Premier League Week 2: Standout Stats

The second weekend of English Premier League fixtures is in the books with the biggest surprise being Cardiff’s upset victory over title contenders Manchester City.

Arsenal got back on track with an impressive 3-1 win on the road against Fulham, and Liverpool was able to nab another critical three points without the services of the mercurial Luis Suarez.

As the footballing universe collectively waits for Manchester United and Chelsea in the last match of Week 2, here are some of the standout statistics from the games completed so far.

 

Fraizer Campbell’s Accurate Shooting

Fraizer Campbell’s brace against Manchester City is certainly a feat worth noting; however, his precision with his attempts may have been even more impressive.

The Englishman uncorked five total shots in the game and found the target with four of these attempts. No other player on Cardiff hit the frame with an attempt more than once. Only Javi Garcia of Manchester City was able to record two shots on target in the match.

So despite conceding just about 70 percent of the possession, Cardiff found success thanks to the fine attacking form of Campbell. Meanwhile, City dropped what might end up being crucial points in an early road match.

Santi Cazorla’s Incisive Passing

Santi Cazorla’s creative distribution was on point in Arsenal’s dismantling of Fulham in their second Premier League match of the 2013-14 campaign.

The Spanish maestro dished out six key passes and an assist in his 90 minutes of work. No player on the Gunners offered more than four key passes in the game.

Additionally, Cazorla connected 94 percent of his 63 passes on the afternoon. Only Per Mertesacker (97 percent) and Bacary Sagna (96 percent) had higher accuracy rates on Arsenal, and only Aaron Ramsey attempted more passes (82 passes).

Cazorla is now tied for sixth in the 2013-14 English Premier League in key passes per game with 3.5.

Marc Wilson Works on Both Sides of the Ball

Stoke City nabbed its first victory of the still very young 2013-14 English Premier league season 2-1 against Crystal Palace.

Irishman Marc Wilson may not have contributed either a goal or an assist; still, the Stoke City defensive midfielder left his mark on the game in both attack and defense for the Potters.

Not only did he lead his team in tackles with four, but Wilson was also tied for the second most interceptions on Stoke (two) and contributed five clearances during his 90 minute spell.

Offensively, Wilson was a threat with the ball at his feet going at defenders. The defensive midfielder racked up five total dribbles, the most by any individual in the match. Only Matthew Etherington was able to come close to matching Wilson here, producing three completed dribbles of his own.

Apart from being able to skip past defenders at game-high rates, Wilson also sprayed two key passes which was tied for the second most key passes for Stoke in the match.

Wilson will certainly be a key cog as Stoke hopes to continue to climb the English Premier League table.

Data gathered from WhoScored?