Premier League action returned this weekend after the cumbersome international break, and there were plenty of stellar performances in Matchday 8 as Liverpool thrashed Watford 5-0 before Leicester City handed Manchester United a 4-2 defeat to increase the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
There were hat-tricks, wonder goals and incredible saves galore this weekend, and here is our Man’s Life Premier League Team of the Week.
GK: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Edouard Mendy staked his claim as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this weekend after single-handedly helping Chelsea come away from Griffin Park with all three points. The Senegalese shot-stopper made six saves for the Blues and kept Chelsea in the game in the final 30 minutes with his outstanding reflex stops and commanding presence in the box.
RB: Valentino Livramento (Southampton)
Valentino Livramento has adapted to life in the Premier League in a heartbeat this season for Southampton and the 18-year-old put in another stellar performance for the Saints in their 1-0 win over Leeds United.
CB: Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City)
Caglar Soyuncu and Leciester’s back three did incredibly well to neutralize the threat of Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Turkish defender also popped up in the right place at the right time to score Leicester’s second goal of the game from a set-piece.
CB: Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham United)
Angelo Ogbonna was the difference-maker for West Ham against Everton at Goodison Park as the Italian centre-half scored the only goal of the game with a towering header 15 minutes from full time to give the Hammers the three points.
LB: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)
Ben Chilwell scored his second goal in as many weeks in the Premier League for Chelsea with a sweetly-timed volley in first-half stoppage time that helped the Blues take all three points and stay at the top of the Premier League table.
CM: Declan Rice (West Ham United)
Declan Rice continues to impress on a weekly basis for West Ham United, and the England midfielder put in another mature performance in central midfield for the Hammers, finishing the game with the most passes (72) and dribbles (3) while also creating two chances.
CM: Pierre Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham)
Tottenham did well to weather the storm and come away with a 3-2 victory against Newcastle, and Danish midfielder Pierre Emile Hojbjerg played a crucial role in midfield to control the tempo of the game. Hojbjerg completed 99 of his 103 passes at St James Park and assisted the second goal for Harry Kane with a perfectly weighted through ball that split open the Newcastle defence.
CM: Youri Tielemans (Leicester City)
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring for Leicester City with an instinctive finish into the top corner against Manchester United, and the Belgian was the best player on the pitch as he completely ran the show from the middle of the park.
RW: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
On current form, Mohamed Salah is the best footballer in the world and the Egyptian put in another high-class performance for Liverpool against Watford at the weekend. Salah created the opening goal with an ingenious pass from the outside of his boot to set up Mane before getting on the scoresheet himself with another mazy run past 3-4 defenders in the Watford penalty box.
LW: Odsonne Edouard (Crystal Palace)
Odsonne Edouard replaced Wilfried Zaha in the Crystal Palace lineup against Arsenal on Monday night, and the summer signing from Celtic proved to be a handful for the Gunners backline at the Emirates. Edouard created more chances (3) than any other player on the pitch and scored a stunning goal on the counter-attack to make it 2-1 to the Eagles.
ST: Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
Roberto Firmino started only his second Premier League game of the season against Watford on Matchday 8, and the Brazilian was back amongst the goals as he bagged his second hat-trick for Liverpool to cap off a resounding 5-0 win for the Reds.
Manager of the week: Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City)
It’s been a tough start to the season for Brendan Rodgers, but Leicester put in their best performance of the season to beat Manchester United 4-2 at the King Power. Rodgers tweaked his system to play a back three against United, and this change allowed Leicester to have numerical superiority in their build-up and keep possession and dominate the game against an under-pressure Manchester United side.
Shivaan Shah