Premier League supporters were treated to a glut of goals in the recent round of midweek fixtures, where no fewer than 35 efforts flew into the backs of nets up and down the country.
Six of those strikes came at St James' Park, where Arne Slot's Liverpool saw their lead at the Premier League summit cut down thanks to an engrossing 3-3 draw with Newcastle United, and their title rivals happily capitalised.
Chelsea are now the runaway Reds' closest challengers owing to their 5-1 dismantling of Southampton, moving above Arsenal on goal difference despite the Gunners' 2-0 success over Ruben Amorim's Manchester United.
Reigning champions Manchester City finally snapped their demoralising winless run by putting three past Nottingham Forest without reply, but an injury-ravaged Tottenham Hotspur were fortunate to only lose by a 1-0 scoreline at Bournemouth.
Brighton & Hove Albion's European aspirations also suffered a setback in a 3-1 defeat to fellow continental challengers Fulham on Thursday, but Aston Villa reignited a stuttering season by seeing off Brentford by the same scoreline.
Elsewhere, Ruud van Nistelrooy's dream debut as Leicester City boss saw the Foxes conquer West Ham United 3-1, Everton showcased newfound attacking verve to smash Wolverhampton Wanderers by four goals to nil, and Crystal Palace needed just the one strike to defeat Ipswich Town.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of fixtures.
DEFENCE
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Take nothing away from Fraser Forster's performance in goal for Spurs against Bournemouth - who would have won by more were it not for the veteran shot-stopper - but Leicester's Mads Hermansen was one of a few Foxes to flourish against West Ham, contributing seven saves, three high claims and one punch as the Van Nistelrooy era kicked off on the right foot.
Speaking of right foots, Aston Villa full-back Matty Cash was well-placed to drive home a back-stick volley in the beating of Brentford, somehow managing to find a gap at Mark Flekken's near post. Furthermore, the Poland international only lost one of his eight ground duels - making five tackles and completing both of his dribble attempts - to send a loud and clear selection message to Unai Emery.
Both of our centre-backs have arguably done the same with their managers, as Chelsea's Axel Disasi - one of Enzo Maresca's second-string players - made his mark at St Mary's with a terrific header to open the scoring. The Frenchman won each of the other three aerial duels he contested too, putting himself firmly in the frame to deputise for the injured Wesley Fofana every week.
Elsewhere on the South Coast, Bournemouth have a new youngest-ever scorer in the Premier League, and he goes by the name of Dean Huijsen. The 19-year-old came up with the Cherries' game-winning goal against Tottenham with a terrific header into the far corner, while also making critical defensive contributions in the shape of 10 clearances and four tackles.
At the other end of the experience scale, 39-year-old Ashley Young now has a Premier League record to his name thanks to an exemplary set-piece goal against Wolves. By managing to curl his dead-ball effort around the wall and into the far corner, the ex-England international became the oldest player to score a direct free kick in the Premier League, and he also put in a whopping seven tackles and four interceptions to defy his age even further.
MIDFIELD
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Alex Iwobi's first goal against Brighton may have been an early Christmas gift presented to him by Bart Verbruggen, but there was nothing fortuitous about his second, pulling off a nifty turn before finding the bottom corner with panache. As well as his crucial brace, the former Arsenal man also completed 3+ successful take-ons, won 5+ duels and won possession back 5+ times, the first Premier League player to boast such statistics from a single game in 2024.
From Gunners past to Gunners present, Declan Rice ran the midfield show for Arsenal in their beating of Man United, where one of his customary perfect corners was on the money for Jurrien Timber to guide home. The Englishman created another two chances on the evening while winning four of his own five aerial duels, justifying his £105m price tag that little bit more.
A player who would also command a nine-figure transfer fee during his prime, Man City fulcrum Kevin De Bruyne made the most of an increasingly rare start when Forest came to visit the Etihad. Inspiring City's first win since late October, the 33-year-old claimed the assist for Bernardo Silva's header before registering himself with a thumping finish, although he could count himself lucky that Chris Wood did not punish his lackadaisical pass just before his strike.
ATTACK
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The driving force behind Leicester's first success under Van Nistelrooy, Bilal El Khannouss lit up the King Power Stadium in the beating of West Ham. After slipping through Jamie Vardy with a perfectly-timed pass - one of three big chances he fashioned on the night - the 20-year-old produced a crisp first-time finish for his first Foxes goal.
On an evening where Darwin Nunez was the source of more frustration from Liverpool supporters, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak should have been the envy of the travelling faithful and other rival fans, having beaten Caoimhin Kelleher with a venomous finish from range before teeing up Anthony Gordon to strike against his erstwhile employers.
However, the Swedish sensation was just pipped to the man of the match prize by the hottest property in the Premier League at the minute. Saving Liverpool's bacon with a brilliant brace and helper for Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah has now scored and assisted in 37 different Premier League games - breaking Wayne Rooney's record of 36 - heightening calls from restless supporters to give the 32-year-old whatever he wants from a new contract.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-3): Hermansen; Cash, Disasi, Huijsen, Young; Iwobi, Rice, De Bruyne; Salah, Isak, El Khannouss
Ben Knapton
