Wrighty’s Weekend Wonders: Raheem Sterling is player of the week, Mike Phelan is working his magic at Hull and Burnley show up the big boys
THE Premier League is back and already producing talking points.
Arsenal legend IAN WRIGHT has poured over this weekend's action and come up with his weekend wonders.
PLAYER OF THE WEEKEND: RAHEEM STERLING
RAHEEM Sterling has taken so much stick in recent months, it’s almost become a national pastime.
So well done to the Manchester City youngster for the way he has bounced back and started the season in such flying form.
There were few bigger scapegoats for England’s Euro failing than Sterling, while opposing fans target him every week, but he already looks rejuvenated under Pep Guardiola.
Gareth Barry deserves a mention for a goal in his 100th Premier League game for Everton – and 597th in all, as do Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sergio Aguero for their doubles.
But the strength of character Raheem – and don’t forget he’s still only 21 – has shown means he gets my vote this week.
MANAGER OF THE WEEKEND: MIKE PHELAN
TWO weeks in, and already my manager of the weekend twice – and he hasn’t even got the job!
Mike Phelan certainly couldn’t have done a lot more to stake his claim as Hull followed their win over Leicester by beating Swansea on Saturday.
Only once before in Premier League history has a promoted side won the first two games, when Bolton did it in 2001. And they had more than the 13 fit senior players Phelan has to pick from.
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The caretaker manager was never one to make a big fuss in his playing days, and he’s not about to change now – but plenty of others are certainly shouting about him.
No-one’s expecting Hull to follow Leicester and stay up there all season. But if he keeps many people’s relegation certs firing like this, surely Phelan has to get a permanent chance.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEKEND: BURNLEY
THE last time Burnley were in the Premier League it took them 11 games to pick up a win, so no wonder they were celebrating at Turf Moor.
Never mind that they had less than 20 per cent of the ball against Liverpool – we got the prime example last season of how that particular stat can mean little.
The fact is that Sean Dyche’s team were brilliantly organised, and although Liverpool weren’t at their best, Burnley were clinical and incisive when it mattered.
For all their mass possession, Clarets keeper Tom Heaton didn’t have too many serious saves to make and I don’t think they lost a 50-50 challenge all afternoon.
Whatever the coming months hold for Burnley, they’ll certainly remember Saturday for a long, long time.