Published: 17:03, 16 February 2026 | Updated: 17:03, 16 February 2026

Gianluigi Donnarumma barely moved. One moment the ball was flying towards him, the next it thuds off the inside of his left post and into the net. Dominik Szoboszlai had done it again.

Another spinning, swerving free-kick scored by the Liverpool midfielder, his third of the season, another long-range screamer added to an ever-growing Premier League tally and another stunner chalked up for the new Puma ball brought in this term after 25 years using a Nike one.

Erling Haaland’s strike against Fulham last week was the 100th goal from outside the box of the campaign so far. They are whistling in more often than in any season since 2013-14. Aston Villa, especially Morgan Rogers, are banging them in off the lampshades.

We’ve already seen more goals from direct free-kicks this season than in each of the last two campaigns and there’s still 120 games to go. Anton Stach sent a peach dipping so sharply under the bar for Leeds against Crystal Palace that it hit the net nearly halfway up. Reece James’s...