How did the Premier League's January signings fare in their debuts?
Following a busy January of spending and shuffling, Premier League clubs finally gave their midseason signings a chance to show their worth. Here's how a select few performed Saturday as they made their full debuts:
Aaron Lennon (Burnley)
If Aaron Lennon's move to Burnley barely registered on anyone's radar, his colossal performance against Manchester City must've turned heads.
The 30-year-old was a workhorse in the 1-1 draw with the runaway Premier League leader, offering the Clarets both attacking options and defensive cover. He humiliated Kyle Walker in the first half, forced an instinctive save from Ederson later in the second half, and in the 90th minute, Lennon still had enough energy to intercept what looked to be a crucial pass into the penalty area.
Remarkably, it was just the third time this season that Lennon lasted the full 90 minutes.
Overall rating vs. Manchester City: 8.5/10
Badou Ndiaye (Stoke City)
Badou Ndiaye was a bright spot in Stoke City's otherwise depressing 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth.
The result dropped Stoke to 18th place in the Premier League, but Ndiaye's performance should inspire a modicum of hope amongst the Potters' faithful. The 27-year-old - who arrived from Galatasaray earlier this week for a reported £14-million fee - set up Xherdan Shaqiri's opening goal and came close to scoring one of his own after a decent exchange with Peter Crouch.
Although he earned a yellow card for a tough tackle later in the first half, Ndiaye showed a steely side to his game that could be crucial in the relegation battle.
Overall rating vs. Bournemouth: 7/10
Guido Carrillo (Southampton)
Riddled with problems in attack, Southampton opted to make Guido Carrillo the club's most expensive signing. The reported £19.2 million seemed like a steep price to pay for a player who had made a total of seven leagues starts over the past two seasons.
Carrillo shrugged off those concerns in his full debut against West Brom. He dropped deeper to get himself involved, and while he didn't register a goal in the 3-2 victory, the Argentine's header did bring out a reactionary save from goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Overall rating vs. West Brom: 6.5/10
Daniel Sturridge (West Bromwich Albion)
Daniel Sturridge had the weaker of the two showings at the Hawthorns.
Considering he had made just five previous starts in the Premier League this season, the on-loan Liverpool striker wasn't in peak form. He managed just one shot and 21 touches before coming off in the 61st minute to mild applause. Sturridge tried his best to link up with his teammates, but still lacked sharpness.
Overall rating vs. Southampton: 6/10
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Arsenal)
In just a single match, Henrikh Mkhitaryan matched Alexis Sanchez's total number of assists for the season. The Armenian was simply fantastic in his maiden start for Arsenal, the inspiration behind a 5-1 demolition of Everton that buoyed the outlook of perennially crestfallen supporters.
The 29-year-old began the match on the right wing, but gradually adopted a more free-roaming role to take control of the Gunners' build-up play. And boy, did he ever do a job. His hat-trick of assists - a pair to Aaron Ramsey and one to fellow newcomer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - completely lifted the crowd.
It's clearly evident that Mkhitaryan is more comfortable playing in Arsenal's passing system than he ever was in Manchester United's defensive unit.
Overall rating vs. Everton: 9/10
Eliaquim Mangala (Everton)
Apart from a few odd forays into the opposition's third, Eliaquim Mangala was abysmal in his first match in an Everton shirt. Maybe he was flustered by the demands of playing in a foreign back three, but the fact is that the on-loan Manchester City centre-half has rarely displayed any composure throughout his failure of a Premier League career. And Saturday was no different.
Mangala was well out of position on Ramsey's first goal, ineffective in stopping Laurent Koscielny's header, and responsible for the deflection that gave Ramsey a second tally. The Frenchman never looked sure of himself or his positioning.
It's a testament to Pep Guardiola's abilities as a manager that he was able to get Mangala to play at a decent level earlier in the campaign.
Overall rating vs. Arsenal: 4/10
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
There were concerns that Aubameyang would be too ill to make his Premier League bow on Saturday.
Truth is, he was well up for it, joining a select group of players to score in their Arsenal debut.
Aubameyang's pace won him the benefit of the doubt from the linesman, who failed to wave for offside as the Gabonese international chipped Jordan Pickford.
It's been years since Arsenal could count on a striker with the speed and presence of mind to run behind defenders and connect with passes in the area. But Aubameyang has skills beyond finishing. Earlier in the match, the former Borussia Dortmund striker inspired Arsenal's first tally with a slick pass to Mkhitaryan.
Overall rating vs. Everton: 8/10
(Photos courtesy: Getty/Action Images)