Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for gameweek 26, including Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes and Virgil van Dijk.
Not for the first time, the destiny of the Premier League title may have been decided at the Etihad, as Liverpool opened up an 11-point lead at the summit of the standings with a 2-0 triumph over current holders Manchester City.
Arne Slot‘s men capitalised on Arsenal‘s shock 1-0 loss to West Ham United the day before, but Nottingham Forest could not do the same, losing a seven-goal thriller to Newcastle United 4-3.
Neither Chelsea nor Manchester United celebrated three-point hauls either, as the Blues were slain 2-1 by Aston Villa in the West Midlands, while Ruben Amorim‘s men needed to pull off an astounding comeback to draw 2-2 with Everton.
However, Tottenham Hotspur made extremely light work of Ipswich Town in a 4-1 crushing of the Tractor Boys, as did Brighton & Hove Albion in their 4-0 drubbing of Championship-bound Southampton.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth‘s top-four aspirations were damaged in a 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace earned the London derby bragging rights in a 2-0 win over Fulham, while Leicester City‘s troubles continued in a dismal 4-0 home defeat to Brentford.
Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 best performers from the latest round of Premier League action as we select our Team of the Week.
DEFENCE
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A word of appreciation for both Alisson Becker and Aaron Ramsdale, even if the latter did concede four goals to Brighton, but Emiliano Martinez was an unsung hero in Villa’s triumph over Chelsea, making five saves while his opposite number Filip Jorgensen committed a costly error at the other end.
Both Daniel Munoz and Djed Spence may have made nets bulge over the weekend, but neither man’s contributions were enough to pip the exceptional Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the right-back berth; the Hammers defender delivered a sumptuous cross for Jarrod Bowen‘s winner against Arsenal and was near faultless in all facets, completing three successful dribbles and winning three of his four aerial duels in North London.
Sticking with the theme of visiting defenders excelling in the capital away from home, Maxence Lacroix was a star Palace performer in the win over Fulham; the Frenchman may not have got the final touch for the visitors’ first goal, but he put in 12 clearances, four tackles and did not lose any of his seven ground and aerial duels combined.
Here, there and everywhere has been the theme of Virgil van Dijk‘s Premier League career, and the Dutchman stuck true to that saying in Liverpool’s potentially season-defining win over Man City, commanding his defensive third with as much authority as ever as he produced nine clearances, three tackles and three blocks, while also registering a 93% pass accuracy.
West Ham teenager Oliver Scarles deserves the highest praise for keeping Arsenal gem Ethan Nwaneri quiet, but Newcastle’s own embryonic left-back Lewis Hall just edges this vote after an all-around terrific display in the seven-goal Forest spectacular, where he set up Lewis Miley, won a penalty, put in six tackles and created three chances, surely cementing his status as England’s first-choice left-back for next month.
MIDFIELD
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As Leicester fans’ frustrations grow with Ruud van Nistelrooy‘s attacking selections, Bryan Mbeumo is having the time of his life in the Brentford XI and helped to cull the Foxes on Friday night, cutting inside and finding the far corner before laying on an assist for Christian Norgaard at the King Power.
Also using his dead-ball skills to set up a teammate over the weekend, Palace fulcrum Will Hughes has been a man reborn under Oliver Glasner; it was his corner that Joachim Andersen diverted into his own net, and the 29-year-old also shone defensively with five tackles, four clearances, two blocks and two interceptions.
Another masterful midfielder who flaunted his set-piece specialities in gameweek 26, Man United skipper Bruno Fernandes sparked the Red Devils’ fightback at Goodison Park with a pinpoint free kick into the corner, while also completing three successful dribbles and putting in five tackles to deservedly take home the man-of-the-match accolade.
To no surprise, Tottenham finally look a force to be reckoned with again now that the treatment room has emptied out, and Brennan Johnson‘s first Premier League start in a month at Ipswich could hardly have gone better, as the Welshman got across his man to tap in his first before a crisp first-time finish to complete his brace.
ATTACK
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The star of the Brighton show against Chelsea – Danny Welbeck – may have been unavailable for the trip to Southampton, but Joao Pedro shouldered the offensive burden and delivered supremely, firstly beating Ramsdale with a delightful chip before dropping deep to set Kaoru Mitoma away with the deftest of touches into his feet.
Pedro has now scored and assisted in the same game three times this season, but the breathtaking Mohamed Salah did so for the 13th game in all competitions at the Etihad, as his deflected finish preceded a tee-up for Dominik Szoboszlai in the win over Man City. Breaking no fewer than three records and equalling another, the 32-year-old continued his relentless pursuit of the greatest individual season in Premier League history, and the Ballon d’Or trophy is surely awaiting his kiss should Liverpool complete their title mission.
SPORTS MOLE’S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole’s Premier League Team of the Week (4-4-2): Martinez; Wan-Bissaka, Lacroix, Van Dijk, Hall; Mbeumo, Hughes, Fernandes, Johnson; Salah, Pedro
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