The Premier League has delivered another fascinating weekend of action with plenty of surprises up and down the country. Manchester City got back to winning ways with a customary 5-0 thrashing of Norwich City while Romelu Lukaku marked his arrival to the Premier League with a stunning display of centre-forward play for Chelsea against Arsenal.
Here is our Man’s Life Premier League Team of the Week for Matchday 2.
GK: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham)
Hugo Lloris made 6 saves for Tottenham to help them keep an important clean sheet and win 1-0 against Wolves to continue their perfect start to the new season under Nuno Esperito Santo.
RB: Reece James (Chelsea)
Reece James enjoyed the space of North London against Arsenal at the Emirates and the right wing-back was devastating in the first half, setting up Lukaku’s opening goal with a cross that screamed ‘please tap me in’ before scoring the 2nd goal himself with a stunning strike into the top corner.
CB: Shane Duffy (Brighton)
Shane Duffy has enjoyed a rebirth at Brighton this season following his difficult loan spell at Celtic, and the Irishman put in a man of the match performance against Watford in week 2 as he scored the opening goal of the game for the Seagulls from a corner and comfortably dealt with the threat of Dennis and Sarr throughout the 90 minutes.
CB: Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa)
Club captain Tyrone Mings played a crucial role in Aston Villa’s first win of the new Premier League season. The central defender provided the assist for Danny Ings’ superb opening goal with his flicked header before winning the penalty for Villa in the 2nd half to kill the game.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas (Liverpool)
Kostas Tsimikas proved to be the perfect understudy for Andy Robertson and slotted in seamlessly in the Liverpool backline while the Scot remained on the sidelines through injury. The Greek defender created the opening goal for Diogo Jota with a pinpoint cross and continued to threaten Burnley’s defence down the left wing.
CM: Declan Rice (West Ham)
After a successful European Championships with England, Declan Rice continued his fine form for West Ham in the Hammers’ 4-1 win over Leicester. Rice put in an excellent all-round display for David Moyes’ side, providing the assist for the 3rd goal while also making 7 ball recoveries and 3 tackles in the game.
CM: Yves Bissouma (Brighton)
Yves Bissouma has attracted plenty of interest from clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal over the summer and watching his performance at the weekend against Watford, it was clear to see why. Bissouma created Brighton’s 2nd goal thanks to his excellent anticipation and pressing and finished the game with more tackles and interceptions than any other player on the pitch.
RM: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
Pep Guardiola used Gabriel Jesus as a right-winger for Manchester City against Norwich and the Brazilian put in a promising against the Canaries, creating 5 chances and providing two assists in the game as he continued to get in behind the Norwich defence with his pace and movement.
LM: Said Benrahma (West Ham)
Said Benrahma earns a place in our team of the week for the 2nd week running after bagging another goal and assist in West Ham’s 4-1 victory over Leicester City on Monday night.
ST: Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Romelu Lukaku put in a near-complete centre-forwards performance for Chelsea on his second debut for the side following his £97 million move from Inter this summer. Lukaku scored the opening goal after some excellent hold-up play and predatory movement, played a part in the 2nd after attracting the attention of four Arsenal players and completely bullied the two central defenders – Pablo Mari and Gabriel – throughout the 90 minutes with his pace and power.
ST: Michail Antonio (West Ham)
Michail Antonio’s two goals and assist against Leicester helped West Ham jump to the top of the Premier League Table after Matchday 2. Antonio also created history for the Hammers after breaking Paoli Di Canio’s record to become the highest goal scorer for West Ham in the Premier League.
Manager of the week: Tomas Tuchel (Chelsea)
Tomas Tuchel completely outthought Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to win the London derby 2-0 and maintain Chelsea’s perfect start to the season. Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system worked wonders against Arsenal as the Gunners were stretched by the width of Chelsea’s wing-backs with Reece James, in particular, causing havoc down the right-hand side.
Shivaan Shah