Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week, including Phil Foden, Darwin Nunez and Justin Kluivert.
There was yet another twist in the Premier League title tale in gameweek 22, as after Arsenal capitalised on a Liverpool slip-up in midweek, it was the Reds’ turn to take advantage of the Gunners’ latest setback.
Arne Slot‘s men required a heroic injury-time intervention to secure a 2-0 triumph over Brentford, a couple of hours before Arsenal blew a 2-0 advantage in a 2-2 home stalemate with Aston Villa.
Nottingham Forest now find themselves level on points with the Gunners courtesy of their 3-2 win at home to Southampton, while Chelsea also atoned for recent errors in their 3-1 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Manchester City‘s top-four pursuit was refuelled by a 6-0 hammering of Ipswich Town, taking the Citizens above Newcastle United after the Magpies were shocked 4-1 at home by Bournemouth.
Eddie Howe‘s crop were not the only Northern side slayed at home by a Southern counterpart, as Manchester United‘s troubles continued in a 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, but Tottenham Hotspur‘s late show was futile in a deserved 3-2 win for Everton.
Finally, Graham Potter was subjected to his first top-flight loss as West Ham United manager courtesy of Crystal Palace‘s 2-0 London derby success, while Fulham trumped Leicester City by the same scoreline at the King Power.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of fixtures.
DEFENCE
© Imago
While Liverpool registered an astounding 37 shots at the Gtech Community Stadium – their joint-most in a Premier League game on record – the goalkeeping excellence of Alisson Becker was still required at the other end, as the Brazilian stopped seven Brentford attempts to consign the Bees to an increasingly-familiar scoreless home contest.
However, none of Alisson’s saves in West London was as heroic as Ola Aina‘s incredible goal-line clearance for Forest against Southampton, who would have completed an astonishing comeback in injury time had the full-back not hooked Jan Bednarek‘s header off the line in unbelievable fashion. Before that crucial clearance, Aina had executed a perfect cross for Chris Wood to nod home, making it easy to see why Manchester City supposedly view him as a candidate to fill Kyle Walker‘s boots.
From players who could be on the move to one who has already changed location this month, Trevoh Chalobah seamlessly slotted back into the Chelsea defence after being recalled from his Palace loan and came within inches of scoring against Wolves, only for Noni Madueke to make absolutely sure. Nevertheless, the centre-back’s contribution went down as an assist on an evening where he also made seven clearances, three interceptions and registered a 96% pass success rate.
A different Amsterdam-born Bournemouth star stole the headlines at St James’ Park – we will get onto that in a bit – but Dean Huijsen‘s praises also deserve to be sung, as the youthful defender recorded four blocks, three tackles, two interceptions and a clearance off the line to play his own starring role in the crushing of Newcastle.
MIDFIELD
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Beginning the all-blue theme in our engine room this week, PFA Players’ Player of the Year Phil Foden is a man well and truly rejuvenated, following up his brace against Brentford with another double in the Ipswich annihilation, as well as teeing up a teammate to have a direct hand in half of their goals on the night.
That teammate in question was Mateo Kovacic, who drilled in the Citizens’ second of the evening with a fizzing strike from just outside the box either side of Foden’s strike. Also showcasing some playmaking mastery, the Croatian delivered a fine ball for James McAtee to cap off the rout, one of two big chances he created on the night.
Completing the City representation in our star-studded midfield, Jeremy Doku made the most of a Premier League start over the lively Savinho at Portman Road. Registering his own goal and assist, the Belgian fired in a deflected effort before intercepting a poor pass and slipping in nine-and-a-half year man Erling Haaland, while also completing four successful dribbles as he tormented the Tractor Boys’ backline.
As City enjoyed a successful away day, Spurs’ relegation fears deepened at the home of Moyes’s Everton, thanks in no small part to Idrissa Gueye. The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder provided the final pass for Iliman Ndiaye and Dominic Calvert-Lewin‘s strikes, in addition to making three tackles and two blocks at Goodison Park; easy to forget he is now 35 years old.
ATTACK
© Imago
Not content with just the one hat-trick away from home this season, Justin Kluivert memorably struck a trio of penalties against Wolverhampton Wanderers this season, but the Dutchman scored three sumptuous strikes from open play at the home of his father’s former club Newcastle, in turn becoming just the seventh Premier League player to score two hat-tricks away from home in a single campaign. And if that was not enough, Kluivert also teed up Milos Kerkez for the Cherries’ fabulous fourth.
As Newcastle succumbed to Kluivert’s excellence, one of their former strikers Chris Wood flaunted his own in Forest’s beating of Southampton, helping to rob Bednarek of possession for Callum Hudson-Odoi‘s effort before an inch-perfect header into the corner, matching his season-best of 14 Premier League goals in a season.
Mercurial Liverpool man Darwin Nunez has been well and truly outshone by Wood over the course of the season, but the Uruguayan may have just reignited a stalling Reds career thanks to his dramatic late double against Brentford. From a clinical low finish to a thunderous strike into the roof of the net, Nunez displayed a ruthless edge that has often evaded him, and one wonders how pivotal those contributions will be come the end of the campaign.
Sports Mole’s Premier League Team of the Week (3-4-1-2) Alisson; Aina, Chalobah, Huijsen; Foden, Kovacic, Gueye, Doku; Kluivert; Wood, Nunez
