It was an exciting weekend of football before the Premier League goes on a break to make way for domestic cup matches next week. League leaders Chelsea were held to a draw by a brave Burnley side who pegged the Blues back to an eight-point lead at the top. Sadio Mane, meanwhile, went about ripping Spurs apart all on his lonesome as Manchester United put on an imperious display against the Hornets.
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However, the focal point of the extended gameweek was Alexis Sanchez and Manolo Gabbidiani’s handballs which went unnoticed and were given as goals. Leicester City continued to struggle as they hover one point above the drop zone and Swansea continued to shine. Manchester City were the last side to play with their game set for a late Monday night kick-off as they travelled to Bournemouth to see out the week.
With lots of interesting developments over the weekend, here’s a look at Sportskeeda’s Team of the Week:
Goalkeeper
Victor Valdes
As Middlesbrough hosted Everton at the Riverside Stadium, it was pretty much a case of Victor Valdes versus Everton as the goalkeeper salvaged a point for his side. The former Barcelona player made a sequence of saves on either side of the half-time break to deny Romelu Lukaku and Ademola Lookman. He denied the Belgian forward twice and thwarted the 19-year-old at point blank range.
Defenders
Martin Olsson
Martin Olsson got the better of Peter Schmeichel when his shot went beyond the keeper’s reach to increase Swansea's advantage to two goals just before the half-time whistle. The full back capitalised on some neat passing to beat the Danish keeper at his near post. The Swedish defender kept up his end of the bargain at the other end of the pitch as well, keeping a clean sheet against the defending champions.
Michael Keane
Michael Keane along with the rest of his backline had the daunting task of keeping the champions-elect at bay and did a pretty commendable job at that. His great sense of positioning rendered Diego Costa useless for most of the night as the English defender won an astounding 83% of his duels against Chelsea. The 24-year-old won five of his six aerial duels and made two blocks in his own half.
Alfie Mawson
Alfie Mawson is the highest scoring defender in the Premier League this calendar year, a record he shares with Marcos Alonso who also has three goals. The centre-back scored his side’s first goal after Robert Huth failed to clear a free-kick. The 24-year-old scored from just eight yards out with a volley that left Leicester at a disadvantage. Some astute defending that included two blocks sees the Englishman make it to the Team of the Week.
Ryan Bertrand
Ryan Bertrand had an impressive outing against the Black Cats as the left-back was heavily involved in his side’s considerable victory. With a 95% passing accuracy, the former Chelsea player created three chances and supplied his teammates with nine crosses around the penalty area. Clean sheet aside, his runs gong forward paid off when he provided the assist for Manolo Gabbidiani’s first goal after his cross found the Italian.
Midfielders
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson ran the show in the middle of the park as the central midfielder distributed the ball well and allowed Spurs very little leeway. The Liverpool captain had some cunning deliveries up his proverbial sleeve as they forced the Tottenham defenders to face their own goal on numerous occasions. His commanding presence in midfield was a massive boon for the home side as they never really allowed the visitors to gain any ascendancy.
Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera has been making himself quietly indisposable to Jose Mourinho and Manchester United. Rarely did any of his passes go amiss as the Spaniard completed a staggering 90% of his passes against the visitors, more than any other player in the game. The 27-year-old won all seven of his tackles and made a block to ensure his side were dominant over Watford for the entire length of the match.
Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane proved once again how crucial he was to Liverpool’s success. The former Southampton player tore the Spurs backline apart all on his own scoring a brace in the process. He ran Ben Davies ragged who was no match for him. Mane, in fact, could have added to his tally of two goals and scored as many as four if it wasn’t for Hugo Lloris.
Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial proved his worth, against Watford at least, as soon as he was afforded the opportunity by his manager. Running riot along the left flank, the Frenchman proved to be too much to handle for Craig Cathcart as he ripped the defender to shreds more than once. Martial provided the low cross that set up Juan Mata’s goal and then scored the second himself after he finished off a run of smart play with a skilful goal.
The 21-year-old has now been involved in 22 goals since his debut, more than any other player in the side.
Forwards
Manolo Gabbiadini
Gabbiadini has been having a grand old time ever since his arrival from Napoli this January. The Italian scored in his second consecutive game as he bagged a brace to help Southampton on their way to a 4-0 victory. Even though his first was most likely a handball, there was nothing wrong with his second goal whatsoever. Collecting Dusan Tadic’s inside the box, Gabbiadini side-stepped Lamine Kone and scored with the side of his foot.
Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez bagged both of Arsenal’s goals against Hull City although his first goal too was a handball. The ball bounced off the Chilean’s hand to give the Gunners lead which was doubled in the second half after the former Barcelona man converted from the spot. As meek as his goals may have been, his overall performance was not. He was the focal point of Arsenal’s attack throughout and put on an impressive display.
Manager
Sean Dyche
Sean Dyche and his men proved that they have the third best home record in the league for a reason. It did not seem to matter to the manager that they were facing the league leaders as they went about their job with precision and confidence. They kept Chelsea quiet for long periods of time despite their dominating possession and walked away with a worthy point after standing up to a rampant Chelsea.
