William Wigg
GK : Andre Onana ( vs Ipswich A )
Manchester United fans would have been hopeful ahead of Ruben Amorim’s debut in charge of the club, however, it was another tepid performance that has become characteristic of United over the past decade. One shining light, despite this, was Andre Onana who capped a solid performance with two stunning saves to prevent Liam Delap from scoring. Onana’s fine shot-stopping allowed United to escape Portman Road with a point when their performance deserved very little.
LB : Keane Lewis-Potter ( vs Everton A )
Playing out of position for a Brentford team that has been leaking goals from all sources was a big ask of Lewis-Potter, but the left winger adapted to his interim position superbly. There must have been some temptation to shift Lewis-Potter out for a more traditional defender, when in the 41st minute, Brentford captain Christian Norgaard was shown red for a desperate lunge that connected with Jordan Pickford’s knee, yet Thomas Frank kept faith in the England U21 international and rightfully so. Lewis-Potter won 6 out of 8 ground duels and looked comfy in possession on the rare occasion Brentford could look to build anything in the second half.
CB : Mario Lemina ( vs Fulham A )
Another out of position player in the Team Of The Week is Mario Lemina, one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. Lemina playing on the right of a back three captained Wolves to a much needed stellar performance and win over Fulham. Lemina looked natural in the back three due to his superb frame and composure to step into midfield with the ball. Lemina’s crowning moment undoubtedly came from an inch-perfect 50 yard pass expertly taken down and finished by the also sublime Matheus Cunha.
CB : James Tarkowski ( vs Brentford H )
Switching up from a midfielder playing at the back we have a classic Central Defender up next in James Tarkowski. It was a trademark Tarkowski performance at the weekend: winning 5 from 6 aerial duels, completing 91% of his passes, and clearing the ball 8 times. Everton will be frustrated to not take all three points from the game considering Brentford’s dismal away record and their reduction in numbers. Despite this, Tarkowski’s performance was still the one that caught my eye the most in the draw between Everton and Brentford.
RB : Pedro Porro ( vs Manchester City A )
The Tottenham right back has proven once again he is one of the very best right backs in the world with another wonderful performance against world class opposition. Porro continues to be a vital cog in Tottenham’s first phase of build up. He appeared in a large interior gap to release a fast attack when the first Manchester City press was baited and subsequently broken. Porro also offered his usual ability to devastate in the final third when he arrived late in the box to strike home past a flailing Ederson and seal a historic win for Tottenham.
CM : James Maddison ( vs Manchester City A )
The second of two Tottenham players in the Team Of The Week, and to their credit it could have been the whole 11. Maddison playing in a midfield three consistently outfought and outran the turgid Manchester City midfield. Maddison of course also capped his determined display with two lovely finishes to doom Manchester City to their fifth straight defeat. Maddison and Tottenham’s performance at the weekend will live long in the memories of the travelling fans as Ange Postecoglou will look to catapult their season into action following a strangely inconsistent start.
CM : Joao Gomes ( vs Fulham A )
Joao Gomes is not the Brazilian who usually snatches the headlines in the Black Country, however, the central midfielder’s performance against an in-form Fulham was simply too good to ignore. Joao Gomes was involved in 17 ground duels, an outrageous amount and five more than any other player on the pitch. Gomes’ goal gave Wolves the lead before they ran away with it thanks to more Brazilian magic, this time in the form of a Matheus Cunha wonder goal.
CM : Joao Pedro ( vs Bournemouth A )
Joao Pedro in his first start back from an ankle injury starred and looked head and shoulders above the rest at the Vitality Stadium. Joao Pedro opened the scoring in the fourth minute when he reacted first to a strike that was saved but not held by Bournemouth stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga. It was no more evident it was Joao Pedro’s pitch when, in the 49th minute, he seemed to freeze time whilst briefly becoming motionless on the ball before slotting Mitoma in with a delicately weighted through ball to create Brighton’s second and ultimately the winner.
LW : Matheus Cunha ( vs Fulham A )
Cunha continued his rich vein of form with another two goals at Craven Cottage lifting Wolves, for the first time this season, out of the relegation zone and into safety. Cunha has established himself over the past 18 months as Wolves’ star man with him appearing instrumental to all successful attacking performances, however, his off the ball work has improved drastically this season with his manager, Gary O’Neill, stating “it was the best out-of-possession performance I’ve seen from him.” Both Cunha’s goals were delightful and showcased exactly the levels of pure technique the Wolves talisman has to offer.
ST : Nicolas Jackson ( vs Leicester A )
Mockery of Nicolas Jackson’s finishing seems well reserved for the past, as he netted his 7th goal of the season. Jackson’s combative nature allowed him to harass the Leicester centre-back, Wout Faes, and flick the ball past both Leicester centre-backs to score the opener at the King Power Stadium. Jackson was a constant threat in the game creating Chelsea’s second goal when his header was expertly stopped by Hermansen, but only into the path of the awaiting Enzo Fernandez who headed home the winner.
RW : Bukayo Saka ( vs Nottingham Forest H )
Saka was back to his brilliant best this week with a Man Of The Match display against Nottingham Forest. Bukayo Saka found himself occupying more central areas at times after drifting inside against a deep Nottingham Forest defensive line, this ultimately led to him scoring a piledriver of a finish that beat Matz Sels for speed before he even had time to react. Saka once again looked spectacular which was in no small part due to the return of the mercurial Odegaard from injury, allowing Saka better access to the right half spaces and subsequently more room on the pitch to work in.
William Wigg
Featured image courtesy of [@phoedobus] via [Unsplash]. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of [@madders] via [Instagram]. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of [@wolves] via [Instagram]. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 3 courtesy of [@cunha] via [Instagram]. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 4 courtesy of [@bukayosaka87] via [Instagram]. No changes were made to this image.
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