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Premier League Team of the Week - Jamie Vardy, Bukayo Saka, Joao Cancelo

Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for gameweek five, including Jamie Vardy, Bukayo Saka and Joao Cancelo.

Another pulsating weekend of Premier League action has come and gone, with Liverpool leading the way at the top of the rankings despite being held to a 3-3 draw by newly-promoted Brentford.

Manchester City came out on top 1-0 against Chelsea to leapfrog their title rivals into second, while Manchester United's title aspirations took an early hit with a home defeat to Aston Villa by the same scoreline.

Meanwhile, Arsenal ran out convincing winners over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby, while Everton's strong start under Rafael Benitez continued with a 2-0 success over rock-bottom Norwich City.

Elsewhere, West Ham United shaded a close contest with Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers edged past Southampton, Leicester City and Burnley played out a four-goal draw while the Watford-Newcastle United and Crystal Palace-Brighton & Hove Albion clashes ended 1-1.

Here, Sports Mole picks its Team of the Week for gameweek six of the Premier League season.


DEFENCE

Brentford's Ethan Pinnock celebrates scoring their first goal against Liverpool in the Premier League on September 25, 2021© Reuters

There was only ever one candidate for the gloves in our Team of the Week this time around. The finish may have been all about Raul Jimenez's quality on the ball, but Wolves number one Jose Sa claimed the assist with a peach of a long ball and also made six saves against Southampton to preserve his side's clean sheet on the day.

It was a painful sight to see Ethan Pinnock's day against Liverpool cut short after 43 minutes due to injury, but the Brentford man certainly made his presence felt during his short time on the pitch. A classic rags-to-riches story, the man who was playing for Dulwich Hamlet five years ago was in the right place at the right time to score his first Premier League goal, made five clearances and won all four of his aerial battles before being forced off.

Another Big Six side to feel the full force of a defender's goalscoring prowess was Manchester United, as Kortney Hause enjoyed a day he would never forget at Old Trafford. The Villa man darted into space expertly to meet a Villa corner and powered his header past David de Gea. He also made two blocks and two interceptions to travel home with a hard-earned clean sheet.

The final member of our rearguard seemed set to travel home without a point or clean sheet to show for his efforts, which would have been wholly undeserved. Vicente Guaita's poor clearance allowed Joel Veltman to set Neal Maupay away for a dramatic equaliser in the M23 Derby, and the Dutchman also made eight tackles and won nine of his 11 ground duels for the high-flying Seagulls.


MIDFIELD

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on September 26, 2021© Reuters

It does not get much better for an Arsenal academy graduate than to bag a goal and assist against Tottenham, and that is exactly what Bukayo Saka did in front of the joyous Emirates faithful. A constant nuisance on the right-hand side, Saka picked out Emile Smith Rowe for the game's opener before persevering to open his account for the Premier League season later in the first half, and he played his part defensively with three tackles on the day.

On the opposite side, Joao Cancelo has taken to his left-back role with aplomb and played a key role in his side's potentially pivotal win at Chelsea. The Portuguese defender claimed an unconventional assist as his shot found its way into the path of Gabriel Jesus, while he also made three interceptions and succeeded with all three of his dribble attempts.

Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz was the man to claim the assist for Hause's header against Man United with a pinpoint corner, and the Brazilian lynchpin would finish the day having made three key passes in a composed display. Alongside him is a man who did not end up on the winning side at the weekend, but Youri Tielemans put in a performance that we have become accustomed to seeing from the talented Belgian, who set Jamie Vardy on his way to score the game's first equaliser while making five key passes, drawing three fouls and winning six ground duels in an all-action draw.


ATTACK

Leicester City's Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring against Burnley in the Premier League on September 25, 2021© Reuters

Certainly proving that links to Liverpool were justified, Raphinha continues to dazzle on the right-hand side of Leeds' attack and swept home a delightful left-footed finish to open the scoring against West Ham while also winning five of his six ground duels, and the Elland Road faithful will hope that his injury scare on the day does not prove too serious.

It was truly a day for the Hale Enders as Arsenal trounced Tottenham in the derby, with Emile Smith Rowe also bagging a goal and assist on the 'best day of his life', and Gunners captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang voiced his desire for his children to follow in the footsteps of the playmaker in the Arsenal academy.

Very rarely will you see Jamie Vardy make the net ripple at the wrong end of the pitch, but the Leicester veteran recovered expertly from his own goal to take centre stage in a pulsating draw with Burnley - sweeping home his side's first equaliser before rounding Nick Pope and netting from a tight angle - and the 34-year-old will hope to keep making headlines in the opposing penalty area after a rare moment of madness.


Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week

PL TOTW GW6

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (3-4-3): Sa; Pinnock, Hause, Veltman; Saka, Tielemans, Luiz, Cancelo; Raphinha, Vardy, Smith Rowe

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Ivan Toney celebrates scoring for Brentford against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on September 18, 2021
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


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