What a mid-week round of fixtures that was then. The FotMob Team of the Week is once again dominated by a surprise club in Fulham after Marco Silva’s side ran riot against Nottingham Forest in a 5-0 win. The Cottagers have four players in the XI, but who else made the cut?
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno
Leno made just one save in Fulham’s 5-0 win over Forest but his overall performance is what catapulted him into the Team of the Week. The German shot-stopper completed 93% of his passes and acted as a sweeper on three occasions to halt attacks. His positioning and style allowed Fulham to be as aggressive as they were on the night.
Right-Back: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold had Sheffield United’s pants down on Wednesday night. The Liverpool full-back was back to his creative best, finishing the match having created seven chances, three of which were classed as big chances. He also assisted the opener for Virgil Van Dijk. He now has two goals and an assist in his last three outings for the Reds. He’s finding form at the right time.
Centre-Back: Cristian Romero
The World Cup winner didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. Romero scored the opener for Spurs in their 2-1 loss to West Ham United. He attempted 108 passes on Thursday night and completed 94% of those. He won 100% his tackles and aerial duels while also winning two of three ground duels. Romero recovered the ball on 10 occasions too and yet all of this wasn’t enough to help Spurs to victory.
Centre-Back: Virgil Van Dijk
Van Dijk found the back of the net for the first time as Liverpool skipper in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United. Even without the goal, he was brilliant. He completed 93% of his passes, found a teammate with 67% of his attempted long passes, won all of his tackles and 80% of his aerial duels. The Dutchman was a key reason the Reds managed to keep a clean sheet.
Left-Back: Pascal Gross
Roberto De Zerbi got a little creative with his starting XI on Wednesday evening. He put Pascal Gross at left-back and the experienced midfielder put in a Player of the Match performance. The 32-year-old was given a FotMob rating of 8.5 after chipping in with a goal and an assist. He also completed 88% of his passes and won 50% of all of his duels.
Midfield: Alex Iwobi
Iwobi got on the scoresheet twice to record a FotMob rating of 8.9. The 27-year-old added real value to his efforts, turning an Expected Goals total of 0.61 into an Expected Goals on Target total of 1.19. He also created a chance for the Cottagers in what was a dominant final phase performance from the former Everton man.
Midfield: Scott McTominay
McTominay was once again the match-winner for Manchester United. The 27-year-old was barely involved, attempting just 22 passes against Chelsea, but he chipped in with two goals and finished the game with a pass success rate of 95%. He had a total of seven shots and racked up an Expected Goals on Target haul of 1.9. The Scotland international missed three big chances but United won’t care, will they? When it mattered, he put the ball into the back of the net.
Midfield: Andreas Pereira
The 27-year-old Brazilian ran the show at Craven Cottage without getting on the scoresheet. Pereira created the most chances of any player in the match (four) and finished with two assists. He also completed 88% of his 69 attempted passes. The midfield maestro also completed 100% of his dribbles, won 80% of his duels, and 100% of his tackles.
Attack: Bukayo Saka
Arsenal scored four but Saka didn’t manage to add to his goals tally for the campaign. He didn’t need a goal to make it into the Team of the Week though. The 22-year-old did create two chances in the 4-3 win over Luton and he did claim an assist. He was at his mesmerising best and attempted six dribbles. Defensively, he put in a shift. He recovered the ball seven times and was only dribbled past on one occasion.
Attack: Gabriel Jesus
When Jesus is at his best, Arsenal seem to be at their best too. The Brazil international scored and assisted in the win over Luton. He was generally involved in everything the Gunners did in the final third, racking up three shots while creating five chances. Jesus completed two of his three dribbles and involved himself in a remarkable 14 duels.
Attack: Raul Jiménez
Jimenez looked back to his brilliant best in Fulham’s victory. He found the back of the net on two occasions with one of those being a nonchalant backheel following a slaloming run past the goalkeeper. In total, the Mexico forward had six shots and finished with an Expected Goals haul of 1.46. He won 100% of his aerial duels and was the most fouled player in the match (three).
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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