Premier League Matchday 23 review: New league record set

Tuesday 6 February 2024 by Jonathan Victoria  Features

There wasn’t much rest for the players between Matchday 22 and 23, but you wouldn’t have guessed it based on some of the performances this weekend.

45 goals were scored between the 20 teams, which sets a new league record for most goals in a Matchday, which previously sat at 44 goals (achieved two times).

An average of 4.5 goals a game for the weekend was exceeded by four fixtures, including an eight-goal thriller up north.

With that said, let’s dive further into our Premier League Matchday 23 review, taking a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the weekend, plus the biggest winners and star players.

The Good

Credit: Garnacho scores double as Reds dominate | Man United 3-0 West Ham | EPL Highlights (Sky Sports Premier League, Youtube)

Manchester United scored a solid 3-0 victory over West Ham despite looking somewhat behind on paper.

They took 10 fewer shots than the Hammers but hit the target five times compared to the visitors three. They had a 0.7 xG, which was exactly half of West Ham’s yet goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho (twice) scored them the win.

Wolves silenced Stamford Bridge by putting four past Chelsea to their two. It was a strong performance, making the most of their opportunities and sending them above the Blues in the table.

Brighton furthered their cause for European football once again next season with a commanding 4-1 win over Crystal Palace. Along with Newcastle’s poorer result, the win moves the Seagulls up into 8th in the table, just one point behind West Ham.

The Bad

Credit: EIGHT GOAL THRILLER | Newcastle 4-4 Luton | Premier League Highlights (Sky Sports Premier League, Youtube)

Starting with Newcastle, a brilliant campaign last year that saw them finish in the top four has given way to a sub-par year so far this season.

They had to claw their way back from 4-2 down to earn a single point at home against Luton, who they should realistically be beating. After taking the win over Aston Villa in the midweek away from home, this result should be considered nothing less than a failure for them.

Everton have started to slide once again, finding themselves back in the bottom three after going the last six games without a win. Their draw against Tottenham was a better sign, but they still need more. Earning a point from a 90th+ minute set piece is not going to happen every week.

The Ugly

Credit: Matheus Cunha TO THE RESCUE! | Chelsea 2-4 Wolves | Premier League Highlights (Sky Sports Premier League, Youtube)

There’s not really anything to put into the ugly category except for one team - Chelsea.

This should be no surprise. Putting aside the ‘how much they’ve spent’ argument, the Blues have taken no strides forward since they decided to sack Thomas Tuchel back in September 2022.

It’s hard to place the blame solely on the manager, although we’re sure Mauricio Pochettino plays a part in the blame. It seems like this season could just be another throwaway year, and they should set their sights on proper improvement for next season and the future.

Biggest Winners

Credit: Trossard seals vital win for Gunners | Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool | Premier League Highlights (Sky Sports Premier League, Youtube)

It’s hard to pick exactly who the biggest winners should be as multiple teams got a result that benefitted them greatly.

Aston Villa continues to look like an outside threat in the title race with another convincing win, this time a 5-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.

Manchester City kept the pressure on Arsenal and Liverpool with a 3-1 win over Brentford. With their game in hand, Pep Guardiola’s men are primed to pounce when their chance comes.

Speaking of Arsenal and Liverpool, the pair matched up in an epic showdown that saw the hosts walk away with the win, keeping the Reds within touching distance at the top of the table. Liverpool are still hurting without Mo Salah, so they are eagerly awaiting his return from injury.

With all that said, we’re not going to pick one biggest winner but instead name Villa, Man City and Arsenal all the biggest winners.

Star Players

With a brilliant gameweek comes several players who could’ve earned star player plaudits, but we’ve limited it to just the three.

Credit: Foden SHINES with brilliant hat-trick! | Brentford 1-3 Man City | Premier League Highlights (Sky Sports Premier League, Youtube)

Phil Foden

Hat-trick hero Phil Foden was the star in City’s victory over Brentford. The whole squad dominated the game but the local lad was the difference maker, taking home the match ball.

Matheus Cunha

Another three-goal haul came from Wolves as they downed Chelsea, with Matheus Cunha grabbing his first hat-trick in the Premier League.

Mark Flekken

Brentford may have lost but the blame can’t be placed on their keeper, Mark Flekken. Despite conceding three times, the Dutch shot-stopper racked up 12 saves in total, including nine in the first half.