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Premier League Team of the Week - Mohamed Salah, Bernardo Silva, Richarlison

sportsmole.co.uk, 19 September 2023, 07:09
Normal service has resumed in the Premier League following the first international break of the season, and champions Manchester City picked up where they left off with a 3-1 comeback win over fellow high-flyers West Ham United.

The Citizens remain the only team with a 100% record, but Tottenham Hotspur are not all that far behind in the table owing to an astounding late 2-1 win over Sheffield United, while Liverpool occupy the final spot on the podium thanks to their 3-1 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Arsenal ended a five-game winless run at Goodison Park by sinking Everton 1-0, but Manchester United's misfortune continued in a 3-1 home beating at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Chelsea have not pulled up trees yet either this term, and the Blues were thwarted in a goalless draw against Bournemouth, but Newcastle United got back on track by overcoming Brentford 1-0.

Elsewhere, Fulham also needed just the one goal to edge past Luton Town, Aston Villa put Crystal Palace to the sword by three goals to one, while 10-man Burnley held out for a contentious 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest.

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

DEFENCE

Even if they were in vain, the magnificent efforts of Sheffield United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham cannot be ignored, although his frequent time-wasting also played its part in Spurs' historic late comeback. West Ham's Alphonse Areola was also on the wrong end of the scoreline against Man City, but with a whopping 10 stops to keep the Irons in the game for long periods, the Frenchman is our pick.

Due to a combination of factors, including injuries and the form of Roberto De Zerbi's other right-backs, Tariq Lamptey's career has hit a bit of a standstill in recent months, but the 22-year-old produced a man-of-the-match display in his side's unforgettable Old Trafford success, laying off Pascal Gross before adding a second assist for Joao Pedro to cap off a wonderful win.

Over at Craven Cottage, Fulham made hard work of their slender triumph over early strugglers Luton Town, and they were also indebted to the defensive efforts of stand-in captain Tim Ream, who made three tackles, won four of his five ground duels and completed 95% of his passes in an assured display.

An elusive clean sheet also came the way of Newcastle United when they welcomed Brentford to the North East, thanks in no small part to the work of Sven Botman, who won three of his five aerial duels, made four clearances and even created one chance to provide a timely injection of confidence ahead of their Champions League opener.

Liverpool will not be present in the top tier of European football this season, but they are taking the steps to ensure that their Europa League appearance will just be a one-off, moving onto 13 points for the season at Wolves. Left-back Andy Robertson was a driving force in that success, producing a striker's finish to prod his side into the lead, while also creating two chances and registering a 92% pass accuracy.

MIDFIELD

Following yet another summer of speculation which ended with an unexpected contract renewal, Bernardo Silva led the Man City response against West Ham, showcasing immense agility to lift the ball over the shoulder of Areola and into the side of the net, before teeing up Erling Haaland to finish the job.

A 3-1 comeback triumph was also on the menu when Villa hosted Palace at their West Midlands home, where Douglas Luiz ran the show from the engine room, making six tackles, completing four accurate long balls from four attempts, and of course converting a confident penalty low into the goal.

In contrast, the excitement was minimal between Bournemouth and Chelsea - where no goals were to be had despite the endeavours of both teams - but Lewis Cook's contributions cannot be overlooked, as the one-time England international made five interceptions, three tackles and completed two successful dribbles in a man-of-the-match display.

ATTACK

Etching his name into a couple more pages of Premier League history, Mohamed Salah ended Liverpool's win over Wolves with two assists to his name, which very well could have been three had Harvey Elliott's strike not taken a significant deflection off Hugo Bueno. In doing so, the Egyptian wing king became just the fourth Premier League player to register an assist in five successive away games - following in Muzzy Izzet, Gerard Deulofeu and Cesc Fabregas's footsteps - while also hitting 200 top-flight goal contributions for Liverpool in just 223 matches.

No matter where your Premier League loyalty lies, it was hard not to feel happy for Tottenham striker Richarlison, who inspired a breathtaking comeback against Sheffield United following a particularly challenging week. The Brazilian was only named on the bench after admitting to seeking psychological help for off-field problems, but he headed in his first home top-flight goal for Spurs as a substitute before setting up Dejan Kulusevski to complete the latest winning comeback in Premier League history.

Finally, a few Chelsea fans may have rued what could have been when witnessing Callum Hudson-Odoi's dream debut for Nottingham Forest versus Burnley on Monday night, as the Englishman rescued a point for the Tricky Trees with a magnificent curling strike from outside the area while also creating three chances, and he was rightfully given a standing ovation when his number was up.

SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-3): Areola; Lamptey, Ream, Botman, Robertson; Cook, Luiz, B. Silva; Salah, Richarlison, Hudson-Odoi

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