Premier League Gameweek 9: Team of the week

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool - Premier League
Harry Kane bagged a brace against Liverpool on Sunday

Another exciting weekend of Premier League football came to an end with some of the top teams failing to get their desired results. In what was the biggest upset of the weekend, Manchester United succumbed to their first defeat of the season at the hands of newly-promoted Huddersfield Town.

Meanwhile, It was clockwork for their cross-town rivals Manchester City, as they raced to an impressive 3-0 victory over Burnley. With that win, Pep Guardiola's side are now five points clear of rivals and second-placed Manchester United.

Elsewhere, Chelsea were taken the distance as they overcome Watford, while Arsenal and Everton played out a thrilling seven-goal encounter, with the Gunners winning 5-2. In the week's final encounter between Tottenham and Liverpool, the North London outfit proved they are worthy title contenders as they ran riot over Jurgen Klopp's men, beating them 4-1.

With a number of star performers over the three days, we take a look at the team of the week:

Formation - (3-4-3):


Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur)

While Hugo Lloris was not one of only four goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet this weekend, he played a key role in restricting Liverpool to just a solitary goal in Spurs' 4-1 thumping of the Reds at Wembley.

The France and Tottenham number one made a string of impressive saves throughout the contest. His stop of Coutinho's left-footed shot particularly stood out as the Brazilian's strike seemed destined for goal.

Throughout the game, Lloris' ball distribution and handling was unquestioned. He looked calm with the ball at his feet and also marshalled the three centre-backs in front of him with authority.

Centre back: DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United)

Newly promoted Newcastle United have enjoyed a resurgence under Rafael Benitez after returning to the top flight as they now find themselves sitting in 7th place, six points off the relegation zone.

On Saturday, the Toons took on relegation candidates Crystal Palace - who were on the back of an impressive 2-1 victory over Chelsea. Thus, they were expecting to build on that performance and beat Newcastle at the Sports Direct Arena.

However, Newcastle decided to sit back and hit Palace on the counter. Defensively they seemed well assured as their opponents failed to register a single shot on target. Their right back DeAndre Yedlin put in a terrific shift in both thirds of the pitch, and was one of the best players of the game.

The American defender was constantly pestered by the likes of Jeffrey Schlupp and Patrick van Aanholt, but he appeared unfazed and seemed to deal with anything that came his way.

Centre back: Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City)

Manchester City v Burnley - Premier League
Nicolas Otamendi was in top form against Burnley

The Cityzens raced to a 3-0 victory over Burnley and in many ways, it was a complete performance by the entire side. The forward players did their bit trying their luck at goal, while the defenders kept it tight at the back and ended the game with a clean sheet.

However, Nicolas Otamendi put in a shift in both boxes. The Argentine has enjoyed life under Pep Guardiola this season, and seems to have a new found confidence in his abilities. It was evident in his standout performance against the Clarets on Saturday.

He won every aerial duel he was involved in, eliminating the option for Burnley to play direct. He was an assured figure on the ball as he completed 98 of the 103 passes he attempted. And, to cap it all off, he bagged a goal to show for his efforts. This was undoubtedly the Argentine's best performance of the season.

Centre back: Virgil van Dijk (Southampton)

The Saints scraped through the finishing line with a 1-0 win over West Brom at St Mary's on Saturday. In what was a drab encounter between two mid-table clubs, it was the contribution of the defenders that stood out on the evening.

Unlike Southampton, West Brom did not look threatening in front of the opposition goal, but that was due to the presence of a certain Dutch defender at the heart of the Saints defence. With all that has been going on about his future, Virgil van Dijk paid no heed to it, and carried out his duties to near perfection.

Van Dijk was constantly an aerial threat, particularly in the West Brom penalty area during attacking set pieces. Whenever called on to win a last-ditch challenge or win a 50-50 ball, the Dutchman was up to the task, and was Southampton's best defender on the day.

Right wing: Pedro (Chelsea)

Chelsea winger Pedro may not be the most consistent of performers in the Blues lineup, but when he ticks, he can absolutely wreak havoc in opposition defences. That is exactly what happened when the defending champions hosted Watford at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard proved to be a nightmare for the Watford defenders to deal with, and took a paltry 12 minutes to make his presence felt. He scored an exceptional goal to give the hosts the lead after some amazing link-up play with the Blues midfielders.

