MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 12:21:37| >> :60:558:558:

Premier League Team of the Week - Sergio Aguero, Paul Pogba, Georginio Wijnaldum

Sports Mole selects its Premier League team of the week for gameweek 26, including two Manchester United players, three from Liverpool and four from Manchester City.

Manchester City provided the most emphatic statement of their title credentials yet in gameweek 26 by putting six goals past Chelsea in a rout which saw them 4-0 ahead inside 25 minutes.

The result sent the champions roaring back to the top of the Premier League table after being knocked off the summit by Liverpool's 3-0 win over Bournemouth 24 hours earlier.

Tottenham Hotspur are also right in the race as they ground out a 3-1 win over Leicester City at Wembley on Sunday, while there were victories for Manchester United and Arsenal too as the Red Devils climbed into the Champions League places.

Cardiff City picked up a dramatic and emotional win over Southampton in their first match since the death of Emiliano Sala was confirmed, and there was also a late goal at Molineux on Monday night as Wolverhampton Wanderers rescued a point against Newcastle United.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League team of the week for gameweek 26.



PL TOTW GW26

A clean sheet may have eluded Hugo Lloris at Wembley, but without the Frenchman Spurs may well have lost against Leicester. Lloris made nine saves - including one from the penalty spot - to secure all three points for the title outsiders.

Liverpool and Man City remain the frontrunners in that race, and between them they provide three of the back four in this week's team. James Milner was once again asked to fill in at right-back and was a constant threat going forward - helping himself to an assist along the way - while Joel Matip not only ensured a Liverpool clean sheet but also played his part in launching a number of attacks in a game his side should have won by more than three goals.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has not always been trusted in the big games by Pep Guardiola, but he rewarded his manager's faith in Sunday's showdown with Chelsea by registering assists for two of Man City's six goals at the Etihad.

At the other end of the table, Cardiff skipper Sol Bamba led his side through a difficult game at St Mary's and opened the scoring too, setting the foundation for their 2-1 win. Willy Boly also deserves a mention for salvaging a point for Wolves, while Davinson Sanchez and Jack Stephens also got on the scoresheet from defence, but Bamba edges them to a place in this week's team.

It is no coincidence that Liverpool's return to form came at the same time as Georginio Wijnaldum's return to the team. The Dutchman has been his side's most consistent midfielder this season and overcame illness to score an exquisite goal in his side's victory over Bournemouth.

Man City could have easily claimed all three places in midfield - perhaps even all 11 places in the team - such was the quality of their performance against Chelsea, but Ilkay Gundogan is the one who gets the nod in the middle of the park, narrowly beating Fernandinho to a spot by virtue of getting on the scoresheet, not to mention recording a 97% pass accuracy.

Paul Pogba has become a regular member of these teams since the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the Frenchman continued his incredible form with a brace against Fulham on Saturday to run the show at Craven Cottage.

Anthony Martial scored the pick of the bunch in that 3-0 win, though, with a fine solo effort which drew comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo. Martial also helped himself to an assist, which is enough to earn him a place above Wilfried Zaha and Mohamed Salah in this week's XI.

There was little doubt about the identities of the other two players in this front three, with Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling scoring five of City's six goals between them. Aguero helped himself to his second hat-trick in the space of a week - and his record-equalling 11th in the Premier League - while Sterling opened and closed the scoring in arguably City's best-ever performance under Guardiola.

Honourable mentions should go to the likes of Roberto Firmino and Burnley duo Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood - all of whom enjoyed really good games over the weekend - but it is impossible to look past Aguero to lead the line this week.

ID:350108: cacheID:350108:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8725:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero celebrates opening the scoring against Arsenal on February 3, 2019
Read Next:
PL Team of the Week - Aguero, Higuain, Hazard
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!