Wrighty’s Weekend Wonders: Ian Wright runs down his player, manager and moment of the latest round of Premier League action
Former Arsenal star is particularly impressed by top flight new-boys Hull and the performance of a certain Liverpool star
AFTER an exhilarating opening two days of the Premier League season, IAN WRIGHT kicks of his season with his weekend wonders.
But who has the former Arsenal and England man selected as his top player and manager of game-week one, and what was the standout performance?
Find out in Wrighty's weekly column below...
MANAGER OF THE WEEKEND: MIKE PHELAN
I KNOW he’s only caretaker boss at Hull, but Mike Phelan didn’t do his chances any harm with that opening win over the champions.
Listening to a lot of the home fans before kick off, I don’t think even too many of them expected much, what with no signings, just 13 senior players and the place in apparent chaos.
But Phelan had certainly done his homework on the champions and Hull were great value for their win.
They left no space for Leicester to get in behind them, Curtis Davies and Jake Livermore were outstanding at the centre of defence and they tried to play when in possession.
Phelan had his team so well prepared, and fair play to him for that. It will be a tough season for them, no doubt, but they’ve already had one day to remember.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEKEND: PHILIPPE COUTINHO
TO be honest there were a few candidates from Liverpool for that stunning second half at the Emirates, but Philippe Coutinho edged it.
In all honesty he hadn’t made that much of an impact before he stepped up to take that free kick just before the break. That soon changed, didn’t it?
Petr Cech could have had half the team alongside him on the goal-line and still been picking the ball out of his net, Coutinho’s shot was so accurate.
He followed that up with the shrewdest of touches to turn in Liverpool’s third, and generally had a field day as the Reds ran Arsenal ragged.
Some have accused the Brazilian of not turning it on against the top sides, but at times he was almost unplayable yesterday. When he’s in this form, there is a lot for Liverpool to look forward to.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEKEND: HULL BEATING THE CHAMPIONS
OPENING day wins for Pep Guardiola – albeit with hardly the most impressive performance of the day – and Jose Mourinho.
But in terms of headline-grabbing victories, nothing came close to Hull pulling off the unlikeliest of wins against a Leicester team which shocked us all last season.
The Tigers were supposed to be there for the taking. You’d have struggled to find to many of their OWN fans who disagreed with that beforehand.
Being without five senior players was bad enough. Not having any new signings to put in their place, meaning three teenagers were on the bench, gave it the look of Mission Impossible.
But the ones who caretaker Phelan sent into battle at the KCOM Stadium gave everything for the cause. The best example of how adversity and hard times can sometimes lead to even greater togetherness and unity. A top performance all round.