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 - Odegaard, Fernandez, Alexander-Arnold

sportsmole.co.uk, 4 December 2023, 08:31
Twenty Premier League teams delivered an early festive treat in the first round of December fixtures, and Arsenal continue to lead the pack owing to a 2-1 beating of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Liverpool maintained their 100% home record to rise into second place with an unforgettable 4-3 win over Fulham, before Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur's blockbuster battle lived up to the hype in a 3-3 stalemate.

Newcastle United piled even more pressure on Erik ten Hag with a merited 1-0 victory over Manchester United, while 10-man Chelsea earned a rare home win, seeing off Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Aston Villa remain in the Champions League mix despite only managing a point in a 2-2 draw away to Bournemouth, while West Ham United are clinging onto a top-half position on the back of a 1-1 draw against London rivals Crystal Palace.

Elsewhere, Brentford returning to winning ways with a 3-1 success over Luton Town, Everton claimed a potentially priceless 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, while Burnley taught relegation rivals Sheffield United a footballing lesson in a 5-0 drubbing.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for gameweek 14.

DEFENCE

A bruised and bandaged Bernd Leno deserves a mention for almost helping Fulham claim a famous Anfield scalp, but ex-Brighton man Robert Sanchez drowned out the boos to shine for Chelsea against his old club; there was little he could have done about either Seagulls goal, but seven saves were imperative in the Blues' success.

Chelsea were not the only team in blue to prevail by a solitary goal at the weekend, as Everton brought some much-needed cheer to the travelling fans at the City Ground and kept one of only two clean sheets in gameweek 14 thanks to James Tarkowski, who won eight of his 10 aerial duels and made a staggering nine clearances to keep Forest at bay.

In contrast, Burnley's attackers unsurprisingly took most of the credit for their demolition job of Sheffield United, but centre-back Dara O'Shea played his part with a delightful ball over the top for Jacob Bruun Larsen to finish, while also losing just one of his eight aerial battles to help Burnley end their torrid home hoodoo.

Brentford's Ben Mee - a fan favourite at the Gtech Community Stadium - also came up with an assist in the Bees' beating of Luton, albeit an unorthodox one as his mishit shot fell kindly for Neal Maupay, before adding a goal to his record for the day with a deflected header to help ensure a return to victorious ways for Thomas Frank's team.

MIDFIELD

The work of Tino Livramento against Man United did not go unnoticed, but Kieran Trippier ran the Red Devils ragged on the right-hand side at St James' Park, providing the cross for Anthony Gordon's winner while shining in all facets of the game with six key passes, four interceptions and three successful dribbles, as well as rattling the crossbar with a trademark free kick.

While Trippier's first-time attempt did not nestle into the net, a sweetly-struck effort from Burnley's Josh Brownhill capped off a five-star display for Vincent Kompany's side against Sheffield United, on a day where the lynchpin also won all four of his ground duels and four of his five aerial battles in the hosts' performance of the season so far.

After almost an entire year of trying and failing to open his Premier League account, Chelsea midfield maestro Enzo Fernandez achieved not only his first goal in the competition against Brighton, but his first brace, heading in the Blues' opener before calmly slotting home what proved to be the decisive spot kick in West London.

Over in North London, Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard looked more like his old self in the slender success over Wolves, producing a quintessential first-time left-footed strike to double the Gunners' lead, and the ex-Real Madrid protege should have ended the game with at least one assist, only to see Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah squander gilt-edged opportunities.

One man who did not waste such an opening was Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was ultimately not credited for a sensational free kick against Fulham - which had deflected off of Leno's back - but the right-back would not be denied in the 87th minute, lashing home a thunderous fourth for the Reds to prolong their perfect Anfield streak in remarkable circumstances.

ATTACK

There are few better love stories in the Premier League than Dejan Kulusevski at the Etihad Stadium, who had already scored in back-to-back games on Man City's turf and haunted the Citizens yet again on Sunday. After teeing up Son Heung-min for Tottenham's opener, the Swede nodded - or shouldered - home a dramatic 90th-minute leveller, thereby becoming just the second player to score away to the reigning champions in three straight seasons after Danny Murphy.

