Premier League 2019-20: Team of the Week from Matchday 14
Leading into this mid-week matchday, fans of the Premier League have a lot to look forward to, considering all the action from last weekend. Manchester City were held by a resilient Newcastle at St. James' Park, and with Liverpool winning against Brighton, the pressure is piling up on Pep Guardiola's Sky Blues.
Chelsea lost at home to West Ham in a London Derby. Arsenal were lacklustre yet again and only an Aubameyang show could save them the blushes away to a Norwich side, who are themselves in serious threat of relegation. Manchester United failed to take their chances, and a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa wouldn't help the cause of the under-fire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Wolves took on Sheffield United with the fifth-place spot up for grabs, but the 1-1 result at the Molineux, along with the result at Tottenham, means that it's Jose Mourinho's Spurs who sit fifth heading into this weekend. Spurs have not lost since 'The Special One' took over, and would look to continue that hot streak into this coming mid-week as well.
A late winner from former City striker Kelechi Iheanacho sees Leicester City's miraculous run under Brendan Rodgers continue. The Foxes are comfortably placed second and would hope to stay above the rest of the chasing pack.
On that note, we take a look at the Team of the Week (TOTW) from last weekend.
Goalkeeper
David Martin (West Ham United)
The son of West Ham legend Alvin Martin, the 33-year-old shot-stopper made a string of stunning saves against an admittedly uninspiring Chelsea attack to earn a much-deserved clean sheet on debut. This win meant a lot for both father and son, and the emotion was there for everyone to see right after the final whistle was blown.
Defence
Right-Centre-back - Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa)
The England centre-back scored the equalizer within two minutes of conceding and did his part in helping Aston Villa take away a point from Old Trafford. Though Mings has come under a bit of scrutiny in recent weeks, he remains Villa's leader in defence, and the performance against the Red Devils was one to be proud of.
Centre-Back - Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
While his name was floating around as a strong contender for the coveted Ballon d'Or, Van Dijk has been doing what he does best week in week out: defend like a beast. Last weekend, he went a notch higher and scored a brace within six minutes in what was arguably Liverpool's worst league game of the season.
The Dutch centre-back is one of the main reasons for Liverpool's dominance this season, and the performance against Brighton showed why he is one of the best defenders around.
Left-Centre-Back - James Tomkins (Crystal Palace)
The 30-year-old was an absolute rock at the back and was instrumental in Palace's 2-0 win away to Burnley. In the absence of veteran Gary Cahill, he ably led the backline and helped Roy Hodgson's side keep a clean sheet as Palace recorded their fourth win in a row against Burnley.
Midfield
Right Wing-Back - Todd Cantwell (Norwich City)
He has been a shining light in Norwich's poor run this season so far, and has nicely made the step up from the U-21 level. He scored Norwich's second goal against Arsenal at the brink of half-time to put his side in front, but Norwich couldn't hold on to the lead.
The towering centre-back has also scored against Chelsea and Man City this season, showing his temperament in big matches.
Right-Central Midfield - James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
The England international scored a stunning free-kick winner against Watford to make it two goals in two weeks. Fans have been raving about his free-kick against the Hornets, with many even calling it Beckham-esque.
The Saints seem to have recovered from the 9-0 thrashing at the hands of Leicester City towards the end of September, and Ward-Prowse has been a major contributing factor to this revival of sorts.
Left Central Midfield - Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur)
Dele Alli has looked a different player under Jose Mourinho. He has scored thrice and set up one more since Mourinho took over the reins at Tottenham.
Alli scored a brace as Tottenham went 3-0 up against Bournemouth, only to be pegged back by two goals late in the game. It looks like he's regained his confidence now, and it's no surprise that Mourinho and all the other pundits are happy to see the 'old Dele' return.
Left Wing-Back - Aaron Cresswell (West Ham United)
The Hammers' left-back cut into the Chelsea box beautifully to score the opener and the only goal of the evening at Stamford Bridge. He also won two headers and made five interceptions among other defensive duties, and completely nullified the threat posed by Willian and Reece James on that side of the pitch.
West Ham were well-organised in defence, restricting Chelsea to crosses from afar, and Cresswell was integral to implementing Pellegrini's tactics.
Attack
Right-Wing - Lys Mousset (Sheffield United)
The French U-21 international scored in the second minute of play against Wolves in a crucial encounter. He has netted thrice in the last five league games, and is one of the most underrated players in the league this season.
Mousset is fast, has plenty of trickery up his sleeve and is a deadly finisher, and manager Chris Wilder knows what an asset the Frenchman is up-front.
Centre Forward - Michail Antonio (West Ham United)
An unexpected starter ahead of Sebastian Haller, Antonio's inclusion turned out to be a master-stroke. His physicality and aerial presence were too much to handle for the young Fikayo Tomori, and this eventually gave way for Aaron Cresswell's goal.
Antonio had a clear chance to score and even managed to put the ball into the net in the 65th minute, but the referee and VAR eventually ruled it out as a handball. The former Southampton man put in a shift when called upon, and might have saved Pellegrini his job for the time being.
Left-Wing - Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
The 24-year-old has been one of the finds of the league so far and continued to impress with a stunning curler into the far corner to open the scoring against Manchester United. Although the game ended 2-2, Villa would be more than happy to take a point against the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
Grealish came out on top against the likes of Andreas Pereira and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and was a constant threat on the left side. If he continues performing like this, a Three Lions call-up isn't too far away.
Team Of the Week (3-4-3): Martin; Mings, Van Dijk, Tomkins; Cantwell, Ward-Prowse, Alli, Cresswell; Mousset, Antonio, Grealish.