Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week, including Nicolas Jackson, Gabriel Magalhaes and Luis Diaz.
What some expected to be a snoozefest between Manchester City and Arsenal ended up being one of the most absorbing Premier League matches of the season so far, as last season’s top two contested a manic 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon.
City’s point – which only came in the 98th minute thanks to the boot of John Stones – just about kept them at the summit ahead of Liverpool, who put three past Bournemouth without reply on Saturday, while Aston Villa fought back to sink Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur also enjoyed successful outings in London derbies, as the Blues eased past a pitiful West Ham United 3-0, while Spurs ensured another early Brentford goal would prove meaningless in a 3-1 win.
However, Manchester United were thwarted by a former flame in a goalless draw with Crystal Palace, and Newcastle United lost their unbeaten streak in a 3-1 beatdown versus Fulham.
Elsewhere, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest contested a fiery 2-2 stalemate – which saw both managers sent off at the end – Everton and Leicester City remain winless after a 1-1 draw, as do Southampton and Ipswich Town courtesy of their identical stalemate.
Here, Sports Mole picks its Team of the Week for the latest round of Premier League fixtures.
DEFENCE
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Not for the first time this season, we were spoiled for choice in between the posts, as Andre Onana, Robert Sanchez and David Raya all shone in gameweek five. However, Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson – whose time at Man United ended acrimoniously – enjoyed the performance he likely dreamt about against the Red Devils. Five of his seven saves came in the first half, where he prevented 1.31 Expected Goals (xG), while he also made three high claims and two successful run-outs to keep his old team at bay.
Hardly known for his proficiency in the opposition’s penalty box, Aston Villa man Ezri Konsa found a clinical touch just when his side needed it most, volleying home at the back stick to complete the Lions’ late comeback versus Wolves. The England international also put in two tackles and completed 97% of his passes on the day, as he continues to prove his worth as a cornerstone of Unai Emery‘s side.
However, Villa only found joy against the Wolves backline after Yerson Mosquera was forced off on a stretcher, as the Old Gold collapsed following the 23-year-old’s crushing injury blow. Before being carried away, Mosquera came up with five clearances – including one off the line – three interceptions and two blocks, as well as completing eight of his 10 long passes, and Gary O’Neil can only pray that his problem is not as serious as first feared.
This weekend’s central pairing hails from South America, as Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes finds himself in the rearguard for the second time in a row. The Gunners experienced deja vu twice versus Man City, one for the Leandro Trossard red card and the other from the Brazilian nodding in Bukayo Saka‘s brilliant corner to give Mikel Arteta‘s men an unexpected lead, and he was key to the valiant defensive effort which so nearly saw the visitors end their Etihad hoodoo.
Arsenal were not the only team to concede a crushing injury-time equaliser at the weekend, sharing that fate with newly-promoted Southampton as the Saints were left to rue what could have been against Ipswich Town. However, Charlie Taylor put in an exemplary display on the left, with 11 clearances, two tackles and a 100% aerial success rate from three duels off the ground.
MIDFIELD
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The James Maddison of late 2023 was on show in Tottenham’s victory over Brentford, just when Spurs were crying out for some creativity. The Englishman was alert to an Ethan Pinnock mistake and claimed the ‘assist’ – at least in Fantasy Football terms – for Dominic Solanke‘s first Tottenham goal, before calming any late nerves with a sublime second-half chip to cap off a midfield masterclass.
One of two former Leicester City lynchpins to man the midfield this week, Maddison is joined in the engine room by Youri Tielemans, whose playmaking skills stole the spotlight against Wolves. After providing a delightful cross for Konsa to finish – one of two big chances he created – the Belgian also produced a slick turn in the build-up to Jhon Duran‘s insurance goal; not a bad week for a player who also won the Man of the Match prize in Villa’s Champions League win over BSC Young Boys.
While one team in claret revelled in victory at the weekend, West Ham were carved open at will by Chelsea, who had Moises Caicedo to thank for a lot of everything that went right. The Ecuadorian’s inch-perfect through ball for Nicolas Jackson took out the entire Irons’ backline and non-existent midfield, while he also put in an astounding eight tackles in one of his best displays in Chelsea blue so far.
ATTACK
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Moving into the top 20 for all-time Premier League assists, Tottenham skipper Son Heung-min now sits on 64 for his English top-flight career thanks to his helpers for Maddison and Brennan Johnson, which came from a staggering seven chances he created throughout the triumph over Brentford.
As Son grabbed a pair of assists on Saturday, Liverpool wing wizard Luis Diaz extended his prolific Premier League streak to move onto five strikes for the season already, capitalising on Kepa Arrizabalaga‘s decision to venture out of his goal for his first before an ice-cool finish through the legs of the Spaniard.
Erling Haaland‘s 100th goal for Man City is worthy of a shout-out, but the Norwegian was outshone by rejuvenated Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, who had a hand in all three of his side’s goals at the London Stadium. From a composed strike at Alphonse Areola‘s near post to a slick outside-of-the-boot finish, the Senegalese striker then turned provider for Cole Palmer to rubber-stamp all three points on a day of derby delight for Enzo Maresca.
Sports Mole’s Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-3): Henderson; Konsa, Mosquera, Gabriel, Taylor; Maddison, Tielemans, Caicedo; Son, Jackson, Diaz
