The first Premier League gameweek of 2022 is done and dusted, and Manchester City have opened up an 10-point gap at the summit after scraping past an inspired Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
The Citizens' cause was helped by Chelsea and Liverpool sharing the points in a 2-2 Stamford Bridge thriller, with Arsenal holding onto the fourth and final Champions League spot.
West Ham United kept the pressure on their London rivals by seeing off Crystal Palace 3-2, while Tottenham Hotspur left it late to beat Watford 1-0.
Manchester United's hopes of Champions League football suffered another blow as Wolverhampton Wanderers won 1-0 at Old Trafford, and Brighton & Hove Albion remain in the top half after a 3-2 win at Everton.
Elsewhere, Brentford found themselves on the correct end of a 2-1 scoreline against Aston Villa, while Leeds United beat Burnley 3-1 in the basement battle.
However, COVID-19 led to the postponement of two matches in gameweek 21, with Leicester City, Norwich City, Southampton and Newcastle United all unable to take to the field.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Team of the Week for gameweek 21 of the Premier League season.
DEFENCE
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It took 96 minutes for Watford's resilience to be broken during the visit of Tottenham, and that was largely down to the efforts of Daniel Bachmann, whose nine saves at Vicarage Road kept the scoreline at a highly respectable 0-1.
Seemingly popping up almost everywhere on the pitch for Leeds United at present, Stuart Dallas marked his 250th appearance for the Whites in some style, netting a stunning goal and making five tackles and three interceptions in a crucial win.
For a man who has not had a kick of the ball in the Premier League for nearly two years, Phil Jones was one of the few United players who left the Wolves defeat with his head held high. Deputising for the injured Harry Maguire, Jones won six of his seven ground duels, made three tackles, three blocks and two interceptions and posted a 90% pass accuracy in a surprisingly solid display.
Completing the defence is Brentford's match-winner and assist provider from the weekend, Mads Roerslev, who set up Yoane Wissa's opener against Villa before firing home the deciding goal at the second attempt in the dying embers in an unforgettable day for the 22-year-old.
MIDFIELD
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Picking out one memorable moment from Chelsea's four-goal thriller with Liverpool is a tall order, but Mateo Kovacic's stunning volley already has him down as a contender to win goal of the season. The Croatian watched his sweetly-struck effort crash in off the post to spark the Blues comeback while also winning a staggering 12 out of 13 ground duels on the day.
Wolves could and probably should have won by more than the one goal at Old Trafford on Monday, but Joao Moutinho ultimately settled the contest with a sublime effort in the second half, and the classy Portuguese also chipped in with six tackles and seven out of nine accurate long balls in a memorable success.
It truly was a gameweek for midfield stunners, as West Ham's Manuel Lanzini once again came up with an eye-catching effort in the capital - a magnificent flick up and volley in his side's win over Crystal Palace - while he also tucked away his spot kick to steal the show at Selhurst Park.
ATTACK
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West Ham may have ended up on the winning side at Selhurst Park, but take nothing away from Michael Olise's remarkable 22-minute cameo, as the ex-Reading starlet set up Odsonne Edouard's late strike before threatening a memorable turnaround as his free kick sailed into the far corner, but the 20-year-old's efforts ultimately went unrewarded.
The same can be said for up-and-coming Everton prospect Anthony Gordon, who was at the double for the Toffees against Brighton and won the penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin failed to convert in another eye-catching performance.
With no out-and-out centre-forwards doing enough to spearhead the attack in our TOTW, another live wire to grace Goodison Park with a brace came in the form of Alexis Mac Allister, whose second strike on the day was a true definition of a thunderbolt to help keep Brighton in the top half of the rankings.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-2-3-1): Bachmann; Dallas, Jones, Burn, Roerslev; Kovacic, Moutinho; Olise, Lanzini, Gordon; Mac Allister
Ben Knapton
