Who knew that when the Premier League returned after the international break, Bournemouth would slot in six goals against Hull City? Aside from the Cherries’ scintillating display, Chelsea shone and Manchester City continued to suffer. Tottenham Hotspur just about held onto their unbeaten run so far this season but the highlight of the week was Liverpool’s game against Manchester United on Monday night.
After a late end to the gameweek here is Sportskeeda’s Premier League Team of the Week:
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Goalkeeper
Maarten Stekelenburg
Stekelenburg proved his worth to Ronald Koeman this week as he saved two penalties against Manchester City. The keeper did really well to deny both Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero from the spot and was his team’s saviour after they couldn’t stop shooting themselves in the foot.
He made a couple of crucial saves and became only the seventh keeper in the league to save two penalties in a single game.
Defenders
Cesar Azpilicueta
The Spanish defender seems to have found his groove now that he’s back playing in his favoured position of right back. He has now kept two consecutive clean sheets in the league – a massive improvement from the opening weeks of the season.
He regained possession from Leicester City a total of nine times, more than any of his other teammates.
Steve Cook
Bournemouth defender Steve Cook had an unusually good night but it could have also ended quite differently. Even though he saw a shot from Hull’s Ryan Mason deflect off of him and into the back of his own net, he redeemed himself a few short minutes later.
Right before halftime, Cook headed the ball in from a free-kick and restored his team’s lead.
Eric Bailly
Bailly repaid Jose Mourinho’s trust in him with yet another confident and solid performance. In spite of the waves of attack from Liverpool, he made sure Daniel Sturridge stayed cut off from the rest of his teammates for most of the night.
With six interceptions and a block, the former Villarreal defender is quicky cementing his place in the starting line-up.
Jose Cholevas
The Greek national put in a solid performance for the Hornets on Sunday. Cholevas scored the only goal of the game soon after half-time. A sublime strike into the top corner proved too much for Boro keeper Victor Valdes and his job was done in the ninety minutes with their clean sheet intact, and three points in the bag,
Midfielders
N’Golo Kante
Kante was Chelsea’s best player on the field and Claudio Ranieri must have surely regretted letting the Frenchman go this summer for just £30 million. He was in complete command of the midfield against his former team and even got into some great goalscoring positions himself.
The central midfielder was a key figure for the Blues as he made five interceptions and ended the game with a 75% tackling accuracy.
Ander Herrera
Paul Pogba may be hogging all the spotlight but Ander Herrera did all the work against Liverpool. The Spaniard was heavily involved in the game making 11 interceptions and 10 recoveries. Herrera made some good tackles, took on opposition players and even got a block in to stifle the Liverpool midfield.
Joe Allen
Joe Allen’s participation in Stoke’s game against Sunderland was doubtful after he picked up a minor injury on international duty. But he started and by half-time had given his team a two-goal lead. The Welsh midfielder has been in fine form and put on an envious display.
His second goal was a sweet grounded shot that pierced through a crowded box and his performance gave Mark Hughes’ side an important three points.
Forwards
Junior Stanislas
Bournemouth were on fire this weekend and no one more so than Junior Stanislas.The winger was clinical and out of three shots on goal, scored from two. His first goal came from the spot and his second came soon after halftime. He was directly involved in four of his team’s six goals on Saturday.
Jordon Ibe
Jurgen Klopp’s poison turned out to be Eddie Howe’s meat as former Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe put in an outstanding performance for Bournemouth. He may not have been on the scoresheet on Saturday but he did more than his fair share.
He was a constant threat on the flanks and kept the Hull defenders on tenterhooks. He worked hard, created trouble and was an ideal winger for his side.
Charlie Austin
Charlie Austin fought the flu to play in Southampton’s game against Burnley on Sunday. Both his goals came in the second half, one a close-range shot and the other from the penalty spot. His brace also gave the Saints the win against his former club.
Substitutes
Nathaniel Chalobah
After spending six spells on loan away from Chelsea, Chalobah took his opportunity to make a positive impact when he came on as a substitute against Leicester City. His cheeky backheel to Victor Moses resulted in their third goal of the night.
Nolito
Nolito potentially saved Manchester City from their second straight league defeat. Within a minute of coming off the bench, the Spanish midfielder scored the equaliser but could not stop Guardiola’s 100 per cent home record at the Etihad from being tarnished.
Dan Gosling
The final player in the team is another Bournemouth man. Brought on for goalscorer Charlie Daniels, Gosling added his own goal to the Cherries’ tally. He scored the sixth goal of the night, adding a final flourish to their already unbelievable night.
Manager
Antonio Conte
After a week where rumours were rife that Antonio Conte may be on the brink of losing his job, a three-goal victory was all it needed to shut those stories down. A confident and decisive performance from the Blues proved that the Italian’s system was working. His use of Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses has been a revelation and his tactics make him the most outstanding manager of the week.
A special shout out to him for using academy graduates for all three of his substitutions – a kind of move that Chelsea supporters have longed for.
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