Burkina Faso
Croatia
Czech Republic
Indonesia
International Tournaments
Nigeria
Republic OF Ireland
South Africa

Premier League Team of the Week: Erling Haaland, Cody Gakpo, Trent Alexander-Arnold

sportsmole.co.uk, 26 January 2025, 22:01
It is as you were in terms of the Premier League title picture after gameweek 23, as Liverpool maintained their insurmountable advantage at the top of the table thanks to a 4-1 crushing of Ipswich Town.

Arsenal ensured that the gap did not grow any bigger with their gritty 1-0 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Nottingham Forest's hopes of a Leicester City-esque miracle suffered a setback in an astonishing 5-0 loss versus a brilliant Bournemouth.

Manchester City's pursuit of Champions League football received a fillip in a 3-1 beating of European rivals Chelsea, as did Newcastle United's, as the Magpies trumped lowly Southampton by the same scoreline.

Speaking of Northern successes down south, Manchester United were counting their lucky stars in a 1-0 triumph over Fulham, but Tottenham Hotspur might now be considered genuine relegation candidates after an embarrassing 2-1 loss at home to Leicester City.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa and West Ham United contested a fiery 1-1 stalemate, Brentford benefitted from a controversial VAR call in a 2-1 success at Crystal Palace, and Everton's David Moyes-inspired revival continued in a 1-0 triumph at Brighton & Hove Albion.

In a round of fixtures where several defenders and attackers stole the show, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week, including one high-profile omission up front.

DEFENCE

Only afforded his chance in the Leicester goal thanks to Mads Hermansen's injury, Jakub Stolarczyk might very well have given Ruud van Nistelrooy food for thought moving forward, having excelled in the astonishing Tottenham comeback with five saves, three punches and six clearances.

Spurs' bitter rivals Arsenal enjoyed better fortunes at the home of Wolves - at least points-wise rather than disciplinary-wise - but take nothing away from the performance of Emmanuel Agbadou. Taking to the Premier League like a duck to water, the 27-year-old won 10 of his 11 ground duels - putting in six tackles and completing three dribbles from three attempts - in addition to losing just two of his nine aerial contests at Molineux.

Elsewhere in the West Midlands, Aston Villa were left to lament another injury to the incredibly unfortunate Tyrone Mings, but his defensive partner Ezri Konsa put in a performance his skipper would have been proud of. From making three tackles, three interceptions and a clearance off the line, Konsa's display was pivotal in the Lions escaping with a point.

Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate was a highly honourable mention, but Reds representation is coming later on, and the men from the blue half of Merseyside need their own mention. With an astounding 13 clearances, two blocks and three out of four aerial duels won, Jarrad Branthwaite shone in the Toffees' beating of Brighton, possibly adding a few pounds to his value ahead of another summer auction.

MIDFIELD

We promised Reds representation, and here it begins; the Trent Alexander-Arnold horror show against Man United now seems a distant memory, as the right-back was far too hot for Ipswich to handle. In addition to a beautiful assist for Cody Gakpo, Alexander-Arnold crashed the woodwork and completed all three of his dribble attempts, a masterclass that may excite both Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters depending on how his contract situation plays out.

From a full-back who could leave on a free transfer to one of the most expensive defenders of all time, Josko Gvardiol terrorised the Chelsea backline at every opportunity on Saturday. If any player in the first half deserved a goal, it was the Croatian, who converted a simple tap-in for the Citizens' equaliser while also registering a 100% success rate from five attempted take-ons.

The goals keep on coming in the engine room, where Newcastle's Sandro Tonali capped off the Magpies' beating of a lowly Southampton with a clinical finish into the bottom of the net, while also putting in six successful challenges; the exact type of tough-tackling display we should get used to seeing more often.

Another midfielder who is also belatedly trying to make a name for himself in the Premier League, Tyler Adams ended Bournemouth's drubbing of Forest with two assists to his name, playing the final pass for Justin Kluivert before intercepting a lackadaisical pass and picking out Dango Ouattara. Impressing defensively as well as offensively, the American contributed five tackles and two interceptions to boot, as Andoni Iraola's side extended their marvellous unbeaten Premier League run to 11 matches.

ATTACK

With an embarrassment of riches to pick from in attack this weekend, there was always going to be at least one absentee who would have warranted a place almost every other gameweek, and that unfortunate soul is Newcastle hotshot Alexander Isak.

It was a tight tussle between the Swede and fellow Scandinavian sensation Erling Haaland, but the latter just edges this vote based on the quality of his contributions, having delicately lifted the ball over a lost Robert Sanchez before the most exquisite assist to Phil Foden after some quintessential dominant hold-up play.

