Man City’s magical midfielders and Leicester’s match winners make our Team of the Week.
Dean Henderson (Sheffield United)
At least one Manchester United player kept a clean sheet this weekend! The loanee became the first keeper to stop Everton scoring at Goodison Park since Alisson on March 3 as the Blades continued their unbeaten away run. The newly-promoted side now have five points from three away games – only five Premier League sides have more.
Joel Matip (Liverpool)
Victory at Chelsea extended Liverpool’s winning run in the Premier League to 15 games and proved that they are capable of winning away at England’s biggest sides. Despite a few scares, the Reds looked solid defensively, with Matip making nine clearances (a match high) and three tackles.
Nathan Ake (Bournemouth)
Bournemouth recorded their first win at St. Mary’s in an entertaining win over Southampton on Friday night. Ake opened the scoring after just ten minutes with a powerful header, but that wasn’t the only contribution that stood out. The Dutch defender won two of his three aerial duels, while only Diego Rico made more accurate passes for the Cherries.
Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)
O’Connell won ten aerial duels in his side’s win at Everton, recording 16 clearances in the process. Chris Wilder’s men have looked remarkably comfortable in the Premier League, and more top sides are likely to fall victim to the Blades this season.
Ricardo Pereira (Leicester)
Following last weekend’s loss at Manchester United, Leicester got their top-four challenge back on track with a crucial win against Tottenham. At 1-0 down, the Foxes can consider themselves fortunate not to have fallen further behind, but Pereira’s equaliser spurred on a late comeback.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
It’s been almost five years since a side scored eight times in a Premier League game, but Manchester City added their name to the list with Watford put to the sword. De Bruyne indicated that it would be an uncomfortable afternoon for the Hornets when he crossed for David Silva to score inside 60 seconds. He added another assist in the second half before he put his own name on the scoresheet in the dying minutes. He also completed four dribbles, a match high. It’s scary to wonder, but how good would City have been last season had he not been injured?
David Silva (Manchester City)
This is Silva’s final season at the Etihad after nearly a decade in Manchester and he’s still as brilliant as ever. Having opened the scoring after 52 seconds, the Spaniard had 103 touches of the ball during the game (no other player managed more), while only Rodrigo played more accurate passes.
Aaron Cresswell (West Ham)
The Irons defeated Manchester United at the London Stadium for the second season in a row to prolong the Red Devils’ wait for an away win. In addition to keeping a clean sheet, Cresswell sealed the points with a free kick that left David De Gea grasping at thin air. That’s 11 points from a possible 15 now for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
No Raheem Sterling in the City line up? There’s no need to panic. Bernardo Silva scored a hat trick as City recorded their highest ever league win. Having made it 4-0 after just 15 minutes on Saturday, the Portuguese completed his treble with two close-range finishes after the break.
Chris Wood (Burnley)
Wood’s quick fire brace was enough to give Burnley a comfortable win over Norwich on Saturday afternoon. Having just beaten champions Manchester City, Norwich were right to be confident before the match but had no answer for Wood’s aerial dominance.
James Maddison (Leicester)
Maddison ended a run of 31 shots without scoring when he provided a late winner for Leicester against Tottenham. The England midfielder completed four dribbles during the game and had four attempts on goal. Can his side threaten the current Premier League hierarchy?
Stats via Whoscored