HomeOpinion/FeaturesPremier League Team of the Week: Matchday 26

Premier League Team of the Week: Matchday 26

Each week we delve through the Premier Leagueโ€™s weekend action and compile our divisional Team of the Week from the fixturesโ€™ finest performances.

Liverpool produced the result of the weekend as they demolished Manchester United 7-0 at Anfield, while Arsenal netted a 97th minute winner to maintain their advantage at the top of the Premier League.

 

Man City maintained the gap with a 2-0 win over Newcastle, while Southampton claimed a vital 1-0 win over Leicester to aid their battle to beat the drop.

As always, The Football Faithful have compiled our Premier League Team of the Week for the weekend’s action.

Goalkeeper: Danny Ward

Leicester may have lost 1-0, but Danny Ward prevented the score from being a worse one on the South Coast.

The Welshman produced a number of big saves for his side, particularly in the first half, including a saving James Ward-Prowse’s 32nd minute spot kick.

Right-back: Matty Cash

The Poland international put in an impressive shift as Aston Villa ran out 1-0 winners over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, including winning 10 of his 12 ground duels.

It was also the 25-year-old’s surging run down the right that led to Villa’s winner, the full-back’s whipped delivery being turned into his own net by Joachim Andersen.

Centre-back: Wesley Fofana

Chelsea got their first win in seven as they beat a struggling Leeds United side at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

Goals have been hard to come by for the West London outfit, and it would be the young Frenchman who would turn out to be the unlikely matchwinner.

Aside from his goal – his first in the Premier League, Fofana was impressive defensively and in possession, completing 96 per cent of his passes, winning seven ground duels and five aerial duels.

Centre-back: Armel Bella-Kotchap

21-year-old German defender Armel Bella-Kotchap produced a solid display as Southampton moved off the bottom of the Premier League, making nine ball recoveries, four clearances, three interceptions and winning all of his ground duels.

Southampton’s keeping of a clean sheet was aided by Leicester’s terrible finishing, as the Foxes ended the game with an expected goals figure of 1.93, despite failing to get any of their 11 shots on target.

Left-back: Andrew Robertson

The Scotland international looked back to his superb best as Liverpool demolished Manchester United at Anfield.

The 28-year-old provided an excellent through ball to find Cody Gakpo who opened the scoring just before half time, while creating three big chances across the 90 minutes.

Aside from being an attacking threat, Robertson defended well to deal with United’s attacking threat, with the first-half a relatively even affair despite the resounding look of the eventual scoreline.

Midfield: Romeo Lavia

Romeo Lavia was linked with a number of big Premier League sides this week following his season at Southampton, and the young Belgian put in another solid performance for the Saints in their 1-0 win over Leicester.

Southampton only had 35 per cent possession at St Mary’s, though the young 19-year-old was excellent in the middle of the park, making 14 ball recoveries, winning all three of his tackles, and at the other end, making two key passes.

The midfielder’s challenge to stop a Leicester attack ultimately led to Southampton’s winner

Midfield: Martin Odegaard

Another week, another inclusion in our Team of the Week for Arsenal’s influential Martin Odegaard.

The Norwegian had a whopping 104 touches as the Gunners dominated the ball against Bournemouth, registering 80 per cent possession across the 97 minutes, and having 31 shots.

Odegaard was responsible for 11 of those attempts as he looked to haul his side back into the game, making three key passes, putting in 11 crosses, and winning six of his eight ground duels.

Forward: Brennan Johnson

Brennan Johnson has impressed since making the step up from the Championship this season, and the Welshman netted two potentially crucial goals in Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw against Everton.

The 21-year-old cancelled out Demarai Gray’s opener with an instinctive finish following a Jordan Pickford save, before leaving the England number one flat-footed as he equalised for a second time in the 77th minute to maintain Forest’s four point gap to the relegation zone.

Forward: Mohamed Salah

What. A. Performance.

Mohamed Salah was at his brilliant best as he tore Manchester United apart with four-goal involvements on a memorable night at Anfield.

The Egyptian had the Manchester United defence at sixes at sevens as he drove at them with pace and purpose, teeing up Gakpo for the third, before lashing a superb instinctive finish in off the underside of the bar to make it four.

He then made it six, before he helped put the gloss on the scoreline as he found Roberto Firmino who added a seventh.

Forward: Cody Gakpo

The Netherlands international has had a slow-ish start to life in England, though showcased some of the form that convinced Liverpool to spend ยฃ35 million on him in January.

He opened the scoring just before half time with a good run off the left and a cool finish into the bottom corner, before netting the all-important third from an almost impossible angle.

Such was the quality of his finishes, the combined xG of his two strikes was just 0.26, while he put in an all-round impressive performance as he led the line through the middle.

Liverpool are now just three points off the top four with a game in hand on a stuttering Spurs.

Forward: Reiss Nelson

The 23-year-old was only introduced in the 69th minute, but put in a match-changing display as Arsenal came from behind to beat Bournemouth.

Nelson’s cross from the left set up Ben White’s equaliser, before he went on to strike a superb 97th-minute winner, controlling a corner at the edge of the box before rifling home to maintain Arsenal’s five point advantage at the top of the Premier League.

It was a goal that could ultimately have huge ramifications for the destination of the title.

Read โ€“ย Premier League awards: Arsenalโ€™s comeback, Sensational Salah and defensive donkeys

Read also โ€“ย The fastest goals in Premier League history

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