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The 2021-22 Premier League season provided us with plenty of drama on Matchday 5.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United remain level on points at the top of the table, though Manchester City lost ground following a goalless draw at the Etihad.
Elsewhere, Newcastle and Leeds played out an exciting 1-1 draw on Friday night, before Brentford won away at Wolves to claim all three points in Saturday's early kick-off.
Brighton managed to edge Leicester at home while Arsenal made it back-to-back victories with a 1-0 win at Burnley.
Norwich lost their fifth successive game after facing defeat against fellow newly-promoted side Watford, while Aston Villa thumped Everton 3-0 at home.
Plenty of Premier League players shone over the weekend
There were plenty of brilliant performances in the Premier League last weekend with players shining for their respective clubs to earn a positive result. But who among these players will make the cut for the Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-3)? Let's have a look:
Goalkeeper: David De Gea - Manchester United
It doesn't get much better for a goalkeeper than saving a last-minute penalty to secure a win for your team. That's exactly what David De Gea did for Manchester United in the Premier League against West Ham on Sunday.
United were on the verge of securing a 2-1 away win thanks to a late Jesse Lingard goal. However, a cross struck Luke Shaw's hand, resulting in a penalty to the Hammers in second-half stoppage time.
Mark Noble, fresh off the substitute's bench, stepped up to try and equalize for the Irons, only to see his effort being saved brilliantly by De Gea. It was the Spaniard's first penalty save since 2016, after failing to keep out the last 40 spot-kicks against him.
Apart from that, De Gea also made a couple of crucial saves to keep Manchester United in the game. There was no clean sheet for the Spaniard but he was well and truly the hero of the day for the Red Devils.
Left-back: Marcos Alonso - Chelsea
Many people were surprised to see Marcos Alonso being used instead of Ben Chilwell in the Premier League by Thomas Tuchel this season. The 30-year-old has started all of Chelsea's games so far, with Chilwell not even playing a single minute in the Premier League. But the Spaniard once again showed on Sunday against Tottenham why he deserves to start ahead of the Englishman.
Alonso provided the assist for Thiago Silva's opener in north London, which came from a corner in Chelsea's 3-0 win. The Spaniard also created the most chances in the match (5), having a field day on the left hand side in the second-half.
He was also solid in the defensive part, making four interceptions and three clearances during the game.
If Alonso continues to play like he did on Sunday, it will be difficult to see Chilwell replacing him at left-back anytime soon.
Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk has been imperious for Liverpool in the Premier League since returning from injury and the centre-back reinstated his credentials against Crystal Palace last week.
Van Dijk was an immovable force at the back, winning seven out of seven aerial duels and making five clearances to preserve his side's clean sheet in the game. With Liverpool fielding a makeshift defense, the Dutchman marshaled the backline brilliantly while also guiding the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Konstantinos Tsimikas.
The Dutchman even claimed an assist for his headed flick towards Mohamed Salah for the second goal, capping off a near-perfect display by him.
Centre-back: Thiago Silva - Chelsea
Chelsea's win at Tottenham proved to be a tale of two halves as the west Londoners withstood early pressure to secure all three points following a dominating second-half display.
Thiago Silva was crucial in both aspects of Chelsea's win, producing vital interceptions in the first-half before breaking the deadlock with a wonderful header in the 49th minute.
The Brazilian's late run and fine leap saw him meet Marcos Alonso's corner to open the scoring for Chelsea, setting the tone for a comprehensive 3-0 win.
Taking the majority of the post-match praise from fans and pundits alike, the 36-year-old showed why he is still one of the world's most trusted defenders.
Right-back: James Milner - Liverpool
With Trent Alexander-Arnold having to drop out at the last-minute due to illness on Saturday morning, Jurgen Klopp decided to deploy James Milner at right-back. And the 35-year-old once again proved why he is known as one of the most versatile players in the Premier League.
Tipped to struggle against Wilfred Zaha, Milner put in an assured performance and stuck to his task selflessly, barely allowing the forward any freedom on the right-hand side.
The veteran won a game-high 10 duels while also completing the most passes in the match (62). No other player in the match made more crosses or tackles than Milner, while he also led the stats for distance covered and sprints. Incredible statistics for a footballer who is approaching two decades as a Premier League player.
