Premier League Team of the Week: Chelsea, Manchester United and Leeds United stars impress in Matchweek 10
Premier League Matchweek 10 was once again filled with great goals and matches.
Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur led the way heading into the weekend and managed to retain number one position with a hard-fought draw at Chelsea.
That was mainly due to Liverpool dropping points at Brighton & Hove Albion following more VAR controversy.
At the bottom, West Brom and Fulham recorded great victories to ease relegation pressure, whilst Manchester United and Man City gained all three points.
Newcastle United, Leeds United and Wolverhampton were the other winners in an action-packed week.
So following the latest round of fixtures, who were the top individual performers across the 10 top-flight games?
Here’s Shoot’s Premier League Team of the Week…
GK: Sam Johnstone (West Brom)
Given the position of West Brom in the table, goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has endured a busy season in goal for the Baggies already this term. Even at this early stage of the season, Saturday’s game against Sheffield United was seen as a relegation six-pointer. Johnstone stepped up to the plate, keeping a clean sheet and making many solid saves in a vital 1-0 win for the Baggies which lifted them out the drop zone.
DF: Reece James (Chelsea)
James has been a revelation at Chelsea since breaking into the senior squad last season. But Sunday’s performance against Spurs was one of his best defensive performances in a blues shirt. The England international kept the high-flying Heung-min Son quiet throught the entire match and pressed forward when he got the chance.
DF: Joe Rodon (Tottenham)
What a debut it was from Tottenham’s summer signing Joe Rodon. Given the calibre of the match and the quality of opposition, Spurs fans would have forgiven Rodon if he looked unsure at the back. The Wales international was anything but and put in a fantastic performance at Stamford Bridge.
DF: Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United)
Unfortunately, for the Magpies not many defenders have made Premier League team of the weeks in this campaign. But Clark deserves his spot as he lead his team’s defence to an impressive clean sheet over Crystal Palace. The Irishman was a rock at the back which allowed Steve Bruce’s side to push for a winner later on.
DF: Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City)
Returns from injury don’t come much better than Mendy’s performance at home to Burnley this weekend. The France international looked 100% match sharp has he bombed up and down the left side, keeping a clean sheet and scoring a goal to cap off a superb performance.
MF: Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United)
It’s been a frustrating first Premier League this season for Kalvin Phillips, having to deal with an injury early on that kept the midfielder out for weeks. However, after making his return to action, the England international has gone right back to his best and was fantastic against Everton on Saturday. The defensive middle man was everywhere and was a major part behind Leeds’ win.
MF: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Once again De Bruyne makes our team of the week. The Belgium international is comfortably City’s best player and seems to perform week in, week out. Everything good about City’s attacking display seemed to come through the City captain with the midfielder notching two assists in the 5-0 thumping.
MF: Ademola Lookman (Fulham)
After his embarrassing penalty miss at West Ham just a few weeks ago, Lookman reversed his fortunes with a sparkling performance away at Leicester City this evening. The tricky forward scored Fulham’s opening goal and was a constant threat helping the North London outfit secure their second win of the season.
FW: Joelinton (Newcastle United)
The Brazilian striker has copped a lot of criticism since making the £40million switch to the Magpies from Hoffenheim in 2019. Coming into Friday night’s encounter against Crystal Palace, Newcastle’s number none had not scored a goal all season. With five minutes to go that was still the case, but Joelinton stole the show, assisting Callum Wilson for the first, before dispatching the second goal in a fantastic 2-0 victory.
FW: Edinson Cavani (Manchester United)
Last, but by no means least is a player who didn’t even start for his team in Edinson Cavani. The experienced marksmen came off the bench at half time, with his Man United team mates 2-0 down away at Southampton. An absolute masterclass in strike play then took place, with Cavani assisting the first goal, before pouncing with an equalising header. That wasn’t enough for the ex-PSG man as he scored a brilliant winner in the dying minutes of the match.
FW: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Another player who came into the weekend matches having received some criticism this campaign was Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian has been given a lot of football this term, but has yet to hit the ground running in a Sky Blue shirt. That changed on Saturday, when Mahrez scored a stunning hat-trick in a 5-0 thumping over Burnley and was a constant threat down the right-hand side.