80 Premier League goals were scored throughout November as three clubs – Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United – picked up maximum points and just one club, Bournemouth, failed to put any on the board.
But away from team performances and onto the players who impressed most last month: here are the Premier League nominees for the PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Month award for November.
Harry Kane
Some say Harry Kane is enduring an underwhelming season but he certainly didn’t show signs of that in November, scoring twice to secure Tottenham wins over Wolves and Chelsea. The England skipper’s performance against Spurs’ London rivals was particularly impressive too, ranking first or joint-first for shots on target, aerial duels won, dribbles and fouls won of any player on the pitch. Kane did, however, draw a blank in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace – a match which, in contrast, saw him test the goalkeeper just once.
Leroy Sane
Pep Guardiola has made Leroy Sane wait for his chances this season, however the German international more than took his opportunities to impress in November. Ninety minutes against West Ham was the standout performance; the winger was crucial to Manchester City’s four-goal rout at the London Stadium, scoring two and setting up another. Combined with a goal and an assist in the 6-1 demolition of Southampton, November was a strong month for Sane – one that also saw him complete the second-most dribbles of any player in the Premier League with eleven.
Aaron Mooy
From the depths of relegation-fearing despair, November brought about Huddersfield’s revival after a worrying start to the campaign with seven points taken from three games. And one of those victories owed almost entirely to the quality of midfielder Aaron Mooy, who scored an opener from the edge of the box against Wolves before curling in a free kick to seal a crucial win at Molineux. The Australian international also impressed in the victory over Fulham, registering four tackles and two key passes.
Raheem Sterling
No player had a hand in more Premier League goals than Sterling throughout November, scoring three and assisting three in a blistering month for the England international. Two of those strikes and two of those setups came in the aforementioned victory over Southampton, although Sterling managed to score and assist again against West Ham as well, making the Manchester Derby the only November clash in which he failed to directly influence the scoreline – although Guardiola will have been impressed with the attacker’s overall performance against Manchester United, especially after he moved to centre-forward.
Virgil van Dijk
Much of Liverpool’s impressive start to the season has owed to their defensive record, conceding a joint-division lowest five goals so far in the Premier League, and Virgil van Dijk has been the lynchpin. Throughout November, he helped Jurgen Klopp’s side keep two clean sheets and take seven points from three games, while clocking up six tackles. Four of those came in a 3-0 win over Watford alone, which also saw the Dutchman make eight clearances and win as many aerial duels.
David Silva
He’s a Premier League legend and performances in November only helped David Silva further cement that status, scoring in all three games as Manchester City saw off Southampton, West Ham and Manchester United. Kevin De Bruyne has barely been missed during his lengthy injury layoff and much of that owes to how the Spaniard, albeit aided by Bernardo Silva alongside, has taken even more responsibility in midfield, especially in terms of end product.