Few players have made Murillo look a fool this season, but the Nottingham Forest defender was utterly humiliated by Bournemouth hat-trick hero Dango Ouattara, firstly being massively outjumped by the 22-year-old before being left for dead for the winger's second. Not content to declare at two, Ouattara then capitalised on a rare Matz Sels mistake to travel home with his first-ever senior match ball.

Providing three contributions of his own at the weekend, Liverpool's Cody Gakpo bagged a brace for himself and set up Mohamed Salah in the battering of Ipswich, continuing his love affair with the Anfield turf. The Netherlands international has now scored in five successive Premier League home matches, just the third Dutchman to do so after the legendary Van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie, and he has well and truly found his feet in England now.

SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (3-4-3): Stolarczyk; Konsa, Branthwaite, Agbadou; Alexander-Arnold, Tonali, Adams, Gvardiol; Ouattara, Haaland, Gakpo

Written by

Ben Knapton

Show more

Top News

2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United have reportedly agreed a deal with Brighton & Hove Albion to loan Evan Ferguson. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Lens defender Kevin Danso on loan with an obligation to buy at the end of the season. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Jim White and his yellow tie. Harry Redknapp leaning out of his car window to exchange pleasantries with reporters. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa will reportedly have the chance to sign Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford on a permanent basis during this summer's transfer window for £40m. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making an attempt to sign Aston Villa attacker Leon Bailey on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, as the Red Devils looks to bring in a replacement for Marcus Rashford. 2 February 2025 talksport.com Marcus Rashford was told Ruben Amorim would not play him at Manchester United if he stayed at the club, talkSPORT understands. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid suffered a major blow during Saturday's shock 1-0 defeat to Espanyol, with Antonio Rudiger being forced off in the first half of the La Liga contest with a suspected muscular problem. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Adana Demirspor vs. Kasimpasa (Sunday, 10.30am) With each passing gameweek in the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig, Adana Demirspor's hopes of avoiding relegation continue to fade, and the league's bottom side will look to keep their survival dreams alive when they host Kasimpasa at the New Adana Stadium on Sunday. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon vs. Farense (Sunday, 6.00pm) Fresh off the back of reaching the Champions League knockout phase, Sporting Lisbon welcome SC Farense to the Estadio Jose Alvalade in round 20 of the Primeira Liga on Sunday. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Almere City vs. RKC Waalwijk (Sunday, 11.15am) With both teams running out of time to preserve their Eredivisie status, Almere City and RKC Waalwijk will do battle at the Yanmar Stadion on Sunday afternoon. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Barcelona's pursuit of La Liga leaders Real Madrid will continue on Sunday afternoon, when they welcome struggling Alaves to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for a must-win contest. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus vs. Empoli (Sunday, 11.30am) After back-to-back defeats, Juventus will seek an end to their three-game winless streak on Sunday, when they welcome Serie A strugglers Empoli to Turin. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Frankfurt vs. Wolfsburg (Sunday, 2.30pm) Eintracht Frankfurt's home clash against Wolfsburg at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday in the Bundesliga could be hugely significant in the race for Champions League football. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Toulouse vs. Nice (Sunday, 2.00pm) Europe hopefuls Toulouse welcome Champions League-chasing Nice in Sunday's gameweek 20 Ligue 1 action at Stadium de Toulouse. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Motherwell vs. Celtic (Sunday, 3.00pm) Motherwell, looking to rebound from three consecutive defeats, will host Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The opening match in the Coupe de France round of 16 will see Dunkerque seeking an upset victory over Lille on Tuesday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Troyes will seek a place in the Coupe de France quarter-finals for the first time in a dozen years when they host Brest on Tuesday at Stade de l'Aube. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are in negotiations with Borussia Dortmund over a deal to send midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan to the Signal Iduna Park, according to a report. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tyrell Malacia's proposed loan move from Manchester United to Benfica has reportedly collapsed due to the Portuguese side failing to meet the Red Devils' demands. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed that influential attacker Matheus Cunha has signed a new contract at the club until the summer of 2029. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Jude Bellingham was every football fan as the Real Madrid star reacted in awe to Chris Wood's hat-trick. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Carlos Romero scored the only goal of the match as Espanyol recorded a shock 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in Saturday night's La Liga contest in Catalonia. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to hijack Wolverhampton Wanderers' proposed move for Lens defender Kevin Danso, who is now on his way to North London. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Tottenham have hijacked Wolves' deal to sign Kevin Danso on a permanent basis, talkSPORT understands. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Arsenal must take full advantage of Manchester City's makeshift defence to keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Fabian Hurzeler has been branded as a 'disgrace' for seemingly failing to acknowledge Brighton's travelling fans following their record defeat. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has admitted that he is concerned by the injury that Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered during Saturday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund has explained why Mathys Tel was not involved in Saturday's Bundesliga contest with Holstein Kiel. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Galatasaray will look to keep their title charge on track when they travel to face Gaziantep at the Gaziantep Stadium on Monday.