Our Premier League Team of the Week, featuring a trio of Liverpool stars, a Manchester United livewire, and hat-trick heroes for Brentford and Bournemouth.
Premier League Team of the Week – Salah, Schade, Saka
Goalkeeper: Andre Onana – Manchester United
Andre Onana is having a brilliant season at Manchester United and notched up another clean sheet against Everton at Old Trafford.
The Cameroonian has had busier afternoons this season but a fantastic stop from Dominic Calvert-Lewin preserved his shutout. No goalkeeper has prevented a higher number of Expected Goals (4.4) than Onana, who leads the Premier League’s Golden Glove race (6).
Right-back: Amad Diallo – Manchester United
Ruben Amorim’s arrival and a slight tweak in his role could be the making of Amad Diallo at Manchester United. The Ivorian was an absolute livewire in the 4-0 win over Everton, playing a crucial role in three goals from wing-back.
His pressure regained the ball in the build-up to the opener, before playing in Marcus Rashford to score the second. Diallo then pounced on another Everton mistake to steal possession and set up Joshua Zirkzee, in a performance that offers huge encouragement.
Amad Diallo has 2 goals and 4 assists in his last 4 starts for Manchester United.
Shining in the starting lineup. 💫 pic.twitter.com/s2fnRXYIOY
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 1, 2024
Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool
Van Dijk has reached such a standard that performances of this ilk are viewed as the norm. They shouldn’t be.
In consecutive games, the Dutch defender has locked up Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, with Van Dijk a colossus in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City. A magnet to the ball in both boxes, he rendered Haaland anonymous at Anfield, making seven clearances and winning three aerial duels.
Erling Haaland failed to win a ground or aerial duel, completed just 7 passes and registered 1 shot on target against Liverpool.
Virgil van Dijk won 4 duels, registered 7 clearances, 2 blocked shots and made 3 interceptions ⚔ pic.twitter.com/nFMqreRP6Z
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 1, 2024
Centre-back: Gabriel – Arsenal
The primary target for the Premier League’s best set-piece team was at it again this weekend. Gabriel opened the scoring in Arsenal’s 5-2 win at West Ham, meeting Bukayo Saka’s corner to guide home a header. He’s almost unstoppable when powering towards deliveries into the box and won Arsenal a penalty during another brave attempt to head home.
Left-back: Marc Cucurella – Chelsea
The redemption arc continues. Marc Cucurella again underlined his status as one of the Premier League’s best left-backs this weekend. He snapped into a challenge and burst forward to set up the opening goal in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa, in a passage of play that demonstrated his tenacity and forward threat.
Cucurella registered more successful passes (105/109), more successful tackles (4/5) and more headed clearances (2/2) than any other player on the pitch.
Midfield: Dominik Szoboszlai – Liverpool
Slot’s call to start Szoboszlai ahead of Curtis Jones paid off with the all-action Hungarian overpowering Manchester City. His running power was instrumental to a huge win for Liverpool, who outworked and outplayed the Premier League champions at Anfield. A driving force in a statement win for Arne Slot’s side, no player created more chances (4) or made more recoveries (7).
Midfield: Justin Kluivert – Bournemouth
Justin Kluivert made history this weekend after becoming the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick of penalties. The Dutchman kept his cool three times to beat Jose Sa from the spot, as Bournemouth won 4-2 at Wolves. Ice-cold composure from the son of a goalscoring great.
A piece of @premierleague history 🥶 pic.twitter.com/VBZyzSjl3x
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) November 30, 2024
Right-wing: Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
A goal, two assists, and another electric performance from Arsenal’s star boy. Saka set up the opening goal with a corner kick for Gabriel, before unselfishly squaring for Leandro Trossard to score the second and cap a flowing Arsenal move. He got on the scoresheet with a well-taken spot-kick and has now provided 15 goals and assists in just 12 games this season.
The first player in Europe’s big five leagues to reach 10 assists. Bukayo Saka. 🪄 pic.twitter.com/Q7y73POGQu
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 30, 2024
Left-wing: Kevin Schade – Brentford
Has Kevin Schade finally arrived at Brentford?
The German has had a tough start to his career in English football, with the 23-year-old having failed to score in 28 games since his £22m arrival from Freiburg.
A serious injury stalled his progress but Schade exploded in Brentford’s 4-1 win over Leicester. He set up Yoanne Wissa for the opening goal, before helping himself to a hat-trick with three well-taken finishes. This could be lift-off, after one of the best individual showings of the Premier League season so far.
🎩✅@kevinschade_ completing his treble 👏 pic.twitter.com/aTd0DF5l4R
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) November 30, 2024
Forward: Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
Mohamed Salah is inevitable.
Salah created the opener and scored the second as Liverpool beat Manchester City to roar clear at the top of the Premier League. An unceasing threat, he will kick himself at a gilt-edged chance blazed over the bar but, yet again, was the difference maker for Liverpool.
He has now been directly involved in 64 goals in 74 Premier League games vs ‘Big Six’ opposition. The Reds cannot afford to lose him.
Forward: Evanilson – Bournemouth
It takes some performance to gain inclusion in our Premier League Team of the Week as a non-scoring forward but Evanilson earned his spot this weekend.
Bournemouth broke the bank to sign the Brazilian in a club-record deal last summer and he’s proven worth the £40m fee. A perfect fit for Andoni Iroala’s system, his work rate and intelligent movement posed problems all afternoon for Wolves, as the Cherries won 4-2 at Molineux. He became the first player in Premier League history to win three penalties in a single game and has now won five spot-kicks this season.
Read – Tweets of the Week: Guardiola’s breakdown, Mbappe upended, Bryan’s Gunn
See more – The Football Faithful’s Advent Calendar: December 1st
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