Gameweek 20 of the Premier League was a litmus test for the sides battling for top honours this season. While Arsenal orchestrated an impressive comeback their hopes of laying any serious claim on the title dwindled. Manchester City came back to win against Burnley after losing Fernandinho to a red card while Liverpool were held by Sunderland. Manchester United continued their unbeaten run with a two-goal victory but the talk of the week was the match between Chelsea and Tottenham.
The Blues wrere pursuing a record 14-game winning streak but were halted in their tracks by a lethal Spurs side. With their lead at the top reduced to just five points, the title race is slated to be an enthralling one.
With games to come over the weekend, here is Sportskeeda’s Premier League Team of the Week:
Goalkeeper
Brad Guzan
Brad Guzan was a worthy replacement for Victor Valdes in Middlesbrough’s match against Leicester City. The American kept the visitors out during the first game of the round, denying the defending champions their first victory on the road this season. The 32-year-old pulled off four saves to keep his team clear off the relegation zone for now.
Defenders
Kyle Walker
Tottenham’s transformed backline was impeccable against the Blues and none more so than Kyle Walker. Deployed as a wing back on the right, his work-rate was relentless throughout the night denying his opponents a single goal.
The right-back did an excellent job of pushing Marcos Alonso back and winning five aerial duels and completing two take-ons successfully.
Gareth McAuley
West Bromwich centre-back Gareth McAuley has been having quite the season with his regular goals and clean sheets. Even though he failed to keep Hull City out, the 37-year-old found the back of the net in the second half to give his side the lead just past the hour mark. He turned the game around for the Baggies when he headed home a cross from teammate Matt Phillips.
Ryan Shawcross
Stoke City rose a number of places in the Premier League table to 11th position thanks to a great performance from captain Ryan Shawcross. The Englishman was an ever-present figure in his team’s back line which helped keep Watford at bay at the Britannia Stadium.
The central defender won eight of his 11 aerial duels and scored his side’s first goal at the stroke of half-time. He attacked a loose corner that landed in the middle of the box to give his side the lead.
Leighton Baines
Leighton Baines helped his team with a little pick-me-up as Everton beat Southampton by three goals to none. The left-back was in scintillating form denying the Saints a single goal.
When he was called on to take the penalty after Enner Valencia had been fouled inside the area by Maya Yoshida, the Englishman was hardly about to miss sending Fraser Foster in the wrong direction. His tackles were on point as he was a threat going forward with an 86% passing accuracy in the final third.
Midfielders
Christian Eriksen
Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen was the most effective creative player at home against league leaders, Chelsea. The 24-year-old was crucial to Spurs’s victory as he orchestrated both his side’s goals. His first assist was an incisive cross that Alli converted to disastrous effect.
His second, which came at the 54th minute was a similar ball delivered to Alli. With the change in formation for Spurs, Eriksen emerged as the most important link in the side.
Charlie Adam
31-year-old Charlie Adam still has the occasional ‘great game’ in him as he proved against Watford, creating both goals for Stoke City. After it looked like the first-half against Watford was going to end in a stalemate, Adam aimed a low corner towards the near post which Ryan Shawcross pounced on.
The Potters’ second goal was down to Watford’s defensive errors yet again as they allowed the Stoke midfielder to whip another similar ball like the previous corner for the benefit of Peter Crouch.
Ander Herrera
In spite of Jose Mourinho's enigmatic team selection at times, Ander Herrera has been flourishing under the former Chelsea manager. He was involved in a lot of positive build up for his side against West Ham United as he played an effective pressing game.
He was quick to move the ball building momentum and his urgency paid off when he intercepted Obiang’s ball and made the assist for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal.
Dele Alli
Dele Alli’s great run of form continued against Chelsea as the English midfielder proved to be devastating against the Blues at White Hart Lane, scoring both goals to end Chelsea’s 13-game winning streak. The 20-year-old found the back of the net on the cusp of half-time with a pointed header into the far right corner past Thibaut Courtois.
His second goal came soon after the start of the second half with yet another header. Alli found a pocket of space to beat the Chelsea keeper at his far post.
Forwards
Olivier Giroud
The Frenchman had a first half to forget as he was innocuous against Bournemouth. However, the forward still makes it into the Team of the Week for his outstanding second half performance. After remaining isolated for the first half of the game, Giroud seemed re-energised from the 60th minute, orchestrating Arsenal’s come back.
His headed flick provided the perfect opportunity for Sanchez to score their team’s first goal. He also provided the assist for Lucas Perez’s first goal before scoring the equaliser himself.
Jermain Defoe
While Jermain Defoe didn’t quite score his brace from open play, his composed performance pegged Liverpool down a few notches as the match ended 2-2. Both of Defoe’s goals came from the spot thereby denying the visitors all three points.
His first was a cool finish inside the left post and he repeated his second effort with similar calm to deny Liverpool the victory. He had a couple of other opportunities to score as well but failed to find a way around Simon Mignolet.
Manager
Mauricio Pochettino
Managers across the league tried to put a stop to Chelsea’s marauding run but it was Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino who showed them how it’s done. Not only did he neutralise the Blues tactically by deploying Danny Rose and Kyle Walker as wing backs, his team’s high-pressing style completely unsettled Antonio Conte’s men.
The Argentine’s men looked the far better side at the Lane as they out-muscled and out-played their rivals.
