Premier League GW17 Team of the Week: Erling Haaland, Declan Rice, Virgil van Dijk

For the fifth time in their illustrious history, Arsenal will spend Christmas Day at the top of the Premier League table, by virtue of their latest unconvincing one-goal victory over Everton.

The Gunners hastily reclaimed first place from Manchester City, whose 3-0 win over West Ham United saw them temporarily rise to the summit and also remain one point clear of Aston Villa, who further enhanced their title credentials with a 2-1 beating of Manchester United.

Chelsea remain the best of the rest after fighting back to draw 2-2 with Newcastle United, but Liverpool now only trail the Blues on goal difference after their 2-1 victory over nine-man Tottenham Hotspur.

Sunderland remain sandwiched in between Liverpool and Man Utd after settling for a goalless stalemate at Brighton & Hove Albion, but Crystal Palace now find themselves outside the European spots after their 4-1 humbling at the hands of Leeds United.

Further down the division, Fulham eked out a 1-0 success over Nottingham Forest in Monday's contest, Burnley salvaged a 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth, and winless Wolverhampton Wanderers' plight continued in a 2-0 defeat to Brentford.

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

Goalkeeper: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton)

A beleaguered Brighton backline would not have come away unscathed against Sunderland had it not been for Bart Verbruggen, who bailed his team out with six saves, two run-outs and 10 recoveries in a man-of-the-match-worthy performance.

Right-back: Reece James (Chelsea)

Take a bow, Reece James!

A pinpoint free-kick brings Chelsea back into it ?@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/9lG0F6wSv5
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 20, 2025

Returning to his recognised position for the purposes of this selection, Reece James triggered the Chelsea turnaround at Newcastle with a fabulous free kick, one of two vital contributions the Blues skipper made at St James' park alongside a last-man tackle.

Centre-back: Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth)

Arguably one of the finest centre-backs in the Premier League with the ball at his feet, Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi created three chances in the draw with Burnley, in addition to winning eight of his nine ground duels and making a magnificent 19 defensive contributions.

Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Ibrahima Konate took the plaudits against Brighton, but it is now Virgil van Dijk's turn to accept the praise for his domineering display against Spurs, where he won nine of his 11 aerial duels, registered six clearances and completed 89% of his passes in the Spurs half.

Left-back: Keane Lewis-Potter (Brentford)

No stranger to a defensive role for Brentford, Keane Lewis-Potter also shifts further back to accommodate our attackers after coming up with the game-winning brace for the Bees against Wolves, his first two goals of the Premier League season.

⭐️ STAR PERFORMER OF THE WEEK ⭐️

Central midfield: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

"That is an absolute BEAUT!"

Morgan Rogers, wow. ? pic.twitter.com/OqelgKESAE
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 21, 2025

Adding another few pounds to his transfer value, Morgan Rogers earned his place in Villa history with his two crisp curlers against Man Utd, becoming the first Lions player to score back-to-back Premier League braces in the 21st century.

Central midfield: Anton Stach (Leeds United)

Not only did Anton Stach cap off Leeds' pummelling of Palace with a delightful free kick, the German registered five key passes for his teammates - even if none led to an assist - and registered five defensive contributions for the resurgent Whites.

Central midfield: Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Stach's teammate Ethan Ampadu was an honourable mention, but Arsenal would not be top at Christmas were it not for the exploits of Declan Rice, who made 10 defensive contributions, 10 recoveries, completed 90% of his passes and won all three of his aerial duels in his Merseyside midfield masterclass.

Right wing: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds)

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores AGAIN! ? pic.twitter.com/2qGb4MzBoL
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 20, 2025

One of two strikers shoe-horned into wide roles this week, there was no overlooking the revitalised Dominic Calvert-Lewin after his brilliant brace against Palace, as the Englishman became the first Leeds player to score in five straight Premier League games since Mark Viduka in 2003.

Centre-forward: Erling Haaland (Man City)

Matching and surpassing former Premier League greats, Erling Haaland's double for Man City against West Ham took the Norwegian above Cristiano Ronaldo and level with Didier Drogba in the competition's all-time scoring charts, and his assist for Tijjani Reijnders was an added bonus for Fantasy Football managers.

Left wing: Nick Woltemade (Newcastle)

A heartwarming post-match moment with Peter Crouch may have been Nick Woltemade's personal highlight on Saturday, after the Tyne-Wear derby villain returned to hero status with a clinical brace against Chelsea, albeit one that was only good enough for a point.

SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-3): Verbruggen; James, Senesi, Van Dijk, Lewis-Potter; Rogers, Stach, Rice; Calvert-Lewin, Haaland, Woltemade