lost for the first time in the league this season, with their perfect start ended by Crystal Palace. Manchester United’s crisis resumed with their 3-1 away defeat to Brentford. And Chelsea’s poor run continued in a 1-3 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Arsenal and Manchester City were the teams celebrating most, beating Newcastle United and Burnley, respectively. Man City’s 5-1 win over Burnley was the biggest victory of the weekend, and they have four players in our Team of the Week for Gameweek 6.
Despite their iconic win over Liverpool, there are no Palace players in the TOTW. But Ismaila Sarr is an honourable mention.
The Squawka Score is our proprietary performance rating, combining multiple Opta stats into a single percentage. It benchmarks players against their positional peers, allowing quick comparisons. Learn more about how it works here: https://www.squawka.com/en/news/squawka-score-explained/
Read the Squawka Score 2025-26 Premier League Team of the Week for Gameweek 28 here.
GK: Caoimhin Kelleher (Brentford)
- Squawka Score: 92%
Caoimhin Kelleher may have conceded a goal in Brentford’s win over Man Utd, but the Irishman was vital to the Bees getting the three points. Kelleher made the crucial penalty save from Bruno Fernandes’ effort to keep Brentford 2-1 up. In total, Kelleher made five saves and prevented 1.81 goals. Three of those saves came from shots inside the box. Kelleher’s passing was pretty decent too, with the Irishman completing eight long passes.
Honourable mention: Robin Roefs (91%)
Robin Roefs misses out purely on the fact that Kelleher saved a penalty. The Sunderland shot-stopper kept a clean sheet in their win over Nottingham Forest, making six saves and preventing 2.1 goals.
RB: Matheus Nunes (Man City)
- Squawka Score: 72%
Matheus Nunes scored in Man City’s win over Burnley, capping off what was a solid performance from the Portuguese star. Nunes was very attack-minded, having three touches in the opposition box and completing seven passes into the final third. He also completed 100% of his attempted crosses. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved defensively. Nunes chipped in with one cross blocked and three possessions won in the defensive third.
Honourable mention: Jurrien Timber (71%)
Jurrien Timber was good at both ends of the pitch for Arsenal. He completed three take-ons and five successful passes into the penalty area, while also making three clearances.
CB: Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)
- Squawka Score: 77%
Jan Paul van Hecke was extremely busy in Brighton’s 1-3 away win over Chelsea on Saturday. The Dutch centre-back made seven clearances at Stamford Bridge, alongside two tackles won and two blocked shots. He was reliable on the ball too, completing 12 passes into the final third while boasting a retention rate of 91.36%. Van Hecke was strong in the duel, winning 75% of his aerial duels and 83.33% of his ground battles.
Honourable mention: Santiago Bueno (71%)
Santiago Bueno was Wolves’ goalscorer in their draw against Tottenham. But, of course, he is a centre-back so is ranked on more defensive metrics. Bueno won 80% of his duels — both aerial and ground — as well as winning four tackles.
CB: Gabriel (Arsenal)
- Squawka Score: 74%
Gabriel scored the winner for Arsenal in their victory against Newcastle. Shock, it came from a set-piece. But Gabriel earns his spot in this team for his defensive display. The Brazilian centre-back made a whopping 11 clearances at St James’ Park, with only one centre-back managing more across the weekend. But Gabriel was top of the pile for aerial duels won, with eight in total. He also made three interceptions retaining possession and blocked two shots.
Key stats vs Newcastle:
| Stat | Gabriel | Arsenal rank |
|---|---|---|
| Clearances | 11 | 1st |
| Interceptions | 3 | =1st |
| Duels won | 12 | 1st |
| Aerial duels won | 8 | 1st |
| Touches | 82 | 2nd |
Honourable mention: Joe Rodon (69%)
Joe Rodon performed well in Leeds’ draw with Bournemouth, despite the Whites conceding two goals. He made five clearances and won four aerial duels, alongside 100% success rate in his ground duels.
LB: Hugo Bueno (Wolves)
- Squawka Score: 72%
Hugo Bueno put in a strong defensive display for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Tottenham Hotspur. And he was unfortunate not to end the match with a victory. The Spanish defender made two interceptions retaining possession and won two tackles, ranking well among full-backs this weekend. He also completed three clearances and was part of a defence that faced just three shots on target.
