It was a weekend full of surprises. Everton held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park, Fulham beat runaway league leaders Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City played out a 0-0 draw while Fabian Schär almost scored from inside his own half in Newcastle United’s game against Leicester City. I know what you’re wondering though and, no, the Swiss centre-back didn’t make the FotMob Team of the Week.
By Sam McGuire
A few of his teammates did. With that in mind, here’s your Matchday 31 Team of the Week.
Goalkeeper: Mark Flekken
The Brentford shot-stopper put in a Man of the Match showing for the Bees in their 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Sunday. Flekken made six saves and faced shots with an Expected Goals on Target value of 1.09 on his way to a clean sheet. The 31-year-old made a total of three saves from shots inside the penalty area too, showing off his impressive shot-stopping ability as Thomas Frank’s side claimed a decent point against the Champions League chasing side.
Right-Back: Pedro Porro
Porro was back to his best for Spurs in their 3-1 win over Southampton on Sunday. The Spanish full-back created three chances, completed 78% of his passes, and completed 50% of his dribbles against the Saints. He won two of his three tackles, made four clearances and completed one interception. Porro won eight of his 14 duels and was fouled on four occasions. All in all, it was a good showing from the 25-year-old right-back.
Centre-Back: Axel Disasi
Disasi put in a dominant showing for Aston Villa in their big important win over Nottingham Forest. The on-loan Chelsea centre-back was good in possession, completing 90% of his attempted passes while also creating one chance for Unai Emery’s men. He won 100% of his tackles and this included a last man challenge. Disasi also won 100% of his duels in what was a monstrous showing against an in-form Forest team.
Centre-Back: Dara O’Shea
O’Shea was on the losing team on Saturday but he put in an impressive showing for Ipswich Town as they lost ground in the race to avoid the drop. The centre-back assisted Liam Delap for the opener in the 2-1 home defeat to Wolves. He also completed 80% of his passes, made two blocks, cleared one effort off of the line and made a key interception. The Republic of Ireland international won 50% of his ground duels and 63% of his aerial duels in what was a dominant outing in a losing side.
Left-Back: Tino Livramento
The Newcastle United full-back is staking a claim to not only be the best right-back in the Premier League this term but also the best left-back. Following an injury to Lewis Hall, the former Chelsea youngster has been deployed at left-back for the Magpies and he’s not missed a beat. He created the most chances for Eddie Howe’s team in their 3-0 win over Leicester City on Monday evening while also claiming an assist. He was dominant in ground duels too, winning 71% against the Foxes on his way to a FotMob rating of 8.2.
Midfield: Casemiro
Casemiro rolled back the years against Manchester City to put in a dominant showing for the hosts at Old Trafford. The 33-year-old made the most tackles (seven), won the most duels (13), made two interceptions and recovered the ball on three occasions, playing a key role in the Red Devils keeping a clean sheet against the reigning Premier League champions. Remarkably, he won 92% of his ground duels in what was an utterly destructive display in the middle of the pitch.
Midfield: Youri Tielemans
Tielemans has been a revelation for Aston Villa this term and he continued his fine form for the Villans in the 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. Tielemans assisted a goal while also creating two chances. He completed 89% of his passes. The Belgian maestro won 50% of his tackles and 60% of his duels to round-off an all-action display in the heart of the midfield.
Attack: Brennan Johnson
Johnson was impactful against Southampton. The Spurs winger had the least number of touches (36) of any outfield player to play 90 minutes, but scored two goals, had three shots and won a penalty. The 23-year-old also completed two of his three attempted dribbles and was a menace for the hosts throughout the game against the Saints. The showing earned him a 9.2 FotMob rating.
Attack: Eberechi Eze
Eze was the difference-maker for Crystal Palace as they claimed a 2-1 win over Brighton. The versatile attacker assisted both goals for the Eagles as Oliver Glasner’s nine-man side got over the line against the Seagulls. The 26-year-old also completed the most dribbles (four) and was accurate with 100% of his attempted long passes. The England international now has eight assists this term, a figure that only seven players in the Premier League can better.
Attack: Jacob Murphy
Murphy was the main beneficiary of the outrageous Schär effort. The winger followed in the shot and was alert enough to react to it bouncing back off of the crossbar to fire home his second of the night against Leicester. The 30-year-old finished with an xG total of 1.57, comfortably the most of the game. Outside of the goals, he didn’t do much, but when the game is won inside the opening 11 minutes, there’s not much to do, is there?
Attack: Evanilson
The former Porto attacker now has six goals in his last six starts for Bournemouth following his double against West Ham United this weekend. He had a total of three shots against the Hammers and created one chance for the Cherries as he continued his fine form in front of goal. Evanilson showed his goalscoring instincts, netting two times from inside the six yard box to take his tally for the season to nine in the Premier League.
(Images from IMAGO)
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