Premier League Team of the Week

The Premier League title race was blown wide open during the festive fixtures of the Easter weekend, as Arsenal‘s seven-game winning streak came to an end in an enthralling 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Prior to that Anfield spectacular, Manchester City continued their assault on top spot in the table by seeing off Southampton 4-1, while Newcastle United retained their grip on third place thanks to a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Brentford.

Manchester United‘s Champions League destiny is still in their own hands thanks to a 2-0 win over Everton, while Tottenham Hotspur edged past Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 in a fiery North London contest.

Unai Emery‘s in-form Aston Villa rose into sixth place with a 2-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest, but the second Frank Lampard era at Chelsea began disastrously with a 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Elsewhere, West Ham United eased the pressure on David Moyes with a 1-0 triumph over Fulham, Leicester City‘s demotion woes deepened with a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace taught Leeds United a footballing lesson in a 5-1 romping.

Here, Sports Mole picks its Team of the Week for the latest round of Premier League fixtures.

DEFENCE

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Everton number one Jordan Pickford can feel hard done by here, having single-handedly kept the Toffees alive during the first half at Old Trafford, but Aaron Ramsdale‘s contributions at Anfield could very well have a say in the destiny of the Premier League title. The England international produced two outstanding late stops to deny Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate winning it for Liverpool, giving him the edge over Pickford here, unlike in the Three Lions setup.

While Leicester did not show many signs of life during the visit of Bournemouth to the King Power, Cherries centre-back Chris Mepham still had to be alert to keep the Foxes at bay, and the Welshman did just that with nine clearances, two interceptions and a 94% passing accuracy in an assured performance.

Wave after wave of Fulham attack threatened to wipe out West Ham’s slender lead at Craven Cottage, but the pairing of Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna stood extremely strong to buy Moyes a bit more time in the hotseat. Between them, the two centre-backs made a staggering 25 clearances, four blocks, four interceptions and won seven of their eight aerial battles to thwart the Aleksandar Mitrovic-less forward line.

MIDFIELD

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An overjoyed Roy Hodgson reversed special praise for the “enormous talent” Michael Olise after the 21-year-old earned a place in the Premier League record books at Elland Road. Harnessing his playmaking prowess, Olise became the youngest Premier League player in history to set up three goals from open play in one game, helping Palace complete an astonishing turnaround.

A renowned creator also set up a goal at the King Power Stadium last weekend, but unfortunately for Leicester’s James Maddison, it was at the wrong end of the field. A misplaced backpass from the Englishman allowed Philip Billing to slot home the game’s only goal, but the towering Dane could very well have had more, terrorising the Foxes backline by striking the woodwork and firing six shots in total.

Somewhat justifying his price tag with an unbelievable goal during Wolves’ win over Chelsea, Matheus Nunes propelled his side further away from relegation danger in some style. Waiting for the ball to bounce kindly for him on the right-hand side of the box, Nunes unleashed a thunderous half-volley across goal and into the back of the net, while also making five tackles and completing three successful dribbles for one of his best showings in a Wolves jersey so far.

Speaking of players who have been given a new lease of life, Man City’s Jack Grealish continued his fine form with another goal and assist during the romping of Southampton. Gavin Bazunu may have saved the attacker’s first effort at St Mary’s, but there was no stopping Grealish from prodding home the rebound, before his cross found Erling Braut Haaland for the Norwegian’s second in another promising afternoon.

ATTACK

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The battle between Gabriel Martinelli and Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield was always going to be a fascinating one, and the Arsenal man won that duel with ease during the first half-hour. While getting lucky with a deflection off Virgil van Dijk, Martinelli still had to weave his way through a sea of red shirts to prod home the opening goal, before picking out compatriot Gabriel Jesus for the Gunners’ second with an inch-perfect cross.

Benefitting from Wilfried Zaha‘s enforced absence, Jordan Ayew – a former favourite of Hodgson – made his presence felt at Elland Road with his first two Premier League goals of the calendar year, heading home from Olise’s cross before staying onside to complete the Eagles’ demolition job with an emphatic finish.

Ayew’s brace at Elland Road took him up to three goals for the Premier League season – multiply that number by 10, and you have Erling Braut Haaland‘s total for the top-flight campaign. Only a few minutes after missing a header that some Man City fans thought had gone in against Southampton, Haaland made no mistake with his next aerial attempt, and a beautiful acrobatic second saw the Scandinavian sensation break the 30-goal mark in the division – leaving him just five adrift of surpassing Andy Cole and Alan Shearer‘s single-season records of 34.

SPORTS MOLE’S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sports Mole’s Premier League Team of the Week (3-4-3): Ramsdale; Mepham, Ogbonna, Zouma; Olise, Nunes, Billing, Grealish; Ayew, Haaland, Martinelli

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