Premier League GW18 Team of the Week: Florian Wirtz, Martin Odegaard, Rayan Cherki

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Big Six domination: Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week
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A narrow Arsenal win, Arsenal benefitting from an own goal and Arsenal remaining top of the Premier League table - just a standard gameweek at the end of 2025.

The Gunners edged out Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 to maintain their two-point advantage over closest rivals Manchester City, who had briefly gone into first place by beating Nottingham Forest by the same scoreline a couple of hours earlier.

Aston Villa remain an incredibly close third courtesy of their exceptional 2-1 comeback win over Chelsea, who now trail a resurgent Liverpool in the Champions League race thanks to the Reds' 2-1 success over doomed Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Manchester United also harbour realistic UCL ambitions after their 1-0 victory over a wasteful Newcastle United, whose neighbours Sunderland are one point adrift of the Red Devils following their 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

Keith Andrews's Brentford have Europe in their sights after demolishing Bournemouth 4-1, but Crystal Palace's rut continued in a 1-0 home defeat to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Elsewhere, Fulham piled more misery on West Ham United with a 1-0 away triumph, while Burnley and Everton settled for a point apiece in a goalless draw.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of fixtures.

Goalkeeper: Martin Dubravka (Burnley)

Brentford's Caoimhin Kelleher earned his stars against Bournemouth, but Martin Dubravka often bailed Burnley out in their creditable stalemate with Everton, registering six saves, five punches and seven clearances to demonstrate his timeless quality.

Centre-back: Kevin Danso (Tottenham Hotspur)

Deputising for the suspended Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso may have given Thomas Frank some food for thought with his imperious display against Palace, which saw the Austrian make an astounding 20 defensive contributions - including 16 clearances - and win seven of his nine aerial duels.

Centre-back: Ayden Heaven (Manchester United)

As Arsenal grapple with a defensive injury crisis, a former rearguard flame is shining for Man United; Ayden Heaven was always in the right place at the right time for the Red Devils against Newcastle, making eight clearances and also completing 94% of his passes.

Centre-back: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City)

Not only did Josko Gvardiol provide the crucial knock-down for Rayan Cherki to score the winner against Forest, the Croatian City star came up with a crucial 13 defensive contributions and completed 93% of his passes in the Forest half, further justifying his hefty price tag.

Right midfield: Reece James (Chelsea)

Ending up on the losing side does not automatically disqualify a player from making the TOTW, and Chelsea skipper Reece James was more than worthy of a spot; the right-back's pinpoint corner took the slightest of touches off of Joao Pedro on its way in, and he also won all seven of his ground duels during an increasingly regular stellar performance.

Central midfield: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

Stellar Martin Odegaard performances have been few and far between this season, but the Arsenal captain put in his finest work of 2025-26 against Brighton, finding the bottom corner with panache and creating five chances for his teammates, at least one of which should have led to an assist.

Central midfield: Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)

Seventeen appearances and 21 shots later, Liverpool's Florian Wirtz is finally off the mark in the Premier League. But the £116m man's toe-poke against Wolves was not the only highlight of his dazzling display, as he created three chances and completed an astounding seven dribbles at Anfield.

Left midfield: Patrick Dorgu (Man United)

As relief-inducing as Wirtz's first Premier League goal was, it had little on Patrick Dorgu's spectacular strike for Man Utd against Newcastle, who succumbed to an exquisite volley from the Dane at Old Trafford.

Also playing a pivotal role in the defensive effort, Dorgu made five clearances, four recoveries, two interceptions and won three fouls to help send the Magpies home empty-handed.

Attacking midfield: Rayan Cherki (Man City)

Seamlessly adapting to the demands of Premier League football, Rayan Cherki's contributions proved decisive at the City Ground, where the Frenchman slipped in Tijjani Reijnders for the opener before beating John Victor with a venomous low winner.

⭐️ STAR PERFORMER OF THE WEEK ⭐️

Attacking midfield: Kevin Schade (Brentford)

Stealing the attacking spotlight that Igor Thiago had formerly hogged all season long, Kevin Schade's sensational hat-trick left Bournemouth battered and bruised in West London, where the German collected his second Premier League match ball.

Centre-forward: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

No man had a bigger point to prove than Ollie Watkins against Chelsea, who were firmly in the ascendancy against Aston Villa while the 29-year-old was watching on helplessly from the bench.

However, the hitherto struggling striker turned the tide completely with a match-winning brace, one that could prove worthy of the Game Changer of the Season award if Unai Emery's men pull off a title miracle.

SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

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Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (3-4-2-1): Dubravka; Danso, Heaven, Gvardiol; James, Odegaard, Wirtz, Dorgu; Cherki, Schade; Watkins

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