The Team of the Week is dominated by Nottingham Forest players. Are you really surprised though? Nuno Espírito Santo’s side ran riot against Brighton and recorded a 7-0 win just a week after being thrashed 5-0 by Bournemouth. It was the perfect response.
By Sam McGuire
The Forest quintuple are joined by three from Crystal Palace after the Eagles recorded yet another win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. No more spoilers though. Here’s the Team of the Week for Matchday 24 with a detailed look at exactly why they’ve made the cut.
Goalkeeper: Matz Sels
Sels was back to his brilliant best between the sticks after disappointing last time out. The 32-year-old made six saves against Brighton as Nottingham Forest claimed a 10th clean sheet of the season. No team has more clean sheets in the Premier League this term. He faced efforts with an Expected Goals on Target value of 1.33 and repelled them all on his way to an 8.8 rating – his highest FotMob rating of the campaign.
Right-Back: Daniel Muñoz
Muñoz was resolute against Manchester United as the Eagles claimed a 2-0 in over the Red Devils on Sunday. The right-back claimed an assist, setting up Jean-Philippe Mateta for the all-important second to kill off the game. The 28-year-old won 70% of his ground duels on his way to an 8.3 FotMob rating.
Centre-Back: Chris Richards
The versatile defender was deployed on the right side of a back three at Old Trafford and he put in a dominant performance. The 24-year-old won the most tackles (four) and won the most duels (nine). In fact, he won 100% of his ground duels, He made a total of 10 clearances and made two interceptions. He more than played his part in ensuring the Eagles finished with a clean sheet.
Centre-Back: Maxence Lacroix
The third and final Crystal Palace player to get into the FotMob Team of the Week. Lacroix, who signed in the summer from Wolfsburg, completed 80% of his passes. He won two of his three attempted tackles, made 11 clearances and four interceptions. He won 80% of his aerial duels and 50% of his ground duels at Old Trafford. He was another who put in a dominant showing for Oliver Glasner’s team.
Left-Back: Neco Williams
Williams was fantastic as a left wing-back for Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. The former Liverpool full-back won the most duels (12) and won the most tackles (four). He was involved in 21 duels on the day, made three clearances, two interceptions and recovered the ball on three occasions. The 23-year-old also scored a goal, hit the woodwork with an effort and completed 86% of his attempted passes on the day. It was a dominant, all-round showing from the Wales international.
Midfield: Morgan Gibbs-White
Another week, another Morgan Gibbs-White masterclass. The 25-year-old was deployed in a three-man attack this week with Espirito Santo tweaking the shape after the humbling after Bournemouth. Gibbs-White scored a goal, claimed an assist and won a penalty for Forest on his way to an 8.7 FotMob rating. Gibbs-White completed two of his three dribbles, won all three of his tackles and come out on top in 70% of his ground duels at the City Ground.
Midfield: Thomas Partey
Partey completed 88% of his passes against the reigning Premier League champions as Arsenal hammered Manchester City 5-1 at the Emirates to send a message to their rivals. The 31-year-old scored a goal too, albeit via a big deflection, as well as completing 100% of his attempted dribbles. He was accurate with 75% of his long passes, attempted four tackles and recovered the ball on seven occasions. The midfielder won six of his seven duels too.
Midfield: Declan Rice
And yet Partey wasn’t the dominant Arsenal midfielder. That title belongs to Declan Rice. The former West Ham man and one-time Manchester City midfielder was utterly dominant on Sunday. He created the most chances (four), claimed two assists and finished with an 8.8 rating. He completed 89% of his attempted passes, completed 100% of his dribbles and won 100% of his ground duels.
Attack: Mohamed Salah
Salah became the first player to hit 20 goals in the Premier League this season when he netted twice in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth. The 32-year-old also created two chances, had four shots and completed two of his three dibbles. His second on the day was quintessential Salah as he guided a curled left-footed effort into the far corner, making it look ridiculously easy. His showing at the Vitality Stadium earned him a 9.2 FotMob rating.
Attack: Anthony Elanga
The versatile winger partnered Chris Wood up front this week as opposed to playing in one of the wide areas. Elanga claimed a 9.5 FotMob rating. More often than not, such a rating would be the highest in the match. It is usually the highest of the week. This time, however, it wasn’t. And we’ll get to why in a moment. The former Manchester United man was in fantastic form though and chipped in with three assists against Brighton. He completed two of his three dribbles, and finished the game having created the most chances (three).
Attack: Chris Wood
Wood claimed the FotMob Player of the Match for Forest against Brighton. He also claimed the FotMob Player of the Week with a 9.6 rating. The New Zealand international scored a hat-trick against the Seagulls. He was in the right place, at the right time, time and time again. He was barely involved, attempting just nine passes in total, but when he was, he made it count. He landed all four of his efforts on target and completed 100% of his dribbles. He was unplayable and in this form he’s unstoppable.
(Images from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the Premier League live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG and player ratings. Download the free app here.