The Premier League Awards: Rashford, Chadli & League Cup Hero Caballero

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports UK.

Another week, another twist in the tale of top-flight English football. Louis Van Gaal did the flop at Mike Dean, Arsenal flopped collectively, and over in the League Cup there was a Wembley penalty shootout that neither Leicester nor Tottenham could conspire to overshadow.

Given that we're writing this in the aftermath of the Oscars, you'll forgive us for taking the natural step of marrying our weekly awards with their somewhat more famous movie equivalents. As such, this brilliant weekend of football will be seamlessly intertwined with the past year in blockbuster film, to excellent effect. Hopefully…

While we're not comparing Manchester United's youth system to the terrible enslavement seen in Room, both of these young men have put in star turns in their respective fields. Marcus Rashford, a boy the world openly laughed at on Thursday, has done his best to make us all look pretty silly since. Only playing because of a late injury to precious wunderkind Anthony Martial, young Rashford scored twice in the Europa League on his debut, but had his goals belittled by those choosing to overemphasise the level of opponent, rather than the achievement. Starting and scoring twice against Arsenal, however, is a different matter entirely.

Still notionally fighting for the league title, Arsenal seemed destined for an easy day at Old Trafford when the team sheets were announced, with Van Gaal seeming to have assembled his defence from the first four blokes he'd managed to grab a hold of, and a child in attack.

Said child, however, scored his first early on by pouncing on to a loose ball and spanking it home, before finding space and guiding a cute header into the net a few short minutes later. Dat Guy Welbz might've scored in reply, but his status as Dat Guy has never been under more threat, especially with Theo Walcott putting in a performance about as welcome as Stacey Dash.

Jacob Tremblay carried Room on his child-sized shoulders with ease, and gave a performance beyond his years without gaining a nomination. Marcus Rashford, having achieved a similar feat, won't be allowed to go unrewarded on our watch – and that's why he's our top dog this week.

According to some, all Nacer Chadli does is "score goals". Given that scoring goals is the only way to win a Premier League game, it doesn't seem like a bad trait, does it? He repeated the trick on Sunday, emerging from the bench to level things up against Swansea, before Danny Rose netted the winner. This improbable Tottenham title charge doesn't seem to be going away, and if it's to be sustained they can't just be reliant on their main cast – the supporting elements will be vital, too.

In the perfectly watchable but fairly unremarkable Bridge Of Spies, new owner of an Oscar statuette and top stage actor Mark Rylance tied the film together with his performance as a Russian spy, bookending the movie with his magnetic presence and incredibly effective craft. Despite not being the lead, his input was invaluable in the film's overall success – rather like Chadli to Spurs this past weekend. A team needs dynamism in reserve for when the starters struggle, and that's just what the Belgian international has started to bring.

Bought for only £7m – an afterthought from the change lying around after Spurs had spent quite a bit of the infamous Bale money – nobody expected Chadli to be one of the longest-serving and important purchases from that ridiculous summer spending spree. But, through nothing more than hard work and dedication, he's become a firm favourite within the squad and for the fans. That's sure to continue if he keeps impacting games like this.

Let us break from convention and head over to the League Cup – after all, it was the final this weekend. Ahead of the game, Manuel Pellegrini's decision to select Willy Caballero over Joe Hart was laughed at by fans and pundits alike, with many linking his inclusion with an increased chance of Liverpool going home with a win. But, after the sides couldn't be separated during normal and extra time, Willy reminded us all of just how good he is in the penalty shootout.

Spotlight was written off in the excitement surrounding The Revenant, people seeming to have forgotten that a story about journalists uncovering institutional paedophilia in the church is exactly the sort of shit the Academy goes for – especially when it's got an all-star cast and is directed well. Similarly, Caballero – a man who was one of Europe's finest while at Malaga and should have been Argentina's number one – is clearly no mug, but that's not what the pundits would have you think. He responded perfectly, stole the headlines, and became the star of the show. It's fitting, really, given the way he was cast aside before a ball had even been kicked.

@bainsxiii