Our Premier League team of the weekend celebrates the best performances of the past two days, featuring a heavy dose of Nottingham Forest, Hugo Ekitike, Morgan Rogers and Harry Wilson.
GK: Robin Roefs – Sunderland
Another top performance from the Sunderland goalkeeper, who kept a clean sheet to help his side beat Newcastle United for the first time in a decade. Roefs only had to make two saves, but he also made an astonishing 16 recoveries, cutting out opposition attacks at key moments in the Tyne-Wear Derby.
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RB: Malo Gusto – Chelsea
A superb all-round performance from Malo Gusto was key to Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday. The full-back, who tucked into midfield at times, came away with a goal, assist and clean sheet, while he also created two chances and made four recovers and four clearances.
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CB: Pascal Struijk – Leeds United
No clean sheet for Leeds but another precious point as they held Brentford away to extend their unbeaten run to three games. Pascal Struijk had an absolute monster game at the back, making 14 clearances, eight of them with his head. He also made eight recoveries, three tackles, one block and an interception.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – Liverpool
Yes, you read that right. Ibrahima Konate is in the team of the weekend. The Liverpool centre-back has thus far endured a wretched campaign riddled with mistakes, but he was far more sure footed against Brighton on Saturday. He made the most tackles (5), won the most duels (10) on the pitch and made two big blocks to deny the Seagulls and help the Reds to a 2-0 win at Anfield.
LB: Neco Williams – Nottingham Forest
A typically high-energy and committed display from Neco Williams, who almost came away with an assist during Forest’s 3-0 win over Spurs at the City Ground. The Welshman created two chances, made eight defensive contributions and won four fouls.
Read – Thomas Frank admits Forest drubbing ‘a step back’ for Spurs
CM: Ibrahim Sangare – Nottingham Forest
Ibrahim Sangare showed Spurs what they are missing in midfield on Sunday following a man of the match performance. He was involved in all three goals, setting up Callum Hudson-Odoi twice before the winger set him up for Forest’s third. The Ivorian will be sorely missed when he heads to AFCON next week.
CM: Lesley Ugochukwu – Burnley
If there is one Burnley player who will come out of this season with credit in the bank, it’s Lesley Ugochukwu. The former Chelsea midfielder was brilliant against Fulham and almost inspired the Clarets to a draw at the Cottage on Saturday evening.
The 21-year-old equalised with a simple but lovely finish in the first half and almost levelled matters again when he impressively chested a fast ball before volleying it goalwards. It took a fantastic save from Bernd Leno to stop him.
CAM: Morgan Rogers – Aston Villa
Morgan Rogers is turning doubters into believers with his recent turn of form. He inspired Aston Villa to a comeback victory at West Ham United, scoring twice to turn things around at the London Stadium.
The attacker equalised with a composed touch and finish before winning the game with a golazo late on. Stupendous.
Aston Villa have turned it around!
A wonderstrike from Morgan Rogers! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/g7UhiI29yS
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2025
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RW: Harry Wilson – Fulham
There is no stopping Harry Wilson lately, whether it be for club or country. The winger added another three goal involvements to his strong campaign as Fulham beat Burnley at home.
A clever corner routine saw him set up Emile Smith-Rowe for the opener, then he brought the ball down impressively before lofting the ball to Calvin Bassey for their second goal. He clinched the three points with a cool, calm finish in the second half.
From back to front. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/HhflgWEwSs
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) December 14, 2025
LW: Callum Hudson-Odoi – Nottingham Forest
On his first start for a month and a half, Hudson-Odoi returned with a bang. He opened the scoring with a tap-in before unleashing an superb strike to double Forest’s lead, although he admitted afterwards that it was as much of a cross as it was a shot. The winger cut in from the left before setting up Sangare to put the icing on the cake for Sean Dyche’s side.
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CF: Hugo Ekitike – Liverpool
With Mo Salah’s time potentially coming to an end in the near future, a new star is emerging for Liverpool in the form of Hugo Ekitike.
The striker was a constant threat to Brighton from the off. It took him just 51 seconds to score with a wonderful strike and he probably should have had more before the halftime. He did get his second after the interval, though, heading in powerfully from a Salah corner.
⚡️🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/IyERpQQLdt
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 14, 2025
The brace makes Ekitike the youngest Liverpool player to score twice in successive Premier League games since Michael Owen 24 years ago.
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