What is Mbappé's connection? Araujo smashes a Premier League record

Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo won the man of the match award in Liverpool's game against Brighton, and he keeps winning over the Anfield faithful by the day.

On loan from Barcelona, Araujo has become one of the pillars of Andoni Iraola's side in just a few weeks. The fans in the stands adore him.

According to the newspaper Sport, citing the Winna platform, Araujo has broken the record for the fastest player in the Premier League this season, clocking a speed of 36.3 kilometres per hour.

That matches the quickest players in La Liga during the 2026-2027 season, among them Kylian Mbappe, Andrei Ratiu, Kike Fernandez Salas, Facundo Buonanotte and Alejandro Catena.

One moment against Brighton drew the biggest roar of all. Araujo flung himself in front of his own goal to smother a dangerous attack, throwing himself to the ground and using his head to clear the ball. The clip went viral.

He also won every duel he contested at Anfield, a 100% success rate, settling all five of them.

Behind captain Virgil van Dijk, Araujo ranked second for defensive contributions on the night, with a tally of 11.

Iraola praised him in the post-match press conference: "He gives a lot to the team. I think we all enjoy watching Ronald fight on the pitch."

He added: "He is very good in duels. Even on the first goal, I think he won two consecutive duels and reached the byline. His pass was not decisive, but it could have been."

The award marked another milestone for the Uruguayan this season. He became the first Liverpool player to collect it more than once in the current campaign.