There were some statement victories in the Premier League on Matchday 6 as Manchester City erased the ghosts of last season with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea, while Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are starting to gather some momentum of their own with a 3-1 thrashing over Tottenham in the North London Derby.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United also lost their first game of the Premier League season against Aston Villa, and here is our Man’s Life Premier League Team of the Week for Matchday 6.
GK: Jose Sa (Wolves)
Wolves were only one of three teams to keep a clean-sheet this weekend, and in addition to some crucial interventions, Jose Sa also provided the assist for Raul Jimenez’s winning goal with a perfect long-range pass for the Mexican.
RB: Joel Veltman (Brighton)
Brighton grabbed a late equaliser against Crystal Palace on Monday thanks to an excellent first-time pass from Joel Veltman to release Neal Maupay in the 95th minute. The Dutchman was also incredibly impressive defensively – winning the most tackles (5) and duels (11) in the game and neutralizing the threat of Wilfred Zaha effectively down the left-wing.
CB: Kortney Hause (Aston Villa)
Kortney Hause comfortably dealt with the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo for Aston Villa, and his excellent header in the 88th minute eventually proved to be the difference between the two sides as Villa snatched a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
CB: Ben White (Arsenal)
It hasn’t been an easy start to life at Arsenal for Ben White, but the Englishman put in his best performance to date in a Gunners shirt. White was proactive throughout the 90 minutes and comfortably dealt with the threat of Harry Kane while also completing seven accurate long balls that consistently helped Arsenal beat the Spurs press.
LB: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Joao Cancelo is arguably the best right-footed left-back in football at this moment, and the Portuguese produced another influential display against the European Champions. Cancelo was defensively secure against the likes of Lukaku, but also created three chances and provided the assist for the winning goal from Gabriel Jesus.
CM: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Manchester City produced a pressing masterclass against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and Bernardo Silva had an incredibly important role in the middle of the pitch for the Cityzens. The Portuguese helped pull the strings from midfield and completed three successful dribbles, four clearances, and three tackles in the game.
CM: Vitaly Janelt (Brentford)
Brentford and Liverpool produced a Premier League classic at Griffin Park on Saturday night at Vitaly Janelt put in an incredibly industrious performance in midfield for the Bees. Janelt scored the second goal for Brentford with a header and finished the game with five aerial duels won, two tackles and two chances created.
RM: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Bukayo Saka was an absolute menace for Tottenham down the right-hand side and created the first goal for Arsenal after beating his man in the box before scoring the third goal himself with a controlled finish into the bottom corner.
LM: Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
Just like his fellow Hale End graduate, Emile Smith Rowe also provided a goal and an assist for Arsenal in the North London Derby. Smith Rowe ghosted into the box to get on the end of Bukayo Saka’s cross for the first goal before assisting the second for Pierre Emerick Aubameyang with an excellent turn of pace and run into the box.
ST: Raul Jimenez (Wolves)
Over 300 days after fracturing his skull, Raul Jimenez got on the scoresheet for Wolves in their 1-0 win over the Saints on the South coast, and the Mexican put in an incredible all-around display – completing the most dribbles in the game (4) and winning 13 duels.
ST: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Jamie Vardy bagged an unusual hat-trick for Leicester City at home to Burnley after scoring an own-goal past Kasper Schmeichel from a corner before scoring two goals at the right end with two classic Vardy runs in behind the defence.
Manager of the week: Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Mikel Arteta was under massive pressure to deliver this weekend in the North London Derby, and the Spaniard produced a masterclass as Arsenal eviscerated Tottenham at home to go 3-0 up inside 35 minutes and comfortably take all three points.
Shivaan Shah