Honourable mention: Lucas Digne (69%)
Lucas Digne set up Ollie Watkins’ equaliser for Aston Villa as they secured their first league win of the season. The Frenchman created one big chance and made three successful passes into the penalty area.
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RW: Yankuba Minteh (Brighton)
- Squawka Score: 73%
Yankuba Minteh was integral to Brighton’s come-from-behind win over Chelsea, setting up their equaliser. While that was the only chance Minteh created, he was a constant threat down Brighton’s right. He completed 12 final third passes and had 12 touches in the opposition box, the latter the second-most in the league this weekend.
Honourable mention: Ismaila Sarr (69%)
Ismaila Sarr scored the opener for Crystal Palace in their win over Liverpool on Saturday. He posted 0.8 non-penalty Expected Goals at Selhurst Park, while also completing seven final third passes.
CM: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
- Squawka Score: 82%
Declan Rice was phenomenal in Arsenal’s win over Newcastle, playing in the deeper double-pivot role. The Englishman won three aerial duels in the midfield to provide a good shield for those behind him. He also won seven duels and won possession three times in the defensive third. Going forward, Rice made three passes into the penalty area and created one big chance, providing an intentional assist.
Honourable mention: Elliot Anderson (77%)
Elliot Anderson was unfortunate to be on the losing side for Nottingham Forest against Sunderland. He completed 11 passes into the final third and boasted a retention rate of 87.13%.
CM: Nico Gonzalez (Man City)
- Squawka Score: 78%
Nico Gonzalez continues to impress for Man City. The midfielder was reliable as ever on the ball against Burnley, boasting a retention rate of 91.4%. He also completed 90.36% of his open-play passes. Gonzalez wasn’t just moving the ball from side to side either. He completed 12 accurate forward passes, and eight into the final third. Gonzalez also won 100% of his duels and won possession five times in the middle third.
Honourable mention: Martin Zubimendi (72%)
The other half of Arsenal’s double pivot, Martin Zubimendi created one big chance and boasted a retention rate of 90% against Newcastle.
LW: Jeremy Doku (Man City)
- Squawka Score: 77%
Jeremy Doku was on top form for Man City this weekend. He had an incredible 22 touches in the opposition box against Burnley, at least 10 more than any other player in the Premier League. In fact, it’s the most touches in the opposition box in a single Premier League game since April 2024 — when Doku himself managed 23 in a game against Luton Town. The Belgian also completed eight take-ons against Burnley, with one intentional assist and three shots on target. Doku was a real threat.
| Stat | Jeremy Doku | Man City rank |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 3 | =2nd |
| Chances created | 3 | =1st |
| Completed take-ons | 8 | 1st |
| Touches in the opposition box | 22 | 1st |
| Total crosses | 5 | 2nd |
Honourable mention: Jaidon Anthony (71%)
Jaidon Anthony had a good game despite Burnley’s defeat, scoring their only goal. The Englishman also created three chances and completed six final third passes during his time on the pitch.
ST: Erling Haaland (Man City)
- Squawka Score: 86%
Erling Haaland was in top form to help Man City beat Burnley. The Norwegian was directly involved in three goals, scoring two alongside one intentional assist. Those two goals came from seven shots, three of which hit the target. Haaland posted 1.16 xG, which took a slight boost to 1.24 post-shot xG — meaning he improved his chances of scoring based on shot placement. The Man City man was very involved in the game too, having 12 touches in the opposition box.
Honourable mention: Benjamin Sesko (72%)
Benjamin Sesko was on the losing side for Man Utd but he opened his Premier League account. The Slovenian had six touches in the opposition box and hit the target with four of his six efforts.
ST: Igor Thiago (Brentford)
- Squawka Score: 76%
Another two-goal hero, Igor Thiago put Man Utd to the sword early on for Brentford. He had three shots in total on Saturday afternoon, with two hitting the target. Thiago also won three aerial duels and proved to be a vital out-ball for Brentford against a struggling Man Utd defence.
Honourable mention: Nick Woltemade (68%)
Nick Woltemade opened the scoring for Newcastle against Arsenal, with his only shot on target. He posted 0.73 non-penalty post-shot xG, with his goal coming from just 0.1 xG overall.