Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks at the standout players and moments from Matchweek 36.
Best defensive performance - Southampton
“Sorry if we got your hopes up,” Southampton messaged Derby County on X after holding on for a point against Manchester City.
This goalless draw increased Southampton's points tally to 12, leaving Derby alone on their Premier League record low of 11, hence the light-hearted social media post.
Sorry if we got your hopes up, @dcfcofficial 😬
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 10, 2025
And it was a point hard-earned by Southampton after a defiant backs-to-the-wall display.
This match was the definition of attack versus defence.
Man City’s dominance throughout is perfectly illustrated by the attacking threat and Southampton’s average positions - all in their own half.
Click here to zoom in on image.
No team has had a deeper defensive line this season (pictured, below) than Southampton’s against Man City, the south-coast side starting their open-play sequences an average of just 24 metres from their goal.
Click here to zoom in on image.
Southampton’s 14 blocks were a competition joint-high this season too and their 52 clearances the fifth most on record in 2024/25.
Southampton’s approach was not to everyone’s liking, including unimpressed Man City defender Ruben Dias after his side’s bid for a top-five finish was dented by the dropped points.
But his manager Pep Guardiola, who threw all his available attacking options bar Jack Grealish at Southampton, accepted the onus was on his side to break them down.
They could not and the final result was the tiniest crumb of comfort for already-relegated Southampton and celebrated far more than a goalless draw might usually be, due to the unwanted history they avoided.
Deepest start distance for a PL defensive line 24/25
| Date | Match | Start distance (metres) |
| 10/05/25 | Southampton 0-0 Man City | 24.0 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/10/24 | Man City 1-0 Southampton | 25.2 |
| 20/10/24 | Wolves 1-2 Man City | 25.3 |
| 26/12/24 | Liverpool 3-1 Leicester | 27.4 |
| 18/01/25 | Brentford 0-2 Liverpool | 28.0 |
Best save - Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Competition for this award was fierce in Matchweek 36 though the importance of Emiliano Martinez’s late save for Aston Villa at AFC Bournemouth earns him the honour ahead of some of his peers.
Five minutes into stoppage time, Martinez stuck out a hand and got a vital touch to divert Antoine Semenyo’s volleyed effort off target.
Martinez punched the air in celebration after his stunning reaction stop.
Coupled with Matty Cash’s last-ditch involvement in clearing the danger, it was a moment that left both Semenyo and some of Martinez’s team-mates with their hands on their heads in disbelief.
Thanks to Martinez, 10-man Villa preserved their 1-0 lead. In the tight battle for European places the two points he saved could be vital.
Another feature of Martinez’s display at Bournemouth was how proactive and dominant he was when aerial balls came into his box.
After his old club Arsenal conceded two set-piece goals against Bournemouth in Matchweek 35, Martinez seemed determined to avoid a similar fate.
He made four high claims against Bournemouth, more than any other goalkeeper in this round of fixtures.
They included two confident ones to collect two Semenyo long throws, the source of the Cherries' first goal at Arsenal.
After conceding some questionable goals recently, Martinez was much closer to his best at Bournemouth.
Best form - Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
Crystal Palace can go into Saturday’s FA Cup final against Man City hugely encouraged by the fact they possess one of the Premier League’s most in-form players.
Eberechi Eze continued his scoring streak with two more goals to earn Palace the 2-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.
His first, when Eze finished off a slick Palace team move, was voted goal of the weekend by fans on our Premier League WhatsApp channel.
Eze's first goal v Spurs
Eze now has five goals in his last four matches and seven in 10 Palace appearances in all competitions since the club season resumed on 1 April, following the March international break.
No Premier League player has netted more in that time than attacking midfielder Eze, whose double at Spurs saw him score in three successive league games for the first time in his career.
Top-scoring PL players in all competitions since 1 April
| Player | Goals | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eberechi Eze | 7 | Luis Diaz | 4 |
| Evanilson | 5 | Kevin Schade | 4 |
| Leandro Trossard | 4 | Dominic Solanke | 4 |
| Jorgen Strand Larsen | 4 | Yoane Wissa | 4 |
| Alexander Isak | 4 | Harvey Barnes | 4 |
| Jarrod Bowen | 4 | Marcus Rashford | 4 |
Eze’s speciality is the spectacular but his recent efforts have been a reminder there is more to his goalscoring repertoire.
In comparison to what he is renowned for, Palace head coach Oliver Glasner described Eze’s close-range strikes against Spurs as “two empty-net goals.”
His tap-in against Man City last month may also be similarly described by Glasner.
That strike and his first against Spurs are now among the eight shortest-distance goals Eze has scored in the Premier League.
Eze's shortest-range goals
| Date | Match | Distance (yards) |
|---|---|---|
| 18/02/23 | Brentford 1-1 Palace | 4.7 |
| 30/01/24 | Palace 3-2 Sheff Utd* | 5.5 |
| 12/04/25 | Man City 5-2 Palace | 7.5 |
| 21/04/24 | Palace 5-2 West Ham | 7.7 |
| 14/04/24 | Liverpool 0-1 Palace | 8.0 |
| 13/05/23 | Palace 2-0 Bournemouth* | 8.1 |
| 18/10/22 | Palace 2-1 Wolves | 8.7 |
| 11/05/25 | Spurs 0-2 Palace* | 9.0 |
*Eze's first goal of the match
Eze's recent purple patch suggests he will be as much as a threat to Man City from inside the area as he is outside it.
Best tribute - Andy Robertson (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s end-of-season departure from Liverpool will mark the end of an era and also the break-up of his full-back partnership with Andy Robertson that was once one of the game’s best.
His exit has split opinion among supporters but it also prompted a heartfelt tribute from Robertson.
“I’m disappointed to lose my best mate,” Robertson said. “We’ve done it all together. He is an amazing player, amazing person and he’s made me a better player. That’s from the bottom of my heart. He has taken me to levels I never knew existed. [I] love him as a friend and as a player and he will be a miss for me.”
In the first game since it was confirmed Alexander-Arnold will be leaving Liverpool, Robertson provided a reminder of the part he played in their pairing at its peak, especially in the first half.
The tigerish Robertson made more ball recoveries than any other player (eight) on the pitch in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
He was also an attacking threat, ranking joint-second for both chances created (two) and crosses (three) among Liverpool’s players.
Robertson’s delivery to create Cody Gakpo’s opener for Liverpool was his 60th Premier League assist, albeit his first this season.
Robertson's assist for Gakpo
Alexander-Arnold is the only defender with more assists in Premier League history, with 64. However, now he is leaving and reportedly heading to Real Madrid, Robertson could feasibly and eventually replace his best mate at the top of the list.