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Premier League Team of the Week - Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne, Fabinho

Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week, including Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne and Fabinho.

Manchester City took a huge step towards retaining the Premier League title over the weekend, with the Citizens beating Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium to open up a 13-point advantage over the Blues.

Liverpool have now moved above Chelsea into second courtesy of their 3-0 win over Brentford, but the Reds are 11 points behind Pep Guardiola's side, who will be difficult to catch in the final months of the season.

The latest gameweek started on Friday night, with Brighton & Hove Albion playing out a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in the M23 derby, while relegation rivals Newcastle United and Watford also drew 1-1 on Saturday afternoon.

Norwich City moved off the foot of the table and into 18th with a 2-1 success over Everton, who sacked Rafael Benitez off the back of the defeat, while Wolverhampton Wanderers recorded a 3-1 victory over Southampton.

Manchester United, meanwhile, threw away a two-goal lead at Aston Villa in Saturday's late kickoff to draw 2-2, with the Red Devils remaining down in seventh spot in the Premier League table.

There was no North London derby on Sunday afternoon, with the fixture being called off due to Arsenal's long list of absentees, but Liverpool, as mentioned, beat Brentford 3-0 on Sunday, while Leeds United won a five-goal thriller at top-four hopefuls West Ham United.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week from the latest set of fixtures in England's top flight.


DEFENCE

Maximilian Kilman celebrates scoring for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Everton on November 1, 2021.© Reuters

Jose Sa has been a revelation for Wolves since his arrival last summer, and the 28-year-old was again in fine form for Bruno Lage's side on Saturday, making nine saves in his team's 3-1 win over Southampton, while he also impressed with his feet during a commanding display against the Saints.

Max Kilman also makes the XI, having impressed for Wolves in the same match; the 24-year-old came close to scoring against Southampton, as he rattled the woodwork, while he won seven aerials and made three tackles during a brilliant display in a back three.

Liverpool's Andy Robertson is included due to his strong performance in Sunday's 3-0 win over Brentford; the Scotland international came up with the assist for his side's second of the contest, while he boasted a pass success rate of 88% and completed two dribbles.

Samir is also in the side due to his excellent display against Newcastle on Saturday; the Watford debutant could turn out to be an inspired signing for Claudio Ranieri's team, and he put in a commanding performance against the Magpies, winning five aerials and three tackles at St James' Park.


MIDFIELD

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes celebrates scoring their first goal on January 15, 2022© Reuters

A 3-4-3 formation includes four midfielders, and all four played key roles for their respective sides over the weekend, with Bruno Fernandes and Jacob Ramsey starring for Man United and Aston Villa respectively during the 2-2 draw between the two sides at Villa Park in Saturday's late start.

Fernandes was back to his best with two goals for Ralf Rangnick's side, while Ramsey played a leading role in the hosts fighting back to earn a point, scoring a brilliant goal in the 77th minute before turning provider for Philippe Coutinho to register on his debut for Steven Gerrard's team.

Fabinho, meanwhile, was excellent in Liverpool's 3-0 win over Brentford, opening the scoring in the 44th minute, while he boasted a pass success rate of 91% and won seven aerials from the middle of the park.

Kevin De Bruyne had to be included due to his match-winning display against Chelsea, with the Belgium international's excellent goal deciding the contest at the Etihad Stadium, but his overall performance was excellent, having four shots and completing four dribbles, as he caused Chelsea problems throughout the match.


ATTACK

Leeds United's Jack Harrison celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on January 16, 2022© Reuters

Jack Harrison was the standout player in the latest gameweek, with the attacker netting a brilliant treble in Leeds' 3-2 win at West Ham on Sunday; Harrison scored twice in the first half before netting a decisive third on the hour, and it was arguably his best ever performance for the Whites.

There is another Leeds player in the front three in the shape of Raphinha, who provided the assist for Harrison's third, while he struck the woodwork himself during an excellent performance. West Ham struggled to deal with the Brazilian, who continued to cause problems when he found himself in space in attacking positions.

The centre-forward spot in the XI goes to Raul Jimenez, who played a leading role in Wolves' 3-1 win over Southampton; the Mexican netted the opener in the 37th minute, but it was his overall performance that impressed the most, with the away side's back three finding it difficult to deal with his power.


SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

PL TOTW GW 22

Sports Mole's Premier League team of the week (3-4-3): Sa; Kilman, Samir, Robertson; Ramsey, Fernandes, Fabinho, De Bruyne; Raphinha, Jimenez, Harrison


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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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