Premier League Team of Week 24 as Manchester United, Southampton and Arsenal dominate
Arsenal regained the top spot in the Premier League after a nerve-wracking game at Villa Park, where they scored two goals in the closing stages. Meanwhile, Manchester City dropped points due to a late goal at the City Ground. In other matches, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Liverpool emerged victorious, with Spurs climbing to the fourth spot in the table, overtaking Newcastle.
Southampton, Everton, and Bournemouth secured crucial victories in the lower end of the Premier League table, and as usual, SportsDias have created a list of the best-performing players in our Premier League Team of the Week.
Bernd Leno (Fulham)
Despite his underwhelming stint at Arsenal, Bernd Leno has performed admirably since joining Fulham. In their recent game against Brighton, the German goalkeeper made a total of seven saves, six of which were from inside the box, contributing to a clean sheet against their strong opponents.
This shutout set the foundation for Manor Solomon to score the winning goal in the 88th minute, helping Fulham climb above Brighton and secure sixth place in the Premier League standings.
Seamus Coleman (Everton)
Following their defeat in the Merseyside derby, Everton managed to recover with a crucial 1-0 victory over Leeds, who are also fighting to avoid relegation.
Everton has struggled with scoring goals this season, so it was unexpected that Seamus Coleman would be the first to find the back of the net. The Irish defender made a brilliant run before unleashing a superb shot from a tight angle that Illan Meslier, the Leeds goalkeeper, failed to stop. Coleman later clarified that he had intended to shoot, rather than cross the ball.
©aptain ©lutch. pic.twitter.com/BVlcT4PTTY
— Everton (@Everton) February 18, 2023
“Was there anyone in the box to cross to?” he said. “To be honest… the legs are finding it hard to get in those areas but I got in the area and I knew that maybe the keeper would have anticipated a cross so came half a yard. I could’ve hit it another 30 times and never hit it as sweet but thankfully it did.”
Aside from that, he made three tackles and won three ground duels and three aerial duels, helping Sean Dyche’s team to a clean sheet and three points.
Jan Bednarek (Southampton)
Southampton played their first game after the departure of their former manager Nathan Jones against a struggling Chelsea team. Despite winning 1-0, the Saints faced significant pressure from the home team in the second half.
Although Chelsea have been having difficulty scoring goals lately, they dominated possession with a 61% share and had a total of 17 attempts. However, they found it challenging to break down Southampton’s strong defense.
Jan Bednarek played a pivotal role in the game, making four tackles, blocking three shots, making two clearances, and winning four of his seven ground duels. His efforts, along with those of the rest of the team, ensured that Ruben Selles’ side held on to their clean sheet and secured a crucial victory.
🇵🇱 Jan Bednarek vs Chelsea #SaintsFC
— JustSaints (@JustSaintss) February 18, 2023
90 Minutes
2 Clearances
3 Blocked shots
1 Interceptions
4 Tackles
0 Times dribbled past
100% Aerial duals won
67% Ground duals won
Redemption szn 🧱 pic.twitter.com/xqelpa365j
Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United)
The footballer who won the World Cup has been exceptional ever since he joined the Premier League, improving Manchester United both offensively and defensively.
In a recent game, Martinez made a total of three blocks, three tackles, won five out of his seven ground duels, and successfully won both of his aerial duels. He was also close to scoring his second goal for the team, but unfortunately, his header hit the bar.
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