Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Premier League Team of the Week - Ilkay Gundogan, Son Heung-min, Joel Matip

sportsmole.co.uk, 23 May 2022, 13:26
After 38 gameweeks of twists, turns and some unforgettable drama, the final whistle has blown on the 2021-22 Premier League season, and surprises continued to be thrown up right until the dying embers.

Manchester City suffered a scare in their pursuit of the title against Aston Villa but ultimately clinched their sixth Premier League crown with a 3-2 comeback success, rendering Liverpool's 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers inconsequential.

Chelsea sealed third with a late 2-1 triumph over Watford, while Tottenham Hotspur returned to the Champions League in style by thumping already-relegated Norwich City 5-0.

Arsenal were forced to settle for fifth despite thrashing Everton 5-1 at the Emirates, and they will be joined in the Europa League by Manchester United despite their 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.

West Ham United will be playing Europa Conference League football after a 3-1 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion, and Leicester City ended the season on a high by beating Southampton 4-1.

At the foot of the table, Leeds United secured their Premier League status with a dramatic 2-1 win at Brentford, condemning Burnley to the drop after their defeat to Newcastle United by the same scoreline.

Here, Sports Mole picks its Premier League Team of the Week for the final time this season.

DEFENCE

Goals were on the menu more than clean sheets were in the final gameweek of the season, but Palace would not have secured a historic win over Man United without the efforts of Vicente Guaita, who stood tall and made four key saves to help the Eagles end the term on a high.

Cedric Soares has become accustomed to stepping in during Takehiro Tomiyasu's injury woes this season, and the Portuguese saved the best for last with a cracking first-time finish against Everton from a corner, and he also claimed an assist for Gabriel Magalhaes's strike not long after.

Down on the South Coast, Joel Veltman continues to ply his trade on the right-hand side but has been moved to his old-style centre-back role for the purposes of this XI after squirming an effort under Lukasz Fabianski, and the Dutchman also contributed strongly on the defensive front with four tackles and three interceptions for Brighton.

Despite conceding after just two minutes against Wolves, Liverpool would not relinquish the title without a fight and had Joel Matip to thank for that, as the Cameroonian's flick found Mohamed Salah for the Reds' second - one of two big chances he created - and the centre-back also won all six of his aerial duels in a strong Anfield display.

Andy Robertson would have been a worthy pick on the left, but it is simply impossible to overlook Oleksandr Zinchenko's contribution to the Man City comeback, as the Ukraine international set up Rodri, completed all three of his dribble attempts and posted a 94% pass accuracy before a heartfelt tribute to his countrymen.

MIDFIELD

Shades of 2012 Sergio Aguero lingered on in the spirits of Man City's current crop, and it was to be Ilkay Gundogan who would fit the 93:20 mould this time around. In what could prove to be his final game for the club, Gundogan's 22-minute brace against Villa sparked pandemonium inside the Etihad, and the German certainly earned that winners' medal around his neck.

Tottenham's trip to Norwich was a much more straightforward affair in comparison, and Rodrigo Bentancur's strong start to life in England saw him end the Premier League season with another two assists to his name at Carrow Road, as well as three interceptions and a 96% pass accuracy for the Champions League contenders.

Securing their highest-ever Premier League finish in style, Brighton were treated to a midfield masterclass of their own by Pascal Gross, whose thunderous effort beat Fabianski all ends up before he turned provider for Danny Welbeck to convert in the dying embers - just one of his four key passes on the day.

Goals were also flying in left right and centre at the King Power Stadium, and the effervescent James Maddison was at the heart of the Foxes' efforts - firstly pouncing onto a loose ball to slot home into an empty net before finding Ayoze Perez for the Spaniard's first goal to help Leicester end a topsy-turvy campaign in the best possible way.

ATTACK

Callum Wilson will not be making any new friends in Lancashire anytime soon, as the Newcastle man struck the two goals that ended the Clarets' six-year run in the top flight, calmly converting a penalty before finishing at the back post from Allan Saint-Maximin's pass for the Magpies, whose optimism could hardly be higher right now.

A new chapter in Premier League history was written at Carrow Road, and in some style too. Starting the day one goal behind Mohamed Salah in the race for the Golden Boot, Son Heung-min bagged a pair of second-half strikes - including a stunning long-range effort - to collect his share of the top scorer prize, becoming the first-ever Asian player to do so in the process, and his partnership with Dejan Kulusevski and Harry Kane can only blossom further.

SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK:

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-1-2): Guaita; Cedric, Veltman, Matip, Zinchenko; Gundogan, Bentancur, Gross; Maddison; Wilson, Son

Top News

23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made a total of three changes to his starting lineup for this evening's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Portsmouth's trip to Blackburn was postponed less than four hours before kick-off on Saturday. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Sheffield United's Anel Ahmedhodzic was sent off after grabbing the throat of Coventry City forward Norman Bassette. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Ajax defender Devyne Rensch next summer, with the Netherlands international potentially being available on a free transfer. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that the club will not make any firm plans when it comes to the January transfer window until after their clash with Sevilla on December 22. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Fernandez marked his return to the starting XI with a goal and an assist as Chelsea ran out deserved 2-1 winners over Leicester City in Saturday lunchtime's Premier League kickoff at the King Power Stadium. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Mikel Arteta left Arsenal fans confused with a much-changed starting XI to face Nottingham Forest. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has insisted Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham are best served to stay put for the time being despite being linked with moves away from the club. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has lavished praise on Mason Mount and suggested that the Englishman will be an important player for him at Old Trafford. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk St Mary's is the venue for Sunday's meeting between the Premier League's leaders and basement boys, as Liverpool take on 20th-placed Southampton in a 2pm kickoff. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Philippe Senderos played against countless Premier League legends, but one stands out as the toughest. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Philippe Senderos played against countless Premier League legends, but one stands out as the toughest. 23 November 2024 talksport.com The second half in Chelsea's clash against Leicester City was delayed due to two officials being forced to change their roles. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has not made the starting lineup for the Gunners' Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest at the Emirates, but Mikel Arteta has sprung a couple of surprises. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Atalanta BC midfielder Ederson. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Ex-Premier League striker Darren Bent could not believe Wilfred Ndidi escaped a red card against Chelsea. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has explained why Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto were left out of his squad to face Leicester City. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Christopher Nkunku is unhappy with the little game time he receives at Chelsea and is considering his future, according to reports. 23 November 2024 talksport.com New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has revealed he is a huge fan of Mason Mount. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui is facing a couple of critical decisions for Monday's Premier League fixture with Newcastle United at St James' Park. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Maresca has made several surprise inclusions in his Chelsea XI for Saturday's Premier League fixture at Leicester City. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe will be unable to call upon Dan Burn for Monday's Premier League clash with West Ham United at St James' Park. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hoping to win three straight Premier League games for the first time in over 12 months, Newcastle United host a troubled West Ham United at St James' Park in Monday's Premier League offering. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Brentford may have managed to seamlessly replace Ivan Toney with Bryan Mbeumo, but this might not be a long-term solution. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are reportedly facing an anxious wait to determine the severity of Reece James' latest hamstring injury. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United and Arsenal have reportedly been handed a boost in the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion forward Evan Ferguson. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane set a new Bundesliga record on Friday, eclipsing a feat previous held by Erling Haaland in the process. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both stuck inside Serie A's drop zone and facing a season-long scrap for survival, Venezia and Lecce will meet at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on Monday evening. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Trailing their visitors by one point in the Serie A standings, Empoli will attempt to leapfrog Udinese with a win at Stadio Castellani on Monday evening. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves.