Despite the various postponements caused by the increase in Covid-19 cases in squads across the league, there was still plenty of mouth-watering Premier League action on Matchdays 17 and 18. Manchester City put seven goals past Leeds United while Liverpool dropped points after a thrilling 2-2 draw against Tottenham in North London.
Here is our Man’s Life Premier League Team of the Week.
GK: Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Everton left Stamford Bridge with a precious point largely due to the efforts of Jordan Pickford in goal, who made nine saves against Chelsea to help the Toffees come away with a 1-1 draw.
RB: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Joao Cancelo scored the goal of the weekend in City’s 4-0 win at St James Park, drifting inside from full-back before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the top corner from outside the box. The Portuguese also registered an assist against Newcastle, taking his tally of goal involvements in all competitions this season into double figures.
CB: Rob Holding (Arsenal)
Rob Holding didn’t play a single minute of Arsenal’s routine victory over Leeds United, but the central defender made the most important contribution of the weekend, standing up for his black teammates – Nuno Tavares and Nicholas Pepe – and reporting the racist abuse from the crowd to the fourth official.
CB: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Ruben Dias opened the scoring for Manchester City against Newcastle with a well-placed header, and the Portuguese defender enjoyed a comfortable 70 minutes at St James Park as City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to three points.
LB: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
Andy Robertson was deservedly sent off in the second half for a rough tackle on Emerson Royal, but the Scottish full-back was world-class up until that point. Robertson created the equalising goal for Liverpool with his industry and inch-perfect delivery before scoring Liverpool’s second with an opportunistic finish.
CM: Trent Alexander Arnold (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander Arnold finds a place in our team of the week in midfield after another astounding couple of displays against Newcastle and Tottenham as Liverpool’s primary creative weapon. The Englishman scored one of the goals of the season against the Magpies from outside the box before creating five chances in Liverpool’s manic 2-2 draw against Spurs.
CM: Harry Winks (Tottenham)
Harry Winks produced one of his best performances of his career in a Tottenham shirt against Liverpool, breaking up the play expertly at the base of the Spurs midfield and delivering a lovely through ball to assist Son’s goal.
CM: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Martin Odegaard pulled the strings from midfield in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Leeds United, gliding across the turf like a ballerina and creating a game-high six chances, including a lovely dinked through ball for Emile Smith Rowe’s goal.
RW: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Riyad Mahrez scored his 50th goal for Manchester City with a clinical volley at the hour mark, and the Algerian caused Newcastle’s backline issues throughout the match with his movement and trickery.
ST: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Diogo Jota was a constant menace for Liverpool in their scintillating 2-2 draw at Tottenham, and the Portuguese striker scored a perfect header to take his goal tally for the season into double figures.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
Gabriel Martinelli starred for the Gunners in the absence of Aubameyang, becoming the youngest player since Alex Oxlade Chamberlain in 2014 to score a brace for Arsenal in the Premier League.
Manager of the Week: Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal enjoyed a productive week in the Premier League, winning their three games against Southampton, West Ham United and Leeds. Arteta made a big call by stripping Pierre Emerick Aubameyang as captain and removing him from the team, and his decision was vindicated as the young gunners stepped up to the task to take the North London club into the top four.
Shivaan Shah