Newcastle United recorded back-to-back victories today as they cruised to a 5-1 win over Brentford.
That marks their third win of the season and pushed them up to fifth in the Premier League table prior to the evening clash between Brighton and Tottenham.
Whilst there were plenty of standout performers and three different goalscorers, once again it was Bruno Guimaraes who shone the brightest.
Whilst the plaudits may fall upon Miguel Almiron for scoring yet another goal, it simply has to be the 24-year-old who was the pick of the bunch for his all-around display.
Guimaraes notched two fine goals and understandably achieved the best SofaScore rating of anyone on the pitch with 8.9. However, it was his underlying statistics which truly outline his creativity and sturdiness throughout the game.
His 70 touches denote a player demanding to have the ball at his feet, whilst the fact that he lost possession 14 times shows how desperate he was to try something unusual.
This meant that he lost the ball every 5.5 minutes but the reward far outweighed the risk, especially with his side boasting 54% possession.
The Brazilian also played two key passes during this his 78-minute display, while he still managed to get through plenty of defensive work as he won 70% of his duels alongside making four tackles and one clearance.
This is not the first time Guimaraes has excelled, and it certainly won’t be the last. Following another brilliant performance against Leicester City late last season, StatMan Dave labelled him a “sensational signing” for Newcastle.
With performances like today’s, he continues to prove that claim. He now boasts a 7.57 average rating across this season, bettered only by Kieran Trippier’s 7.58 at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe played a blinder when he made the decision to swoop for Guimaraes in January, as the 24-year-old has quickly established himself as one of the best midfielders in the league. Indeed, Kevin De Bruyne is the only player in that position in the English top flight to have a higher Sofascore rating so far this season.
Guimaraes is integral to this Newcastle resurgence, and with the team they seem to be building and the performances they are starting to put in, it could all be coming together on Tyneside.
