Nothing Liverpool could have done at Stamford Bridge on Sunday would have affected their status as Premier League champions, and Chelsea capitalised on the Reds making an abundance of alterations, earning a 3-1 win over Arne Slot‘s men to enhance their Champions League credentials.
Arsenal still have work to do to guarantee a top-five finish, though, having dropped points from a winning position yet again in a surprise 2-1 loss to Bournemouth, allowing Manchester City to close the gap to three points by edging out Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0.
Newcastle United are only holding off Chelsea in fourth spot by virtue of a better goals scored tally after their 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, but Nottingham Forest failed to draw level on points with both clubs in their identical stalemate with Crystal Palace.
Aston Villa cannot be discounted in the top-five race either, having triumphed 1-0 over Fulham, while Brentford are still dreaming the European dream after an absorbing 4-3 victory over Manchester United.
Further down the division, a much-changed Tottenham Hotspur side were pegged back in a 1-1 stalemate with London rivals West Ham United, as were Everton in a four-goal draw with Ipswich Town, while the basement battle between Leicester City and Southampton ended 2-0 in favour of the Foxes.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of matches.
DEFENCE
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We are usually either spoiled for choice or bereft of options in between the posts; this week was the latter, but Villa number one Emiliano Martinez takes the gloves on account of making three saves, two high claims and two successful run-outs en route to a potentially vital clean sheet vs. Fulham.
No sheets were clean at the Gtech Community Stadium, but Brentford right-back Michael Kayode more than played his part in the Bees’ attacking excellence against Man United; the Fiorentina loanee both set up Yoane Wissa and delivered the cross that led to Luke Shaw‘s own goal, creating five chances in total.
Combining offensive nous and defensive diligence yet again, the jewel in the Nottingham Forest crown – Murillo – provided the deftest of touches to steal a point against Palace on Monday. Intentional? The jury may still be out, but his astounding 14 clearances at the other end most certainly were intentional.
Joining Murillo in what is surely our most valuable Team of the Week central pairing so far, in-demand Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen directed a perfect header into the far side of the net to level matters against Arsenal, in addition to making three clearances and one block as the Cherries beat Arsenal away from home for the first time ever.
Arsenal’s loss was Man City’s gain over the weekend, and Sky Blues defender Josko Gvardiol hogged the rearguard spotlight in the narrow win over Wolves, registering two interceptions, one clearance off the line and also finding a teammate with seven of his nine long ball attempts.
MIDFIELD
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While the vast majority of Arsenal players let themselves down on Saturday, £105m man Declan Rice could leave the Emirates with his head held high; the England international skipped past Mark Flekken and finished with the aplomb of a seasoned striker, while also winning six of his seven ground duels on the day.
There were better fortunes in the capital for Chelsea, thanks in no small part to the engine room excellence of Enzo Fernandez. As well as opening the scoring with a slick finish from close range, the former created one big chance and put in two tackles, two blocks and two interceptions as the champions lost a league game for just the third time this term.
Perhaps our most honourable mention of the season, Leicester playmaker Bilal El Khannouss was agonisingly close to forcing his way in, but the Arsenal-linked 20-year-old is marginally edged out by Ipswich’s Julio Enciso. The Brighton loanee sparked his side’s comeback at Goodison Park with an unbelievable long-range strike – another to add to his collection – and he was a menace to the Everton backline all afternoon, registering six shots and winning four free kicks.
ATTACK
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As exceptional as Fernandez’s exploits were against Liverpool, the Argentine was outshone by a rejuvenated Cole Palmer, whose 12-game Premier League goal drought finally came to an end from his trusted penalty spot. His all-around performance was nothing short of majestic too; four key passes, six shots and a 100% dribble success rate from three attempts were other notable highlights.
West London was the place to be for attacking masterclasses in gameweek 35, as Brentford’s Kevin Schade flaunted his aerial prowess in the seven-goal spectacular with Man United, bagging a brace of headers to propel Thomas Frank‘s side to a famous win over the 20-time English champions.
Schade’s delight was Alejandro Garnacho‘s despair at the Gtech Community Stadium, but the Argentine did everything in his power to achieve a positive result for the Red Devils, providing a brilliant delivery for Mason Mount to finish and coming up with an even better goal, albeit one that proved to be in vain.
Sports Mole’s Premier League Team of the Week (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Kayode, Murillo, Huijsen, Gvardiol; Rice, Fernandez; Palmer, Enciso, Garnacho; Schade