Erling Haaland may have been a candidate to earn the 11th and final spot owing to his pair of assists, but the Norwegian left his best shooting boots in the dressing room and took his frustration out on referee Simon Hooper at full time, perhaps justifiably given the official's bizarre last-minute decision to pull play back with Jack Grealish through on goal. However, Zeki Amdouni needed no lessons in taking his chances for Burnley against Sheffield United, chesting the ball down and producing an emphatic finish before setting up Luca Koleosho as the Clarets banished their Turf Moor demons.

SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (3-5-2): Sanchez; Tarkowski, O'Shea, Mee; Trippier, Brownhill, Fernandez, Odegaard, Alexander-Arnold; Kulusevski, Amdouni

Top News

25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Turkish giants Besiktas are reportedly interested in signing Fulham winger Adama Traore in the January transfer window. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sepp van den Berg has suggested that he has no regrets over leaving Liverpool for Brentford during the summer transfer window. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Mohamed Salah has conceded he's 'probably more out than in' when it comes to staying at Liverpool beyond this season. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ed Sheeran has taken to social media to apologise to Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim after interrupting his interview with Sky Sports. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Napoli forward Victor Osimhen is reportedly attracting interest from a new club ahead of the January transfer window. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola is confident that his Manchester City side can both quickly turn their fortunes around and enjoy a successful season in spite of their recent dip in form. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim singled out Joshua Zirkzee and Jonny Evans after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town in the Premier League. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hoping to end a 15-year sequence without a win against Real Madrid, Liverpool butt heads with the reigning Champions League champions at Anfield on Wednesday evening. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly identified Ederson and Martin Zubimendi as top targets to bolster their midfield in January. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic will host Club Brugge at Celtic Park on Wednesday evening in a pivotal UEFA Champions League clash, as the Scottish champions aim to strengthen their chances of reaching the knockout stages against a Belgian side that have been riddled with inconsistency this term. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne has provided a fresh update on his contract situation at the Etihad Stadium. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Always one of the most highly-anticipated contests on the Champions League calendar, Liverpool and Real Madrid collide in a clash of the titans at Anfield on Wednesday evening. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus have reportedly considered an audacious swap deal that could see Douglas Luiz move to Manchester United in return for Joshua Zirkzee. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Roy Keane's argument with an Ipswich Town fan stemmed from his time as the club's manager as new details have come to light. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Liverpool host Manchester City in a Premier League blockbuster on Sunday but the fixture has been changed to an unusual kick-off time. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Leicester City's players have been slammed for jetting to Copenhagen for their Christmas party. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold remains a doubt for Wednesday's Champions League league phase battle with Real Madrid at Anfield. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The latest chapter in the Liverpool-Real Madrid rivalry will be written on Wednesday evening, when the continental foes collide in Wednesday's Champions League blockbuster. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior will miss their Champions League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday due to a leg injury. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to build a lead at the top of the Championship table, Leeds United will welcome Luton Town to Elland Road on Wednesday. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City have reportedly suffered a blow in the pursuit of one of their top managerial targets. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher has admitted that Leicester City were fortunate to end Saturday's Premier League fixture against Chelsea with 11 players. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Premier League football will be uninterrupted for the next four months but there will be no early Saturday kick-off this weekend. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Steve Cooper was sacked after just five months in charge of Leicester City as the Foxes sit dangerously close to the relegation zone. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Ed Sheeran apologised for gatecrashing Ruben Amorim's post-match interview on Sunday. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham have reportedly joined Leicester City in the race for Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are at risk of matching an unwanted Champions League record set by Manchester United when they face Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday evening. 25 November 2024 talksport.com The Premier League festive schedule is one of the best times of the season for fans as games come thick and fast, and it'll be no different this year. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to extend their goal-laden winning run to four matches, in-form Middlesbrough will welcome Blackburn Rovers to the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night for a Championship battle. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah has dropped the biggest bombshell yet over his future at Anfield, revealing that he is currently "more out than in" as he awaits an extension offer.
Thu 28 Nov, 17:45
EL
Qarabag Qarabag
-
sch
Lyon Lyon
Thu 28 Nov, 20:00
EL
Nice Nice
-
sch
Rangers Rangers