That did not stop him from getting involved as he kept having a go at Miguel Britos who was often caught out of position tracking the winger's runs. Pedro also provided an assist for the all-important Michy Batshuayi goal that brought Chelsea back on level terms in the 71st minute.

Central midfield: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)

Huddersfield Town v Manchester United - Premier League
Aaron Mooy did his former side a huge favour by scoring against their rivals Manchester United

In what was Huddersfield's first top-flight win against Manchester United for over 50 years, they had a former Manchester City midfielder to thank for it. Aaron Mooy, who has been in phenomenal form this season, took his game to an entirely new level against the Red Devils on Saturday.

The defensive midfielder was virtually everywhere as he found himself involved in a number of plays. He scored Huddersfield's first goal of the game after marauding forward from midfield to find himself in the right place at the right time.

Mooy also completed six crosses, won two tackles and interceptions in midfield, and defensively put in a shift by making three clearances.

Central midfield: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)

After all the negativity that surrounded the game prior to its start, linking Mesut Ozil with a move away from Arsenal in the summer, the German needed a good performance to prove that he still has a lot to offer the Gunners this season.

As Ozil had not been at his prolific best prior to the weekend game against Everton, many expected an abject performance from the German playmaker. However, he managed to silence his critics by putting in a man of the match performance against the Toffees at Goodison Park.

Arsene Wenger's decision to start Ozil alongside Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette proved to be a masterstroke as the three worked in tandem to wreak havoc in the opposition defence.

Creator-in-chief Mesut Ozil was in full swing as he scored and assisted for the first time this season. His creativity led to several goal-scoring opportunities for the Gunners as they scored five goals for the first time this season.

Left wing: Junior Stanislas (Bournemouth)

Winger Junior Stanislas single-handedly took the game to Stoke City as Bournemouth visited the bet365 Stadium to come away with all three points. In a bit of a rut prior to the game, the Cherries needed three points to around their fortunes.

Courtesy of a goal and an assist from Stanislas, they managed to beat Stoke 2-1. The left winger looked lively whenever the ball was at his feet. He created a number of chances for his teammates and was the looked the most robust and jovial player on the pitch.

Forward: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea)

Chelsea v Watford - Premier League
Batshuayi proved his worth to Conte after a sublime cameo against Watford

The Belgian did not start in the weekend's game over Watford, and was on the pitch for a meagre 29 minutes. However, despite his limited time on the field of play, Michy Batshuayi managed to turn around the entire complexion of the contest.

He looked more mobile that Alvaro Morata was, and seemed to offer more of a physical presence than the Spaniard. Batshuayi came on in the 61st minute and registered four attempts on goal - two of which found the back of the net.

Apart from that, he proved to be a constant aerial threat, winning a total of two aerial duels. His holdup play was also incredible and he deserved all the plaudits that came his way post match.

Forward: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

The dynamic English forward continued finding the back of the net as he registered two goals and provided an assist in Tottenham's 4-1 win over Liverpool. Harry Kane proved yet again why he is considered the league's best forward.

Since the opening whistle, Kane seemed to be finding gaps in the Liverpool defence. He used his sheer physicality to get past a number of defenders, and despite being slightly selfish, he managed to contribute considerably for his team.

He bullied Dejan Lovren to that extent that the Serbian had to be withdrawn in the 30 minute of the contest as Jurgen Klopp changed his system. However, that did not stop Kane from scoring as he netted his second one in the 56th minute of the game.

Forward: Glenn Murray (Brighton and Hove Albion)

Brighton forward Glenn Murray made the most of Tomer Hemed's suspension as his performance over the weekend will give manager Chris Hughton a selection dilemma for next week's game against Southampton.

Murray has played second fiddle to Hemed all season, but he proved why he was the Championship Golden Boot runner-up with 23 strikes to his name last season.

He was a constant threat for the Seagulls, and the West Ham defence failed to deal with his precision and physicality. The Englishman took away the match ball as he was involved in all three goals. He found the back of the net on two occasions and provided an assist for the third.

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