3- Man United, 4-Arsenal – Premier League Team of the week as Man United stars dominates the table

A goal-laden weekend of Premier League action has now come to a close, and Arsenal remains at the top of the table after thrashing Nottingham Forest 5-0.

Manchester City had briefly gone top by overcoming Leicester City 1-0, while Tottenham Hotspur remain on the podium after coming from 2-0 down to beat Bournemouth 3-2.

Newcastle United strengthened their grip on a top-four spot by battering Aston Villa 4-0, while Manchester United rounded off the week by edging past West Ham United 1-0.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter’s return to the Amex Stadium was a miserable one as Brighton & Hove Albion ran out 4-1 winners, while Liverpool’s 29-game unbeaten run at Anfield in the Premier League ended with a dramatic 2-1 defeat to Leeds United.

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace got the better of Southampton 1-0, Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers played out a 1-1 draw, while Fulham’s clash with Everton ended goallessly.

DEFENCE

As has been the case for the past few weeks, Premier League fans were treated to several noteworthy performances from the men in between the sticks, but Illan Meslier stood up head and shoulders above the rest, making nine saves, three punches, and commanding his box expertly in a famous Anfield win for Leeds.

After a couple of successive Kieran Trippier inclusions – it was difficult to ignore the Englishman’s contribution against Aston Villa too – the right-back spot has been handed to the equally impressive Diogo Dalot, who was a presence at both ends of the pitch for Man United against West Ham, creating four chances, making four tackles and three interceptions to further nail down his position as first-choice.

One does not typically associate Ben Mee with spectacular acrobatic efforts, but the Brentford defender produced exactly that in the Bees’ draw with Wolves, connecting sweetly with a volley and also winning five of his six aerial duels in an accomplished defensive display.

Everton number one Jordan Pickford once again took most of the plaudits as his side ground out a 0-0 draw with Fulham, but James Tarkowski also contributed massively to that effort at the back, making five tackles, four clearances and completing 89% of his passes in another stellar showing.

Finally, it would have been criminal not to select at least one Brighton player after they taught Chelsea a footballing lesson, and Pervis Estupinan was a key figure on the left-hand side, providing the cross which was turned into his own net by Trevoh Chalobah and keeping the Blues at bay at the other end with three crucial tackles.

MIDFIELD

Prior to the visit of Nottingham Forest, Reiss Nelson had only ever scored once in the Premier League, and he trebled that tally in one afternoon. The 22-year-old had big shoes to fill after Bukayo Saka went off injured, but he was in the right place at the right time on two occasions to bag a brace before providing an assist for Thomas Partey in a display that could spark a revival in his Gunners career.

With no Erling Braut Haaland ready to fire Man City to victory at the King Power Stadium, the responsibility fell onto the shoulders of Kevin De Bruyne, and he answered the call with an astounding free kick which crashed against the woodwork into the back of the net – one of his five shots on the day during another effervescent outing.

Down on the South Coast, Tottenham looked devoid of ideas against Bournemouth before the introduction of Rodrigo Bentancur, whose arrival completely turned the game’s tide. The Uruguayan completed both of his dribble attempts successfully and posted a 91% pass accuracy while staying calm and reacting quickest to score the all-important winner in the dying embers, further cementing his position as one of Antonio Conte’s untouchables.

Is there a better way to celebrate your 21st birthday than with a last-minute winner at Anfield? Surely not for Crysencio Summerville, who on the eve of the big day was handed a start by Jesse Marsch and inflicted the Reds’ first league defeat at home since March 2021, prodding home with the outside of his foot in front of the away end in a game that will live long in the memory.

ATTACK

Kieffer Moore’s efforts for Bournemouth against Tottenham may have gone unrewarded. Still, the Welshman grabbed his opportunity with both hands at the weekend, finishing clinically into the bottom corner and bullying his way past Emerson Royal to double the Cherries’ lead on the day.

Gareth Southgate was watching on with a sharp eye during Newcastle’s clash with Aston Villa at St James’ Park, with Callum Wilson seeking to back up his comments suggesting that he should be on the plane to Qatar for the World Cup. The 30-year-old certainly did that, netting twice and having a major part to play in Joelinton and Miguel Almiron’s goals – directly setting up the latter. The crossbar may have denied him his hat trick, but Wilson has sent quite the selection message to the Three Lions boss.