1 week Ago
Celebrating Mohamed Salah 's new contract in the perfect way, Liverpool are now within two wins of Premier League stardom following Sunday's 2-1 success over West Ham United at Anfield. Arne Slot 's men made the most of Arsenal dropping more points in a 1-1 home draw with Brentford , while Nottingham Forest 's podium hopes also suffered a blow in a shock 1-0 home loss to a resurgent Everton . Chelsea flattered to deceive too, having to fight back just to claim a point from a 2-2 draw at home to Ipswich Town , but Manchester City 's own fightback was to devastating effect in a 5-2 pummelling of Crystal Palace .
The less said about Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United the better, though, as both Big Six clubs shipped four on the road, Spurs in a 4-2 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Red Devils in a 4-1 crushing at the hands of Newcastle United . Both the Magpies and Aston Villa enhanced their Champions League credentials, as the Lions slayed relegated Southampton by three goals to nil , but Brighton & Hove Albion missed a golden opportunity in a 2-2 home draw with Leicester City . Finally, European outsiders Bournemouth and Fulham collided in Monday night's offering, where the Cherries picked up their first win in seven Premier League games with a hard-earned 1-0 triumph .
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of matches. © Imago Several number ones were literally their team's number one over the weekend - Alex Palmer , Aaron Ramsdale and Jordan Pickford are worthy of a shout-out - but Bournemouth would not have shut Fulham out had it not been for Kepa Arrizabalaga 's crucial seven saves, as well as an exceptional claim from a cross right at the death. Seeing Thomas Partey at right-back usually triggers groans from Gooners, but the Ghana international defied his previous performances in that slot with a crisp opener against Brentford, in addition to making four clearances and completing 96% of his passes before being taken off with a knock.
While Arsenal's display left something to be desired, Tottenham's performance at Wolves left a lot to be desired, as Rayan Ait-Nouri ran the Lilywhites ragged; the Old Gold left-back needed just two minutes to draw first blood with a volley into the ground, before capitalising on a Cristian Romero calamity to tee up Jorgen Strand Larsen . Another defender to make a crucial contribution at the other end of the field, Leicester's Caleb Okoli more than justified his start at Brighton with a wonderful equalising header, in addition to making six clearances, two blocks and winning all three of his aerial duels to help the Foxes claim the unlikeliest of points. In strikingly similar fashion, Liverpool's inspirational skipper Virgil van Dijk saved his side's bacon yet again during the win over West Ham, nodding in the winner in front of the Kop to make up for an own goal-worthy mix-up with Andy Robertson .
It will come as no surprise to learn that the Dutchman won all four of his aerial duels too, and Reds fans should be witnessing their captain dominate both on and off the ground for a little while longer ahead of his expected new contract. © IconSport The metronome that keeps Aston Villa's midfield moving, Youri Tielemans provided a near carbon copy of his assist for Morgan Rogers against Nottingham Forest at St Mary's; the Belgian sent a stunning ball over the top for Ollie Watkins to volley home, while creating a total of three chances and finding a teammate with all six of his long ball attempts. Laying on a fabulous helper of his own at the weekend, Ipswich's on-loan Brighton playmaker Julio Enciso was far too hot for Chelsea to handle in the opening exchanges at Stamford Bridge, where the Paraguayan firstly poked home at the near post before a sumptuous cross for Ben Johnson to double the visitors' lead.
From a player in the embryonic stages of his Premier League career to one in the twilight of it, City's departing legend Kevin De Bruyne rolled back the years to inspire the champions' terrific turnaround against Palace. From a brilliant free kick, an assist for Mateo Kovacic and a strike that rattled the bar, De Bruyne proved that there is plenty of life left in his 33-year-old legs before being serenaded by the crowd as he took his leave. © Imago Already mentioned in passing, Ipswich wide man Ben Johnson also terrorised the Chelsea backline in a two-man show with Enciso, as the 25-year-old sent the ball across for his South American teammate to finish before having the favour returned as he sent a composed header across goal and into the corner.
Both Chelsea and Man United have suffered dramatic falls from grace, and the latter were unable to handle the barnstorming Harvey Barnes at St James' Park, as the Newcastle man firstly found himself in the right place at the right time to finish before bagging his second thanks to a driving run through the heart of Ruben Amorim 's team. All three members of our attacking triumvirate produced two telling contributions at the weekend, and Brighton's Joao Pedro showcased his penalty prowess twice against Leicester, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way both times to ensure his side avoided an embarrassing defeat. The Brazilian created five chances for his teammates too, but all of those went begging.
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-1-4-1): Kepa; Partey, Okoli, Van Dijk, Ait-Nouri; Tielemans; Johnson, De Bruyne, Enciso, Barnes; Pedro.
