Late Winners, Returns to Former Clubs and Pep’s Machine:
Matchday 24 saw Arsenal thrash West Ham United 6-0 in their own backyard, the return of Erling Haaland and late winners from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea. However, the question is, which players caught the eye throughout the weekend?
Today we’re going to be presenting our matchday 24 EPL Index Team of the Week, whilst taking through each decision.
GK- Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool)
The Irish shot-stopper came into replace the ill-stricken Alisson Becker and ended up putting in a hugely impressive performance, too. Despite not being quite able to clinch that clean sheet, thanks to a quite sublime Dara O’Shea header, but he still played a pivotal role in securing a crucial three points for the Reds.
RB- Malo Gusto (Chelsea)
Malo Gusto put in a fantastic display in Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Monday night. The full-back worked tirelessly both offensively and defensively, with Palace’s Matheus Franca not getting a sniff all game. His intense pressing helped pin the Palace back-line to the edge of their own box in the second half, providing Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher more room.
CB- Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Maguire has certainly had his critics over recent years, but his display on Sunday in United’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa was simply sublime. The Englishman picked up the Man of the Match award for his efforts.
CB- William Saliba (Arsenal)
It was a toss of a coin between Saliba and his defensive partner Gabriel, but the importance of the Frenchman’s opening goal can’t be understated. The Gunners would go on to secure a 6-0 victory, to send them well within the mix for the Premier League title.
LB- Sergio Reguillon (Brentford)
Many expected Brentford to be in trouble when they faced Wolves on Saturday, with their woeful defence tasked with keeping the likes of Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto quiet. Reguillon stepped up to great effect defensively, whilst also registering an assist for Brentford’s opening goal. The Bees would go on to seal the three points with an impressive 2-0 away win.
CDM- Declan Rice (Arsenal)
The second Arsenal player to make the team is Declan Rice, who came back to haunt his former club on Sunday. Rice registered two assists from set-pieces before whipping in a beautiful curled effort from range to silence the London Stadium.
CM- Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)
Gallagher hadn’t scored a single Premier League goal all season prior to Monday night. With Palace 1-0 up, Gallagher scored two second-half goals against his former club, including a stoppage time winner, to hand Chelsea their second away victory on the bounce.
CM- Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United)
The Magpies midfielder almost single-handedly carried Newcastle to three points against Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. The Brazilian’s brace cancelled out Forest’s equalisers on two occasions, signalling his importance to this brilliant squad once more.
RW- Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)
The 20-year-old replaced the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold at half-time and proved himself as the ultimate super-sub once again. With the score being 1-1 at half-time, Elliott chipped in with two beautifully executed crosses to set up Liverpool’s two game-winning goals and picked up the Man of the Match award in the process.
ST- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
The Norwegian returned to the top of the Premier League goal-scoring charts with an impressive brace in the 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday. The Toffees were proving to be tricky opposition for Guardiola’s men, but Haaland’s relentless presence ultimately broke the Everton defence and secured the crucial three points.
LW- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
The Arsenal winger was the starboy once again as Arsenal strolled to a 6-0 thrashing at the London Stadium. The 22-year-old scored twice to send the Gunners on the way to an emphatic win against their London rivals.
