The chasm between first and second in the Premier League table has reduced ever so slightly after gameweek 31, albeit not to the extent that Liverpool fans should be fearing a catastrophic title capitulation.
The Reds suffered their first top-flight away loss of the season in Sunday’s shock 3-2 reverse to Fulham, but they remain a healthy 11 points clear of Arsenal, thanks to their Merseyside rivals Everton doing them a favour in a 1-1 draw with the Gunners.
The final podium place still belongs to Nottingham Forest in spite of their 2-1 defeat to Champions League-chasing Aston Villa, while Chelsea‘s forgettable 0-0 draw with Brentford was enough to maintain their grip on fourth spot.
Speaking of goalless stalemates best consigned to the back pages of history, Manchester United and Manchester City‘s dull derby draw fits into that category, and the champions have now been leapfrogged by Newcastle United courtesy of their 3-0 beating of doomed Leicester City.
While Leicester’s demotion is yet to be confirmed, Southampton have officially gone down in record time owing to their 3-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, and Ipswich Town‘s fate has also been all but sealed thanks to a 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Elsewhere, West Ham United and Bournemouth provided good entertainment value in a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, while red-card chaos reigned supreme in Crystal Palace‘s 2-1 triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion, where no fewer than three players were sent off.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for gameweek 31.
DEFENCE
© Imago
Nottingham Forest would likely have been condemned to a more chastening loss vs. Villa had it not been for the heroics of Matz Sels, but the clean sheet leader is pipped to the post – or posts – by Brentford’s Mark Flekken, whose acrobatics and quick reflexes helped him make six saves and two high claims to keep West London rivals Chelsea at bay.
One of two buzzing Bees to make our defensive selection, Flekken should have been celebrating Keane Lewis-Potter setting up Sepp van den Berg at the weekend, only for the latter to get his header all wrong from the left-back’s cross. Nevertheless, Lewis-Potter was a perpetual menace on the left flank, registering four successful dribbles, three tackles and two interceptions as he won nine of his 11 ground duels in the derby.
With Lewis-Potter bombing down the left-hand side, Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento – currently filling in for Lewis Hall at left-back – reverts to his favoured right-back role for this Team of the Week, having delivered a delicately dinked delivery for Jacob Murphy to open the scoring against Leicester, in addition to making three tackles and creating another two chances at the King Power.
Sticking with the theme of defenders setting up goals, Ipswich’s Dara O’Shea did exactly that when he headed the ball across goal for Liam Delap to break the deadlock against Wolves. The Irishman did little wrong at the back either, making 10 clearances – including one off the line – and two blocks, and Premier League sides should come calling for his services if the Tractor Boys are relegated as expected.
Another blue-clad centre-back starring in gameweek 31, James Tarkowski would not have even been on the pitch vs. Arsenal had he have been sent off in the Merseyside derby – as the PGMOL admitted he should have been – but he made the most of his reprieve with two blocks, two interceptions and a clearance off the line at Goodison Park.
MIDFIELD
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Few would have expected the ageing Casemiro to hog the spotlight in the Manchester derby, but the steadfast South American did exactly that as he equalled Man United’s record for the most tackles made in a Premier League game, registering an exceptional 11 to thwart Pep Guardiola‘s troops.
Villa’s home contest with Forest was a far better spectacle for the neutrals, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Youri Tielemans; the Belgian delivered a wonderful ball over the top for Morgan Rogers to slot home, one of four accurate long passes on a day where he also made two tackles and one block – a genuine Team of the Season contender?
ATTACK
© Imago
Wolves’ super sub Pablo Sarabia should not be welcomed back at Portman Road any time soon, having inspired the Old Gold to the comeback triumph that more or less condemned Ipswich to the drop, hooking a smart half-volley into the corner before a brilliant first-time pass was bundled home by Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Ipswich will surely soon join Southampton for the 2025-26 Championship season after the Saints fell victim to a Brennan Johnson masterclass, as the Welshman firstly produced a brilliant first-time finish into the roof of the net before casually flicking home his 50th league goal in English football.
Johnson may be linking up with Eberechi Eze next term if Tottenham can win that hotly-contested transfer battle for the Crystal Palace star, who enhanced his glowing reputation even more with both assists in the Eagles’ success over Brighton, where he also registered another four successful dribbles.
No strikers from the ‘Big Six’ managed to steal the show this week, allowing Bournemouth’s Evanilson to have his praises sung as he came up with his first Premier League brace in the draw with West Ham. By being in the right place at the right time to finish on both occasions, the ex-Porto man continued his stellar streak of form as he moved on to six goals from his last six matches across all competitions, although he was powerless to end the Cherries’ winless sequence in the top flight.
Sports Mole’s Premier League Team of the Week (4-2-3-1): Flekken; Livramento, O’Shea, Tarkowski, Lewis-Potter; Casemiro, Tielemans; Brennan Johnson, Eze, Sarabia; Evanilson
