While it’s anyone’s guess about who will run away with the title this year, after ten weeks of the Premier League, the title contenders appear to have come to the fore. League leaders Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool equalled each other's performances this weekend as all three won their games and scored four goals each.
Sunderland failed to make any progress as they remain at the bottom. After a late Monday night kick off to conclude the week, here are the players who make it to Sportskeeda’s Team of the Week:
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Goalkeeper
Tom Heaton
Tom Heaton was in a spirited mood as Burnley traveled to Old Trafford on Saturday. He was the Red Devils' Halloween nightmare come to life, as he risked life (not really) and limb to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a handful of other Manchester United players out, making it 11 saves on the night.
He also had to deal with 37 shots on goal and 19 corners from the home side.
Defenders
Sebastian Prodl
Prodl was a rock in the heart of Watford’s defence before he limped off the field after an injury in the second half. There wasn’t a delivery in the box he couldn’t seem to block, both with his head and his feet. He made constant attempts to go forward and even tried his luck at scoring but saw his shot blocked too.
Laurent Koscielny
One of the few Arsenal players to steer clear of injuries, Koscielny keeps proving why he is regarded as one of the best centre-backs of the Premier League. The Frenchman made a total of nine clearances at the Stadium of Light, more than any other player involved.
He was decisive, kept his back four organised and was unlucky not to come away with a clean sheet.
David Luiz
Not the most reliable centre-backs, David Luiz did everything right against the Saints at St Mary’s Stadium. In spite of relentless waves of attacks from Puel’s men, he made sure Thibaut Courtois had an easy night.
He cut off many shots and crosses and made a couple of crucial blocks during the game. He may have been a last-minute desperate buy for the Blues but is slowly showing his worth to new manager Antonio Conte.
Danny Rose
Rose couldn’t keep visitors Leicester City from scoring but was still one of the best players on the pitch at White Hart Lane. He saw more of the ball than any other player, making good recoveries and going forward to attack.
Rose kept last season’s Player of the Year, Riyad Mahrez contained and did not allow him any space to run into for most of the match.
Midfielders
Ilkay Gundogan
Despite his late start to the season due to an injury, Gundogan has quietly made his presence felt in Manchester City’s starting XI in the absence of Yaya Toure.
The German midfielder had another good game as he started his night with an assist for Sergio Aguero’s first goal of the night. He did one better, and killed off West Bromwich Albion’s attempts to score or even equalise in the second half with a brace of his own.
James McArthur
In a game that can only be described as a defensive horror show, James McArthur gave Crystal Palace a glimmer of hope of getting a point against visitors Liverpool.
Alan Pardew’s men came back twice to level the score thanks to two clinical headed finishes from James Macarthur who took his goal tally this season to four, already more than what he scored in previous seasons.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
After his brace against Reading in the EFL Cup in midweek, Chamberlain was a shoo-in to start against Sunderland. The young English winger impressed yet again and provided the assist for Alexis Sanchez’s first goal.
He had a couple of opportunities to score himself but saw them all saved by Black Cats keeper Pickford. He even made the most number of tackles than any other player in an Arsenal shirt.
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard looks like he is flourishing so far under a new management and system. His goal against Southampton, the 5th in the league this year that means that he has more goals this season than he did all of last season.
His shot was so powerful that the ball hit the back of the net and then bounced right out. He made another contribution for his team as he played a sublime ball to Diego Costa which he converted into a spectacular curling goal.
Strikers
Alexis Sanchez
The Chilean Copa America winner may be a winger but Arsene Wenger seems to know what he’s doing as he continues to successfully use Sanchez as a striker in the absence of a better option.
He opened the scoring for the Gunners in the first 20 minutes and wrapped up the game with another goal in the 78th minute – a poacher’s delight. France Football may have ignored him for the Ballon d’Or but the Chilean is reiterating why his omission is a travesty.
Sergio Aguero
Manchester City’s winless streak came to an end as Sergio Aguero helped his team out with a brace and showed Guardiola how much the team needs him to spearhead their attacks.
It all started when Aguero converted Gundogan’s pass into a lethal shot that went streaking across keeper Ben Foster. His second of the night came just eight short minutes later as he took advantage of a poor clearance and finished in the top corner. Pure class!
Substitutes
Olivier Giroud
The French forward has been out of favour with Wenger for a while but proved his goal scoring prowess with his very first touch of the ball as soon as he came on in the second half.
As if it couldn’t get any better, he scored again with his second touch of the ball helping the Gunners increase their lead against the home side.
Kevin de Bruyne
The Belgian returned to the side in the second half, after coming on for Nolito and didn’t take long to make his mark on the game. He made an assist for City’s fourth goal of the night. Even though his contribution wasn’t outcome-changing, it did help Guardiola’s men stamp their dominance on West Brom.
Ramadan Sobhi
Stoke City player Ramadan Sobhi came on just past the half hour mark for Shaqiri and forced Swansea’s Mawson into scoring an own goal. Sobhi did well to find space near the box and run up into a dangerous area. He aimed a curling shot at goal that was never going in, but it did spook Mawson into clearing the ball into his own net for a goal.
Manager
Arsene Wenger
Wenger’s side is going through yet another injury crisis, but he still fielded a strong side against Sunderland that looked as good as his preferred starting XI. His master stroke was introducing Giroud in the fray soon after half-time, the French striker breaking the deadlock soon after coming on.
The French manager dealt with last-minute injury news really well and put up a dominating side that was relentless against Moyes’s men.
