BEST SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE: Cole Palmer (Chelsea 4-2 Brighton, Sept. 28)It was early in the season, but coach Enzo Maresca was feeling confident about the start he had made with Chelsea. The Blues faced Brighton at home and despite conceding first, they ended up winning 4-2 at Stamford Bridge, securing a fourth straight win with an impressive 15 goals from their first six league matches.
Beyond the result and the streak, that day was all about Palmer as he became the first player in Premier League history to score four goals in the first half. It was 20 minutes of absolute, individual domination as the English star — and Chelsea’s most important player — scored in the 21st, 28th, 31st and 41st minute.
His third goal was one of the best free kicks of the season, but what made this even more incredulous is that it could have been so much more as Palmer also had a goal called back for offside as well as one attempt that hit the post. Yes, we were still in the first half.
The second half had less action, but Palmer still affected the game and almost scored a fifth goal, though his effort went wide. But make no mistake: A performance is defined by your overall impact on a game and on this particular afternoon, Cole Palmer — who that day also became the first player since Diego Costa to score 20 goals in a calendar year — was at times unplayable. The man was possessed by the gods of coldness and gave us a thunderous display.
GOAL OF THE SEASON: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton 3-0 Chelsea, Feb. 14) Months later, Brighton achieved redemption and it wasn’t just cupid’s arrow that hit the target on Valentine’s night. The 27-year-old winger also delivered that evening, gifting Brighton fans a love note at Amex Stadium.
Let’s set the scene. It’s the 26th minute and both sides are battling their way through a stalemate. Brighton’s stopper Bart Verbruggen takes the ball out of his box, looking to send it long. He sees Mitoma sandwiched between Chelsea defenders Trevoh Chalobah and Malo Gusto , so he launches a long delivery to the Japanese attacker. Mitoma sprints toward goal, chased by Chalobah and Gusto as the ball hovers and drops over his shoulder.
It’s a very difficult pass to bring down because you don’t see the ball coming until the last second. But with the timing and delicate touch of a surgeon, Mitoma receives it via a delicious, exquisite first touch with his right foot. But the job is not done because Chalobah is next to him, ready to take it away, so immediately after the first touch, the Brighton man quickly guides the ball to his right to evade Chalobah and heads toward the middle. He succeeds, enters the edge of the box in three touches and in the quickest of flashes, places a great bottom-right finish past Filip Jørgensen .
The home fans erupted as Brighton’s faithful celebrated a wonderful goal and a game that ended 3-0 for Fabian Hürzeler’s side.
There have been some magnificent finishes this season, but I have to give the award to Mitoma because just like any true piece of art, you have to see it over and over again to truly comprehend its splendor. There are so many intricate pieces to it that require dissection and ultimately, all the details come together for a majestic goal.
ROOKIE OF THE SEASON: Dean Huijsen , Bournemouth MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Ryan Gravenberch , LiverpoolOLD DOG, NEW TRICKS AWARD: Chris Wood , Nottingham ForestMANAGER OF THE SEASON: Arne Slot, LiverpoolSlot walked into a difficult gig last summer and ended up cruising to the league title with Liverpool. Carl Recine/Getty Images I suppose it’s perfectly acceptable to add Nuno Espirito Santo or even Eddie Howe to the conversation, but the truth is that to win the Premier League title in your first season as manager — as well as your debut season in the league — is a remarkable achievement.
Let’s also not forget that Slot also did this without bringing any transfers to the squad aside from a below-par Federico Chiesa . The Dutch manager also had the daunting job of taking over Klopp’s system and trying to transform “heavy metal football” into his own modality — and with the same players — but most importantly, he had to help the club move forward from their beloved German manager. Oh, and there were three important contract negotiations (Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold , Virgil van Dijk ) to deal with. He did it, quietly and without a fuss.
For Slot, it came down to man management, focus and attention to care and detail. In the end, Liverpool lost only three times in the Premier League all season and had the best offensive record and second-best defensive record of all 20 teams.
The naysayer will tell you that Liverpool took advantage of multiple issues from other clubs, including Manchester City ‘s injury woes and massive dip in form before the end of the calendar year, but this simply isn’t the case. Leagues are won with consistency, and that’s exactly what Slot brought to the table.
He implemented his tactics with precision and even helped players become better versions of themselves by totally transforming them into something else (the aforementioned Gravenberch, for example). He helped Salah become more lethal, which is astounding to contemplate, and reminded everyone why van Dijk might just be one of the best center backs in the history of the game. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also had their best seasons for the club because their roles were more finely tuned.
This was an impressive season from Liverpool, and despite the fact that they have taken their foot off the pedal since winning the title, let’s not forget they haven’t relinquished the top spot in the table since November. That’s a very impressive achievement and thanks to their manager, they have more than earned it.
