Both the Manchester clubs are off to a flying start in the Premier League and this week was a further testament to their recent dominance as Manchester United and Manchester City registered a 4-0 and a 6-0 victory respectively.
On the other hand, Liverpool and Tottenham were both held to draws by resilient Burnley and Swansea defences respectively. The Chelsea vs. Arsenal ended in an interesting goalless draw at the Stamford bridge. Here at the the4thofficial, we have shortlisted players from the weekend for the Premier League team of the week.
Nick Pope (Burnley):
With Tom Heaton having dislocated his shoulder, Pope was called to the fore for his Premier League debut. Pope held firm between the sticks as he made 11 saves for the Clarets. Apart from Salah’s goal, he seemed virtually unbeatable despite Liverpool knocking on the door a number of times.
Sead Kolsinac (Arsenal):
Kolsinac was a beast physically and was really difficult to outmuscle. He showed really good strength and also showed good offensive influence.
Jamaal Lascellas (Newcastle United):
Apart from an excellent defensive show for Newcastle, the center-back also got the all-important winner. Along with Ciaran Clark, he withstood massive offensive pressure from Stoke in the dying minutes of the game.
Federico Fernandez (Swansea):
Fernandez was one of the best performers in Swansea’s goalless draw against Tottenham with the center-back making some vital interceptions to keep Harry Kane and Dele Alli on the bay. Assisted by Alfie Mawson and Mike van der Hoorn, Fernandez was commanding at the back and helped Swansea earn a point against the Lilywhites.
Shkrodan Mustafi (Arsenal):
Musafi had one of the best game as an Arsenal player. His head got first to a lot of aerial balls and he was solid at the back. The German was well organized along with the other Arsenal defenders.
Antonio Valencia (Manchester United):
Valencia gave Manchester United the lead with just three minutes into the game with an excellent strike from outside the box. He also helped Manchester United to another clean-sheet.
Mario Lemina (Southampton):
Lemina was calm under possession and made several decisive tackles, playing some excellent football in the midfield. He controlled the tempo of the game and made quite a lot of interceptions slotting alongside Oriol Romeu.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City):
De Bruyne pulled the strings from the midfield along with David Silva. With his guile and trickery he ran havoc through Watford’s backline. His pin-point delivery earned him an assist for Manchester City’s first goal as Aguero headed in.
David Silva (Manchester City):
Silva played a lot of defense-shredding passes in City’s 6-0 win over Watford. He pulled the strings in the middle of the park along with De Bruyne and timed his passes well.
Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United):
Matt Ritchie played some commendable football, getting two excellent assists and Ritchie played the game with a good intensity.
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City):
Aguero was magnificent as he completed his hat-trick late in the second half. He headed past Gomes for the first, scored from close range for the second and completed his hat-trick with an decent shot from a difficult angle.
This is how they can line up:
