TEAM: MANCHESTER CITY
In a crazy, topsy turvy and unpredictable season, this could well be the week Man City reclaimed the title. It started with a comfortable home victory to sometime spoilers Burnley. Then in the big one, after overcoming a first half missed penalty, they trounced the current champions 4-1 in their own back yard, to take a healthy 5 point lead at the top of the table, with a game in hand. Well done also to Chelsea, Leeds, Man Utd, Brighton and West Ham.
GOALKEEPER: ROBERT SANCHEZ (Brighton)
This is two weeks in a row now and if you consider the games, it four consecutive games he has been more or less the best keeper. I’m sure it was a bit of surprise that he was more busy at Burnley than at Liverpool, but for as steady and comfortable as he was at Anfield, he was solid, strong and in top shot stopping form at Burnley, where he was only beaten once but more then helped his team earn a point. Shout out also to Leicester’s Schmeichel, Wolves’s Patricio, Man City’s Ederson, Arsenal’s Ryan and West Ham’s Fabianski.
DEFENDER: CAGLAR SOYUNCU (Leicester)
This might come a bit from left field and he could have been named unsung hero, but Soyuncu has been out almost the whole season, having just made three appearances before this week. However, two games in a week, no problem, it was two clean sheets. His commanding presence in the air, as well as being strong and solid on the ground made him a welcome returned to the backline. Well done also to his team mate Justin who was close to winning this, Man City duo Cancelo & Stones, Leeds Ayling, Palace duo Cahill & Dann, Sheff Utd’s Basham, Brighton foursome Dunk, Webster, Burn & White, West Ham’s Coufal Chelsea’s Azpilicueta, Newcastle’s Hayden, Villa’s Mings and Everton’s Digne.
MIDFIELDER: MASON MOUNT (Chelsea)
Four midfielders this week notched two goals and the other three played for Man Utd. When the new manager came in, Mount was left out and many thought he may struggle, but under pressure, he showed both his temperament and quality to score the winner at Spurs in a man of the match performance, he then notched the opening goal at Sheff Utd in another excellent midfield performance. Both goals were first time finishes, one with the right, the other with the left. Shout out also to his team mate Jorginho, Palace’s Reidewald, Newcastle’s Shelvey, Man Utd trio Fernandes, McTominay and Rashford, Wolves’ Moutinho, Sheff Utd’s Bogle, Brighton duo Alzate & Gross, Leeds’ trio Raphinha, Dallas & Harrison, Everton’s Sigurdsson, Leicester’s Maddison, Everton duo Doucoure & Rodriguez, Villa’s Nakamba, Newcastle trio Almiron, Willock & Saint-Maximin, Arsenal’s Pepe, Burnley’s Gudmunsson, Spurs’s Son, Southampton duo Minamino & Ward-Prowse also West Ham duo Soucek & Lingard as well as Man City’s Gundogan who were both close to winning this.
FORWARD: DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN (Everton)
Although there were a few players who notched in two games this week, none scored two more important goals than the Everton front man. After seven games with no goals, he scored at Leeds where he showed a strikers brain and instincts to sniff out where the ball will be and head home at the far post, for what in the end was the winner. Then after huffing and puffing for ninety odd minutes at Old Trafford, he got his reward with almost the last kick of game, when he showed anticipation, also bravery to slide the ball past De Gea to earn his team a point. Well done also to Man City trio Sterling, Jesus and Foden, Sheff Utd’s Sharp, Villa’s Watkins, Leicester’s Iheanacho, Man Utd’s Cavani, West Ham’s Antonio, Chelsea’s Werner, Leeds’ Bamford and Tottenham’s Kane.
MANAGER: PEP GUARDIOLA (Manchester City)
While all manager’s around him are having a wobble, his quality seems to shine through. Man City have gone about their business in a confident and juggernaut like manor, with 10 wins in row. After their workman like win at Burnley, they went to Liverpool with confidence. It was a stalemate of a first half, where they missed a penalty. However, Pep sprung into action at half time and shuffled his team around which changed the game and although they were aided by two Alisson howlers, the change is what gave them momentum to win the game.
UNSUNG HERO: PHIL FODEN (Manchester City)
You will be excused for thinking all and sundry have been getting carried away with their praise of him, but he really does warrant it. He has had to bide his time to get his chance in a team that cost in excess of £800m. However, whenever he’s had his chance, he has performed, created and scored goals and have never been found wanting. The manager showed huge faith in him by playing him in a more forward role at Liverpool and just has he has done before, he excelled again, playing very well and scoring a superb goal.
GAME1: MANCHESTER UTD 9-0 SOUTHAMPTON
The game was not even 2 minutes old when the pivotal moment came. Young Jankewitz stormed in with a horror tackle on McTominay and quite rightly got a red card. United took a while to score but got the break through when Wan-Bissaka running in, touched in Shaw’s left sided cross from the left (18) Rashford then got the second when he finished Greenwood’s cut back (25). Bednarek then turned in Rashford’s cross from the right to make it three (34). Five minutes later Cavani got in on the act as he neatly nodded in Shaw’s cross (39). Adams then harshly had a goal chalked off for a dubious offside before Martial expertly controlled Fernandes’s ball in, turned and lashed into the roof of the net (69). Two minutes later, McTominay hit a sweet, first time effort, low into the bottom corener from outside the box to make it six (71), then Fernandes scored a pen when Martial was fouled which looked more like a dive, causing Bednarek to get a red (87). Martial then made it eight when he controlled Wan-Bissaka’s cross and fired home from six yards (90). United then equalled a Premier League record when Fernandes headed across from the left for James to tap home for the ninth in stoppage time (90+3).
GAME2 MANCHESTER UTD 3-3 EVERTON
Man Utd opened the the scoring when Rashford swung a lovely ball in from the right to the far post for Cavani fo head home (24). United then got a second on the stroke of half time when Fred played the ball out to the right that Fernandes let run to Wan-Bissaka, who played a first time ball back to Fernandes, he looked up and from just outside the box hit a curling effort into the top corner (45). In the second half, Everton pulled a goal back early when De Gea parried Calvert-Lewin’s dink across the box and Doucoure was on had to top home (49). Everton then equalised minutes later when Doucoure picked up Digne’s cross from the left, he picked out Rodriguez just inside the box, who expertly controlled then finished inside the near post (52). Man Utd then took the lead again when Olsen slipped and was unable to stop McTominay’s flicked header from Shaw’s free kick finding the net (70). Everton then got a very late equaliser when Digne’s free kick in was flicked on hit Calver-Lewin and he reacted quickest and bravest to slide it home at the death (90+5).
GOAL1: JOAO MOUTINHO (Wolves) v Arsenal
Semedo collected the ball near the right touchline, cut back inside the played a ball back to Neves who switched play to Neto just outside the left corner of the box. He controlled the ball and rolled it back to Moutinho who took one touch, rolled the ball out his feet then from 30 yards out hit and rasping drive with pace and power, that flew in off the inside off the post.
GOAL2: BRUNO FERNANDES (Man Utd) v Everton
Fred picked up the ball in the middle of the park and played it out to the right towards Fernandes who almost disinterestedly let the ball run on to Wan-Bissaka, he then played a first time ball back to Fernandes who sprung back into life. He took a touch, looked up then expertly curled a lovely effort from just outside the box, over the keeper onto the far corner of the net.
FOOL: ALISSON BECKER (Liverpool)
There were many candidates this week. Liverpool as a team, Klopp was within a whisker of getting this, Southampton duo, firstly Bednarek, who had a horrible week and of course Jankewitz for getting sent off 80 seconds into his league debut. Also, referee Mike Dean. However, in such a big game, when your team have fought their way back into the game to equalise, as one of the so called best goalkeepers in the world, to nonchalantly give the ball away to be punished not once, but to do it TWICE in the space of three minutes, against your biggest rivals in recent years is as criminal as it is laughable. Now you will forever be known as Alisson Blunderland. FOOL!
