Another round of Premier League fixtures is done and dusted and champions-elect Liverpool have extended their lead at the summit to 15 points after coming from behind to beat basement club Southampton 3-1 at Anfield last weekend.
Arsenal remain second and their winless run in the top flight has been extended to three matches after they were forced to share the spoils with 14th-placed Manchester United in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
Third-placed Nottingham Forest boosted their hopes of securing Champions League football for next season after securing a slender 1-0 home victory over Manchester City, who have slipped out of the top four and down to fifth following Chelsea's win by the same scoreline over relegation-threatened Leicester City.
Champions League hopefuls Newcastle United secured an important 1-0 win at West Ham United to climb into the top six, while Bournemouth have slipped to ninth after letting a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 at Tottenham Hotspur.
High-flying Brighton have soared up to seventh spot after claiming their fourth successive league win and first ever in the Premier League over 10th-placed Fulham, winning 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, while Aston Villa beat Brentford 1-0 away from home to move into the top eight.
Ipswich Town remain in danger of the drop after they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, and Kieran McKenna's side have slipped six points adrift of safety following Wolverhampton Wanderers' 1-1 draw with Everton.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Team of the Week for the latest round of Premier League fixtures.
DEFENCE
© Imago
While both David Raya and Mads Hermansen deserve honourable mentions, it is Dean Henderson who takes our spot between the sticks after producing an excellent goalkeeping display in Crystal Palace's slender win over Ipswich, making seven saves and preventing 1.9 expected goals.
Dictating the game from right-back comes naturally to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who barely put a foot wrong in Liverpool's comeback win over Southampton. Completing seven out of nine of his ground duels and 100% of his tackles (3/3), while also producing 40 passes into the final third and taking 122 touches, at least 31 more than any of his teammates.
Axel Disasi was perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty in Aston Villa's win at Brentford, but his outstanding man-of-the-match display was key to keeping the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Keane Lewis-Potter quiet. The Chelsea loanee won six ground duels, made five clearances and four headed clearances, celebrating every defensive action as if he had scored at the other end.
Jan Paul van Hecke powered home an inch-perfect header - his first PL goal - in Brighton's victory over Fulham, and the towering Dutch centre-back also impressed at the other end, winning four duels, making six clearances, completing 93.1% of his passes and 9/11 long balls.
Completing our back four is left-back Marc Cucurella, who scored the decisive goal in Chelsea's narrow win over Leicester, arrowing a sweetly-struck long-range effort into the bottom corner. The Spaniard also helped the Blues keep a clean sheet, making six clearances and winning two ground duels.
MIDFIELD
© Iconsport
Declan Rice produced two game-changing moments to rescue a point for Arsenal at Old Trafford, superbly scoring a second-half equaliser with a first-time strike before prevented what would have surely been a certain goal for Rasmus Hojlund with a perfectly-timed last-gasp tackle. Rice also completed 62/68 of his passes, made 15 final-third entries, produced seven ball recoveries and won three ground duels.
Moises Caicedo displayed his best impression of ex-Chelsea and Leicester star N'Golo Kante last weekend as he bossed the midfield at Stamford Bridge with the most duels won (11), most possessions won (eight), most successful tackles (four) and most fouls won (four), as well as completing 93% of his passes, including 4/5 long balls.
An unsung hero in Wolves' draw with Everton was tenacious midfield Andre, who completed 97% of his passes, including eight out of eight long balls, won nine ground duels and regained possession 11 times in the middle of the pitch, more than any other player in a Premier League match this season.
Sandro Tonali deserves a special mention for his resolute display in Newcastle's midfield, but he is pipped to a place in our TOTW by teammate Bruno Guimaraes, who produced a captain's performance at the London Stadium, not only tapping home the decisive goal in the second half, but also completing 22 successful final-third passes, three out of three long passes and four ground duels.
ATTACK
© Imago
Shortly after having a curling strike tipped onto the post, Callum Hudson-Odoi caught Ederson out at his near post as he fired home the important match-winner in Forest's narrow win over Man City. Only Mbeumo (seven), Erling Haaland (six) and Alex Iwobi (five) have scored more PL goals this season following a dribble than Hudson-Odoi (three), who also fashioned two chances for his teammates and won both of his ground duels in a memorable victory.
In the absence of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr produced two game-winning moments at both ends of the pitch in Palace's win over Ipswich. The Senegalese forward showed great speed and composure as he burst in behind and expertly dinked his well-taken goal into the back of the net, while he was in the right place at the right time to clear the ball off the line in the second half to ensure that Palace held on for a clean sheet.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-1-2-1-2): Henderson; Alexander-Arnold, Disasi, Van Hecke, Cucurella; Caicedo; Andre, Rice; Guimaraes; Hudson-Odoi, Sarr
Oliver Thomas
