Man of the match roundup: World Cup winning pair end 2018 on a high

 

After four matches on Sunday the Premier League is officially closed for business for 2018, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all ending the year on a high.

We take a look at the man of the match performances from the day’s action in England’s top-flight.

N’Golo Kante - Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea

An unlikely match winner at Selhurst Park, Kante scored the only goal of the game early in the second half with the sort of run off the ball that Sarri wants the Frenchman to be making. The midfielder controlled David Luiz’s clipped ball over the defence and finished well for his third goal of the season, while he looked back to his destructive best in defence too, making six interceptions. With a further 97 per cent pass accuracy, Kante earned a man of the match rating of 8.02.

Dwight McNeil - Burnley 2-0 West Ham

With a first senior goal on only his second start for the Clarets, teenager McNeil ended 2018 in some style. The winger doubled Burnley’s advantage to help seal a vital three points and had five shots in total and making more tackles than any teammate for a rating of 8.29.

Sergio Aguero - Southampton 1-3 Manchester City

A fit again Sergio Aguero looked back to something close to his best at St. Mary’s as City ended a run of two straight defeats on the road with a much needed victory. Their talismanic striker had five shots at goal in total, hitting the target with two and the woodwork with another. The Argentine also completed more than twice as many dribbles as any other player on the pitch (5) and 89 per cent of his passes for a rating of 8.57.

 

 

Paul Pogba - Manchester United 4-1 Bournemouth

After a year of highs and lows Pogba certainly brought his year to a close in emphatic fashion with another sparkling display under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Frenchman fired United into a two goal lead before setting up Romelu Lukaku for the team’s fourth goal, meaning he has had a direct hand in more goals in his last three appearances (7) than his previous 14 in the league this season. Having earned his first perfect 10 rating in a United shirt on Boxing Day, Pogba picked up a second in four days having fired off five shots, created three chances and produced two tackles.

Man of the match roundup: World Cup winning pair end 2018 on a high