Manchester City trio help close gap on Arsenal: Premier League team of the week

Tottenham and Manchester United each have two players selected after emphatic wins

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  PRMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEEK (4-3-3): GK: Nick Pope (Newcastle United): Not overly worked at Arsenal but produced when needed, none more so than the late save on Eddie Nketiah to earn Newcastle a point at the Emirates. No goalkeeper has more than Pope’s 10 clean sheets this season. AFP

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  RB: Rico Lewis (Manchester City): City were poor in the first half at Chelsea but the introduction of the 18-year-old full-back at the interval made all the difference. Lewis was excellent and his presence brought greater balance to the team. As Pep Guardiola said: “Rico changed the game”. PA

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  Manchester City's John Stones, centre, challenges for the ball with Chelsea's Mateo Kovacic, right, and Carney Chukwuemeka, left, during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge stadium in London Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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  CB: Cristian Romero (Tottenham): Spurs are a team transformed when the Argentine is in the side. Back from winning the World Cup, Romero brought the leadership and quality to the defence often lacking in his absence as Tottenham claimed a comfortable win at Crystal Palace. Reuters

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  LB: Luke Shaw (Manchester United): Copy and paste from last week’s team selection: again deployed in central defence, again superb. This time, though, he added a goal to his efforts as United eased past Bournemouth. Getty

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  CM: Pascal Gross (Brighton): One of several standout Brighton players in the rout at Everton, the German midfielder capped a fine all-round display with the fourth goal at Goodison Park. PA

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  CM: Casemiro (Manchester United): The definition of a difference-maker, Casemiro has shown since joining United that he’s so much more than just a bruiser. Scored his second goal of the season with United’s opener against Bournemouth. Getty

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  CM: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City): Chelsea did a great job to keep De Bruyne quiet in the first half but had no such luck in the second. The Belgian played his part in the goal and generally controlled the midfield after the break. PA

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  RF: Harry Kane (Tottenham): After a rocky patch, Tottenham needed a statement win at Crystal Palace to get back on track. Their main man made sure it happened as Kane scored twice and set up Son Heung-min in a 4-0 victory. Getty

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  LF: Yoane Wissa (Brentford): Afforded a rare start in place of the injured Ivan Toney, Wissa caused all sorts of problems for Liverpool’s defence, and after having two goals ruled out, finally got his reward with a well-taken header. Reuters

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  CF: Evan Ferguson (Brighton): Handed his first Premier League start after scoring off the bench against Arsenal, Ferguson scored Brighton’s second at Everton with a close-range finish before supplying the pass for Soly March to score the third. The 18-year-old Irish striker looks an exciting talent. Getty

Premier League games come thick and fast this time of year and even more so this season as the fixture list looks to recover from the one-month break for the World Cup in Qatar.

It was a potentially crucial round for Manchester City in their hopes of retaining the title as the champions travelled to face a struggling Chelsea side on Thursday night aiming to close the eight-point gap created by leaders Arsenal.

Coming off the back of a 1-1 home draw against lowly Everton, City responded to a below-par first half at Stamford Bridge by claiming a 1-0 win, courtesy of Riyad Mahrez's goal, to reduce the Gunners' lead to five points.

The round got underway on Monday evening when Brentford, without key player Ivan Toney, dealt a fresh setback to Liverpool's top four hopes with a 3-1 home victory.

Tuesday saw four matches take place as Arsenal and third-placed Newcastle played out a goalless draw, Brighton thrashed Everton 4-1 at Goodison Park, high-flying Fulham defeated Leicester City 1-0 at King Power Stadium, and Manchester United maintained their top-four push with a 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

On Wednesday, Nottingham Forest earned their first away win of the season by beating bottom side Southampton 1-0, Leeds and West Ham shared the points in a 2-2 draw at Elland Road, Tottenham returned to winning ways by beating Crystal Palace 4-0 at Selhurst Park, and the Midlands derby between Aston Villa and Wolves ended 1-1.

City's 1-0 win at Chelsea then completed the latest set of fixtures, although officially the round will conclude with Chelsea's match against London rivals Fulham next Thursday.

Check out the photo gallery above to see Jon Turner's Premier League team of the week. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.