- It was all about shock results on this day. Leeds pumped Chelsea by a 3-0 scoreline which saw numerous calamities from the Blues. West Ham went bottom of the league after a 2-0 loss to Brighton, their third successive match without a goal. Newcastle held off a second half surge from Manchester City to take a point in a 3-3 thriller at St. James' Park.
- Despite all the selections from the early kickoffs being from losing sides, the results in the Challenge weren't as bad as they could have been.
- Trevor's pick Conor Gallagher found himself running himself ragged over 64 minutes against Leeds with little end product to show for it. However, his tracking back allowed him to get three key tackles and three interceptions to salvage a 6.9 (ni.ce) rating in the 3-0 drubbing.
- Reece James had a similarly frustrating morning as Pavli's selection. Deployed in a back three for Chelsea rather than in his usual wingback role, James was nerfed by the constant pressure on his side of the field by his opposition. He would still come out with a 7.1 which was ticked down slightly by a couple of rough offsides calls.
- West Ham's ineptitude going forward made things troublesome for Ryan's pick Declan Rice. He made two key passes and had five of six long passes completed but in the end there was nothing at the other end of them. There were huge pockets of uncharacteristically invisible time for the West Ham captain against Brighton which makes his 6.7 rating seem fair.
- In the final match of the day, Ruben Dias did not start for Manchester City which was probably frustrating for Mike. That frustration more than likely turned to joy once an injured Nathan Ake made way for the Portuguese stalwart in the 21st minute up 1-0. Little did he know it was a rare off day for the Sky Blues in defense as he saw three unanswered goals go in the back of his net. His offensive efforts off set pieces and passing saved him from the dreaded orange zone and a 6.5 rating.
- Our other backed Citizen, Kevin De Bruyne, had a much better time of it against Newcastle. Scott's selection handed out his third assist in three matches, one of three big chances created by the Belgian. He had two roaring shots palmed away by Magpies keeper Nick Pope and drew three fouls in dangerous positions en route to an 8.4 final rating.
- Newcastle's second goal before halftime was scored by Andrew's pick Callum Wilson. Unfortunately he didn't do much else in his 69 (nice) minutes. His 69% (nice%) passing was on just 13 passes and his other big opportunity in front of goal was left begging for a 7.0 effort.
- However, our top scorer of the day provided not only numerous highlights and assists, but also the optimal score as well (along with Leeds' Jack Harrison) of 8.5. Matt's pick Allan Saint-Maximin completed five of six attacking dribbles, assisted on both open play goals, and won over half of his ground duels in the midfield. The 8.5 rating was the highest of his career according to Sofascore and the best in the 2022-2023 Pick One thus far.
Image Credits: Player Photos (Sofascore)