Premier League

Premier League Team of the Week - Mesut Ozil, Leroy Sane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 23 October 2018

Sports Mole selects its Premier League team of the week for gameweek nine, including Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and four Manchester City players.

Just two points separate the top five in the Premier League table after nine games of the season, with three of those still unbeaten - something which has only happened twice before in English top-flight history.

Manchester City thrashed Burnley 5-0 to ensure that they still lead the way on goal difference ahead of Liverpool, who ground out a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town later in the day.

Both sides had already seen Chelsea drop points, although they kept their unbeaten record intact by the skin of their teeth with a 96th-minute equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw with a Manchester United side that remains in mid-table.

Tottenham Hotspur also won against West Ham United, but they were overtaken in the top four by North London rivals Arsenal on Monday night courtesy of the Gunners' 3-1 win over Leicester City.

At the other end of the table, Cardiff City picked up their first win of the season to climb out of the relegation zone, with Fulham - the team they beat - replacing them in the bottom three.

Huddersfield and Newcastle United are now the only two teams still searching for their first win of the campaign, with the latter losing 1-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

There were also wins for Everton and Watford against Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively, while Bournemouth and Southampton played out a goalless draw.

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

The gloves in this week's team go to Everton's Jordan Pickford, who made four saves including one from the penalty spot to keep a clean sheet against Crystal Palace. Tottenham's Hugo Lloris was instrumental in earning his side all three points at West Ham, while Brighton's Mathew Ryan made six saves en route to a clean sheet against Newcastle.

There are two Seagulls representatives in defence, though, with Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk winning a whopping 15 aerial duels between them to help keep Newcastle at bay. Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger scored one and helped to force another against Manchester United, while the likes of Michael Keane and Sol Bamba also deserve a mention, but it is the Brighton duo who earn their place at the heart of the defence this week.

Southampton's Cedric Soares joins them at right-back following his side's clean sheet against Bournemouth, while on the opposite flank Benjamin Mendy marked his return to the Man City side with an assist in their rout of Burnley.

Mendy is one of four Man City players to make the cut this week, with Fernandinho joining him having helped himself to a goal and an assist against the Clarets. Teammate David Silva is narrowly short of joining him in midfield following his two assists, but instead Watford's Etienne Capoue gets the nod following his goalscoring role in the win over Wolves. Abdoulaye Doucoure also deserves a mention for assisting both goals in that match.

Further forward, Man City duo Riyad Mahrez and Leroy Sane provide the width, with both players getting on the scoresheet against Burnley to see off competition from Anthony Martial, who scored twice at Stamford Bridge. Between them is Mesut Ozil, who scored one, assisted another and had a major part to play in Arsenal's third upon his return to the side against Leicester.

Ozil is joined in this XI by teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who once again came off the bench to score twice against the Foxes, further improving an already impressive goals-per-minute ratio since his arrival in the Premier League.