The Premier League’s speed merchants from the opening weekend of the season have been unveiled – and Kyle Walker was not the Premier League’s fastest man.
Anthony Gordon clocked in as the paciest player with a top speed of 22.14 miles per hour as Newcastle eviscerated Aston Villa 5-1 with some blistering counter-attacking football.
That wasn’t enough to beat 33-year-old Kyle Walker’s explosive run of over 23mph measured in training last season, but it was enough to beat Walker this week, as he ran in fifth at 21.53mph.
Burnley centre-back Ameen Al-Dakhil managed to finish second, Wolves’ Pedro Neto came third and Anthony Elanga registered the fourth-highest top speed on his debut for Nottingham Forest.
In the data provided by Stats Perform, Gordon was some way ahead of his nearest competitor but still over 5mph behind the top speed ever recorded by Usain Bolt of close to 28mph.
![Kyle Walker was the fifth-fastest player of the Premier League's opening weekend despite being 33 years old](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/15/15/74340519-0-image-m-183_1692109787745.jpg)
Kyle Walker was the fifth-fastest player of the Premier League’s opening weekend despite being 33 years old
![Anthony Gordon had the quickest speed of 22.14mph in Newcastle's 5-1 win over Aston Villa](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/15/15/74340553-0-image-a-184_1692109868196.jpg)
Anthony Gordon had the quickest speed of 22.14mph in Newcastle’s 5-1 win over Aston Villa
The Newcastle winger was rewarded for his efforts against Villa with an assist and looked to have settled more into the Magpies’ team.
He struggled to justify his £35million price tag when he joined from Everton in January and only managed one goal in his firts half-season on Tyneside.
Meanwhile, credit must go to Walker for continuing to be one of the world’s speediest footballers despite being comfortably in his 30s.
When he gets going, Kyle Walker is no walker, you might say.