Premier League Team of the Week XI

Another Premier League gameweek is behind us. The relegation battle at the bottom of the table is beginning to heat up – likewise, the race for 6th and 7th place is also starting to look particularly feisty.

But who were this week’s best individual performers? We saw some big wins for Manchester City, Leeds United and Liverpool – how many of them made it into our Premier League team of the week?

GK: Dean Henderson

Crystal Palace were under the cosh for much of their game against West Ham United, but Dean Henderson was on hand to deny the Hammers at every turn.

He made some excellent saves to keep Palace alive, including a point-blank header from Konstantinos Mavropanos.

RB: Matheus Nunes

Manchester City were perhaps not at their very best when they took on Arsenal at the weekend, but the Citizens showed that they could make things ugly and battle to win the three points.

Matheus Nunes was a key factor towards their success – he found Rayan Cherki for City to score the opening goal of the game.

CB: Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk has come under intense criticism this season, but the towering Dutchman was on hand to produce some derby day magic yet again.

Rising above everyone, Van Dijk powered a header into the back of Everton’s net in virtually the last action of the game – in doing so, he kept Liverpool’s top four hopes alive.

CB: Ayden Heaven

Many audiences feared for Ayden Heaven on Saturday evening, feeling that Joao Pedro and Liam Delap would be too much for him – nevertheless, the Manchester United starboy was on hand to prove everyone wrong.

This was a brilliant display from the 19-year-old. His timing was phenomenal, putting in some pinpoint tackles to keep Chelsea at bay throughout the contest.

LB: Adrien Truffert

Adrien Truffert has been a phenomenal signing for Bournemouth. He made the difference once again on Saturday, scoring the winning goal against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.

Showing excellent tenacity, he took a gamble and waited at the near post for Evanilson’s knockdown. The gamble paid off, as he poked the ball into the back of the net and secured the win for the Cherries.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur

It has been some time since a Tottenham Hotspur player appeared in our team of the week, but Rodrigo Bentancur is more than good value for his spot in this XI.

Spurs may have ended up with a disappointing 2-2 draw, but Bentancur did everything he could for the team – he put some fantastic tackles in and recycled the ball effectively to help Tottenham maintain a foothold in the game.

CM: Alex Scott

This was another faultless midfield display from Alex Scott. For all the talent that Newcastle United have in the middle of the park, none of them could get near the 22-year-old on Saturday afternoon.

Not only did he work incredibly hard, covering nearly 12km over the course of the game, he also finished the outing with a 100% tackle success ratio. Scott is a complete midfielder – one wonders how long Bournemouth will able to hang onto him.

RW: Rayan Cherki

Perhaps the most creative attacking player in the Premier League today, Rayan Cherki ran rings around Arsenal’s usually-erudite defence on Sunday afternoon.

A natural dribbler with excellent passing, Cherki’s full range of talents were on full display – he also scored the opening goal of the game.

AM: Morgan Gibbs-White

Without question, Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is this week’s star player – you simply cannot argue with a hattrick from midfield.

Forest went behind in theor game against Burnley, but Gibbs-White was on hand to take the game by the scruff of the neck – does he deserve a spot in the England XI?

LW: Noah Okafor

Noah Okafor is in top form – after scoring a goal and registering an assist against Manchester United, he delivered much of the same against Wolves.

Leeds United are now eight points clear of the drop zone – their Premier League status looks intact, with Okafor playing a major role in their survival charge.

ST: Ollie Watkins

Ollie Watkins seems to be back to his best. After a difficult season, he was on fine form when Aston Villa took on Sunderland at the weekend.

Watkins scored a brace against the Black Cats amid a 4-3 win for the Villans – he has now scored three goals in his last three Premier League outings.