Coutinho, Mirallas, Lampard: Top 3 Plays from the Premier League Weekend

This Premier League weekend, we saw 24 goals in total from eight matches, making it an average of three per match.

A plethora of goals means a plethora of fine plays to look back on. Three of them—from Craven Cottage, Goodison Park and Villa Park—stood out amongst the pack.

Let’s jump straight to our top three plays from the weekend, starring Philippe Coutinho, Kevin Mirallas and Frank Lampard.

Philippe Coutinho: Assist vs. Fulham

In his short time at Liverpool, Philippe Coutinho has already become a fixture in Brendan Rodgers’ starting XI.

With five assists and two goals in his first 11 starts in a Reds shirt, the surprise shouldn’t be that he has taken to English football like a duck to water, but rather that some pundits were initially skeptical about his signing.

Whatever.

He has become known as the king of the through ball amongst Liverpool fans, and while Daniel Sturridge’s first two goals were brilliantly taken, it was the third that topped them all—a fine lob over an onrushing Mark Schwarzer following a nonchalant swing of a right boot from Coutinho.

Now that’s what you call an assist.

Kevin Mirallas: Goal vs. West Ham United

After David Moyes confirmed his move to Manchester United to replace the retiring Sir Alex Ferguson, his Everton players would be forgiven for wanting to impress and earn a move to Old Trafford.

And if Kevin Mirallas doesn’t end up following his manager to United, Moyes will have left his replacement a big gift.

Mirallas has threatened to be one of the Premier League’s most exciting wingers since his move from Olympiakos last summer. Now, with two more goals under his belt, he appears on the verge of achieving that.

His first, and Everton’s opener, came on the back of a slick team move—four players were involved in a sweeping horizontal lay-off game before Mirallas finished smartly.

Leighton Baines, Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar were all involved in the build-up. A fine legacy for Moyes to leave behind at Goodison Park.

Frank Lampard: Record Breaker vs. Aston Villa

Is it any wonder that Frank Lampard makes some sort of a Premier League highlights list this weekend? After all, the Chelsea legend only equalized and then surpassed Bobby Tambling’s record haul in a Blues shirt.

He’s been prolific from the penalty spot and from deflected long-range shots, but Lampard has also made his name from his effective late arrivals into the box, and his record-breaking goal at Villa Park on Saturday was one such occasion.

He was the one that started the move, laying the ball into Eden Hazard, who played a fine one-two with Ashley Cole while surging into the box.

Lampard did what he did best, ghosting into the area, and duly finished from close range after Hazard’s precise placed pass.

203. Easy. 

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