Europa League: Players that impressed this week

• We’ve selected five players who stood out on Matchday Three of the Europa League after the most recent round of competition.

We’ve selected five players who stood out on Matchday Three of the Europa League after the most recent round of competition.

Ansu Fati

Ansu Fati. Photo/Sky Sports

Brighton defeated Ajax, the four-time European champions, 2-0 at the Amex Stadium to begin their maiden continental season. Even if the Dutch team has had a terrible start to the Eredivisie, the Seagulls have gained a valuable victory that will help them advance from a challenging Group B.

Ansu Fati, who arrived from Barcelona in the summer, was a bright spark for Roberto De Zerbi’s team and now seems to be settling on the south coast. The loanee made an impression for Brighton in tandem with Joao Pedro, playing a more important role than he usually did in Catalonia.

After receiving a clipped ball from Simon Adingra, the Spaniard scored his second goal for the Seagulls in as many games. After a thrilling debut, Fati’s career had started to stagnate at Barcelona, but Brighton seems to be the perfect place for the attacker to find his form and confidence again.

If he has a good season, Xavi could reconsider his ambitions because there are so many talented young players at Camp Nou. He truly deserved the standing ovation he received at the Amex.

Ryan Gravenberch

Ryan Gravenberch celebrating his goal. Photo/Sporting News

After Jurgen Klopp made drastic changes to his engine room this summer, Liverpool’s midfield additions are starting to settle into English football.

Though Ryan Gravenberch is quickly becoming the Reds’ most valuable asset, Dominik Szoboszlai has been the main attraction thus far. After missing out on a chance to join Bayern Munich the previous season, the Dutchman seemed like a risk when he signed on the final day of the transfer window. But in his first games wearing a Liverpool jersey, the 21-year-old has looked impressive, and he gave his greatest performance to date as Klopp’s team defeated Toulouse 5-1 at Anfield.

Gravenberch’s deft touches, quick turn, and driving forward from midfield all evening gave the visitors issues. After Darwin Nunez’s rebound, he scored the goal his effort merited, and Klopp thinks the £35 million signing still has a lot more in store.

Stephan El Shaarawy

El Shaarawy Stephan has had a busy week. The Roma winger has been implicated in the recent Italian football betting scandal; the Egyptian has dismissed these claims as “wholly untrue.”

The 31-year-old started the Italian club’s Europa League match against Slavia Prague after coming off the bench to score the game’s winning goal in the last seconds against Monza.

In Roma’s easy victory, El Shaarawy assisted on both goals as the Serie A team jumped out to a two-goal lead. Within the first minute of play, Edoardo Bove gave the home team the lead. Romelu Lukaku then scored for the fourteenth time in a UEL game to maintain his incredible start in the Italian city.

El Shaarawy, who had a difficult week off the field, will be relieved that his football has spoken for him.

Florian Wirtz

Florian Wirtz. Photo/ Bundesliga

One of the most promising players in German football, Florian Wirtz, suffered an ACL injury that interrupted his development; yet, his extended absence may have given Bayer Leverkusen an opportunity to hang onto the 20-year-old for a little while longer.

The best teams in Europe will be closely monitoring the midfielder’s exploits following an impressive start to the new season. In the Europa League and Bundesliga in 2023–2024, Wirtz averaged a goal involvement per 72 minutes.

The Bundesliga leaders hammered Qarabag 5-1 at the BayArena, with the Germany international becoming the star of the show. In an impressive display, he scored one goal and assisted on three others.

Following a 265-day absence due to a knee injury, Wirtz has made a spectacular comeback. Currently, he is among the top prospects in the top five leagues in Europe.

Vincenzo Grifo

Group A has become more competitive as West Ham, the leaders, lost at Olympiacos, and Freiburg defeated TSC to tie the Premier League team on points.

With three goals in as many games, Vincenzo Grifo, an Italian international who was born in Germany, was the deciding factor in Freiburg’s comeback victory. In addition to his treble, the midfielder scored a penalty and a free kick. Grifo’s mastery at the set piece increased the Bundesliga team’s chances of advancing to the next round.