Premier League GW22 Team of the Week: Bruno Fernandes, Florian Wirtz, Cristian Romero

Blockbuster battles were few and far between in Premier League gameweek 22, when all three title-chasing teams dropped points, but ultimately to Arsenal's benefit.

The Gunners are now seven points clear at the summit of the Premier League table following their 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest, thanks to Manchester United's 2-0 derby win over Manchester City and Aston Villa's shock 1-0 home loss to Everton.

Liverpool remain in pole position for fourth place despite also flattering to deceive in a 1-1 stalemate with Burnley, but Chelsea are within touching distance as a result of their 2-0 victory over West London derby rivals Brentford.

Newcastle United's Champions League charge suffered a setback in a 0-0 draw with resurgent Wolverhampton Wanderers, though, allowing Sunderland to move level on points with their bitter rivals with a 2-1 win over a Marc Guehi-less Crystal Palace.

Further down the division, Leeds United's revival continued in a 1-0 triumph over Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur's plight was prolonged in a harrowing 2-1 home loss to West Ham United, and the South Coast clash between Brighton & Hove Albion and Bournemouth ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for gameweek 22 of the 2025-26 season.

Goalkeeper: Robert Sanchez (Chelsea)

A special shout-out goes to Everton's Jordan Pickford, but Robert Sanchez atoned for his Arsenal EFL Cup error in Chelsea's derby success over Brentford, registering six saves, three high claims and a staggering 14 recoveries to nullify the Bees' sting.

Right-back: Jake O'Brien (Everton)

The Super Sunday panel debate why Everton were disallowed a goal for offside in the first half against Aston Villa ❌? pic.twitter.com/w3TZw23uxI
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 18, 2026

Despite being the latest victim of a controversial VAR offside decision, Jake O'Brien stood tall at the back for Everton at Villa Park with eight clearances, five recoveries and two blocks, as well as winning all three of his duels.

Centre-back: Malick Thiaw (Newcastle)

One of the few Newcastle players who could depart Molineux with their heads held high, Malick Thiaw repelled Wolves' attacks by making two blocks and winning three of his four aerial duels, while also registering an exceptional 96% passing accuracy rate.

Centre-back: Cristian Romero (Tottenham)

When Cristian Romero is not entering the referee's book, he leads from the front regardless of Tottenham's predicament, and that was the case against West Ham.

The Argentine's brilliant header gave Spurs a lifeline, and he also registered 11 defensive contributions in North London, albeit for nothing.

Left-back: Bashir Humphreys (Burnley)

Mere days after shining against Manchester United, Burnley's Bashir Humphreys enhanced his reputation as a big-game player at Anfield, where he made two clearances off the line and a total of 12 defensive contributions.

Central midfield: Ethan Ampadu (Leeds)

Dominic Calvert-Lewin failed to fire for Leeds against Fulham, but Ethan Ampadu had a telling touch with a fine cross for Lukas Nmecha to sweep home - one of four chances the ex-Chelsea man created on the day.

Central midfield: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)

Battling his potential World Cup midfield partner in Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson had the measure of the league leaders in Forest's stalemate with Arsenal, as he won a tremendous 12 duels and drew five fouls in a hard-earned draw.

Central midfield: James Garner (Everton)

James Garner was perhaps fortunate not to be dismissed for a shove on Morgan Rogers during Everton's win over Villa, and thankfully so for David Moyes, whose midfield metronome won nine ground duels, made four interceptions and registered 14 recoveries in the West Midlands.

⭐️ STAR PERFORMER OF THE WEEK ⭐️

Attacking midfield: Bruno Fernandes (Man United)

Bryan Mbeumo. Stretford End. ERUPTION! ? pic.twitter.com/v1RbPqcs9q
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 17, 2026

Writing a new page of creative history once again, Man Utd's Bruno Fernandes is now the first player to register an assist and six key passes in a Premier League game against Pep Guardiola's Man City.

The proficient Portuguese picked out the right pass for Bryan Mbeumo to break the deadlock, and of the six opportunities he created on the day, four were big chances.

Attacking midfield: Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)

Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz still has some way to go to justify his £116m price tag, but the German took a small step towards doing so against Burnley, breaking the deadlock with a thumping finish and also playing three key passes to his teammates.

Centre-forward: Crysencio Summerville (West Ham)

The West Ham striker talk may be centred around Callum Wilson at the minute, but Crysencio Summerville was the driving force of their win over Tottenham, cutting inside and opening the scoring with a deflected strike while also creating three chances on a day of derby delight.

SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-2-1): Sanchez; O’Brien, Thiaw, Romero Humphreys; Ampadu, Anderson, Garner; Fernandes, Wirtz; Summerville