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Premier League Team of the Week - Lisandro Martinez, Martin Odegaard, Wilfried Zaha

Sports Mole picks its Premier League Team of the Week, including Lisandro Martinez, Martin Odegaard and Wilfried Zaha.

Manchester United rounded off gameweek three in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday night.

There was huge pressure on the Red Devils heading into the fixture after losing their opening two games of the season, but they managed to record a narrow win over Liverpool, who are down in 16th position in the table, having picked up just two points from their opening two games of the campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur opened Saturday's action with a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers to continue their strong start, while Crystal Palace beat Aston Villa 3-1, Fulham beat Brentford 3-2 and Southampton recorded a 2-1 victory over Leicester City on the same afternoon.

Everton winless start continued, meanwhile, as they shared the points in a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest; Arsenal are now the only side to have a 100% record from three matches, with the Gunners recording a 3-0 win over Bournemouth in Saturday's late start.

On Sunday, Leeds United recorded a 3-0 win over Chelsea at Elland Road, while Brighton & Hove Albion continued their unbeaten start with a 2-0 success at West Ham United, who are bottom of the table with three defeats and zero goals scored.

There was also a pulsating contest at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon, with Newcastle United holding the champions Manchester City to a 3-3 draw, with the Citizens one of four teams, the other three being Leeds, Tottenham and Brighton, to have seven points from their first three matches.

Here, Sports Mole picks its Premier League Team of the Week, with the latest round of action coming to an end at Old Trafford on Monday night.


DEFENCE

Tyrell Malacia in action for Manchester United on August 7, 2022© Reuters

Nick Pope (West Ham) and Robert Sanchez (Brighton) were close to being named as the goalkeeper in this side, but Jordan Pickford just gets the nod following his display for Everton against Forest. England's number one made four smart saves during his side's 1-1 draw, and it was the 28-year-old's brilliant long ball that allowed the Toffees to equalise through Demarai Gray in the 88th minute of the contest.

There are also two Man United defenders at the back, which is incredible considering the team's struggles in the early stages of the season. Tyrell Malacia was chosen ahead of Luke Shaw at left-back against Liverpool and justified his selection by putting in an outstanding performance, with the Netherlands international a key part of his team's success, and Shaw will surely now find it difficult to get back into the side.

Lisandro Martinez took a lot of criticism for his first-half display against Brentford last weekend, but the Argentina international was outstanding against Liverpool, making a number of brilliant tackles and putting his stamp on the match with his personality; Raphael Varane also deserves a special mention, as he was also brilliant, but Martinez gets the nod due to the level of his performance.

Diego Llorente is also included due to his excellent performance in Leeds' 3-0 win over Chelsea, with the 29-year-old dominant in the air and also on the ground, as the Blues found it difficult at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, the final spot in the back four is handed to William Saliba, who has been outstanding in the early stages of the Premier League campaign. The 21-year-old scored Arsenal's third at Bournemouth with a brilliant effort, and he has proved to be a dominant force at the back for the Gunners this term.


MIDFIELD

Martin Odegaard in action for Arsenal on August 20, 2022© Reuters

A three-man midfield includes Arsenal's Martin Odegaard, who put in a captain's performance against Bournemouth in Saturday's late start. The attacker scored twice in the opening 11 minutes of the contest, and he was outstanding throughout the match, with the Cherries finding it difficult to deal with the 23-year-old, who had three shots in total during a strong display against Scott Parker's side.

There also had to be a spot for Leeds' Brenden Aaronson, who made the breakthrough in the clash with Chelsea on Sunday. The 21-year-old forced Edouard Mendy into a mistake to hand the home side the lead at Elland Road, and he was excellent for his 83 minutes on the field, with the American putting in a high-intensity display.

Bernardo Silva completes the midfield, with the Portugal international just chosen ahead of Man City teammate Kevin De Bruyne. The 28-year-old now looks set to remain at Etihad Stadium this summer, and he was excellent against Newcastle, providing the assist for Ilkay Gundogan to make the breakthrough before scoring Man City's third of the contest at St James' Park in the 64th minute.


ATTACK

Wilfried Zaha in action for Crystal Palace on August 5, 2022© Reuters

Jack Harrison features in the final third of the field, with the 25-year-old playing a leading role in Leeds beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Harrison provided the assist for Rodrigo to register in the 37th minute before getting his name on the scoresheet in the second half. The Blues found it difficult to deal with Harrison in a wide area, and it will be fascinating to see whether the Englishman stays at Elland Road this summer amid reported interest from Newcastle.

The Magpies also have an attacker in this side, with Allan Saint-Maximin putting in a brilliant performance against Man City on Sunday. The 25-year-old provided two assists for his side in their 3-3 draw, while he had five successful dribbles and three shots during an all-action display, with the champions finding it tough to deal with the powerful forward.

Wilfried Zaha completes the lineup, with the 29-year-old putting in a brilliant performance against Villa on Saturday. The forward scored twice in his side's 3-1 victory, and he was a constant menace in the final third of the field. Zaha has started the campaign in strong form for Patrick Vieira's side, and Villa will not be the only team to struggle against him this season.


SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK:

PL TOTW GAMEWEEK THREE

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-1-2): Pickford; Llorente, Saliba, L Martinez, Malacia; Aaronson, Odegaard, Bernardo; Harrison, Zaha, Saint-Maximin


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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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