Central midfielder: Douglas Luiz - Aston Villa
Aston Villa registered a comfortable 3-0 win in the Premier League against Everton at Villa Park. While Leon Bailey's short cameo stole the show, it was Douglas Luiz who put in a Man of the Match display in the middle of the park.
Assisting Matty Cash's opener, the 23-year-old contributed in both the attacking and defensive phase as he held his side together. Luiz created the most chances in the game (6) while also making the most successful tackles (3) in the match.
Everton clearly struggled to contain the Brazilian and he was the most fouled player in the match (4) as the the Toffees tried in vain to stop his powerhouse performance.
Central-midfielder: Martin Odegaard - Arsenal
Arsenal are beginning to pick up some momentum after consecutive 1-0 wins, the latest of them coming at Turf Moor.
Martin Odegaard's brilliant free-kick made the difference and the Norway international was a bright spark in the middle of the field, creating two chances and making two key passes. He was the main link between attack and defense, making the most passes in the game (52).
Playing alongside Thomas Partey in a deeper role, Odegaard won three out of his five ground duels and made two successful tackles. It was the kind of performance that made his permanent capture look to be an excellent business by Arsenal.
The Gunners have now moved up to 13th in the Premier League table with Odegaard's performances in the last two games playing a key part in their back-to-back wins.
Central midfielder: Mateo Kovacic - Chelsea
Mateo Kovacic has arguably been one of Chelsea's best players so far this season, and the Croatian made his fourth Premier League start of the ongoing campaign this weekend.
He had a difficult start to the game and could not showcase his wide range of passing abilities in the first half.
But in the second-half Kovacic showed his class. Kante's introduction allowed the midfielder more freedom as he played a lot of forward passes. He was also solid in the defensive phase and registered the most number of tackles in the match (4).
Kovacic even assisted Kante's goal in the second-half, taking his tally of assists to three this season, more than what he had in the entirety of last season.
Left-winger: Leon Bailey - Aston Villa
Leon Bailey has endured a frustrating start to his career in the Premier League so far. But his cameo this weekend against Everton proved there are plenty of reasons for Aston Villa fans to be excited about the new arrival.
The Jamaican international was on the pitch for just 21 minutes, but his performance helped Villa turn their increasing dominance into an emphatic win.
Bailey's dangerous cross from the corner was first headed into his own net by Lucas Digne to double Aston Villa's lead. The winger then burst forward to smash home his first goal for the club and Villa's third on the night, to give an exciting glimpse of what he can offer.
Dean Smith will be hoping that the injury the winger sustained in the latter stages of the game is not too serious. Bailey could potentially become a pivotal player for a new-look Villa side.
Right-winger: Ismaila Sarr - Watford
Watford will need more performances of this caliber from Ismaila Sarr to survive this season, with the winger living up to his billing as the Hornets' key player.
The Senegalese wrecked havoc at Carrow Road as Watford ended a streak of three consecutive Premier League losses, moving Xisco Munoz's men upwards and away from danger.
He scored two goals against Norwich, with the first one showing his killer instinct in the penalty area. The second was more of a poacher's strike, scoring from a rebound after Joshua King forced Tim Krul into a save.
Sarr has often been linked with a move to some of the top Premier League clubs. If he continues to maintain these levels, it won't be long before the big clubs come calling for the youngster.
Striker: Ivan Toney - Brentford
Ivan Toney is finally proving his worth as a Premier League player, with last season's record-breaking goal haul in the Championship adding a lot of expectation to his shoulders.
The forward has done well so far this season without truly getting among the goals. But against Wolves the forward scored one and assisted another to secure three points for his side.
The 25-year-old was brought down in the box by Marcal, earning a penalty before calmly slotting it in to give Brentford the lead. He then turned the provided for Bryan Mbeumo to double his side's lead just six minutes after the opener.
Apart from that, he gave a torrid time to the Wolves defense. Toney was the most fouled player in the match (4), while he also won the most aerial duels (7) in gameweek 5.
Continuing to prove his goalscoring prowess in the top-flight, Toney's form has led many to believe that Brentford can indeed survive their first Premier League campaign.
