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The Gameweek 29 of the English Premier League ended yesterday, and we have new table toppers in Manchester City, following Liverpool's goalless draw at Goodison Park last night.
The Gameweek had two very important fixtures which were definitely going to have a big impact on how the top 4 would shape up after the results. One being the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham, and the second being the previously mentioned Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool.
Champions Manchester City, who have been plagued by injuries, just edged past Bournemouth. However, the match added more misery to the Citizens as Kevin de Bruyne also picked up an injury at the Vitality Stadium.
Meanwhile, City's local rivals Manchester United raised their game up big time, beating Southampton 3-2 in a mouthwatering clash at Old Trafford.
Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea, who are aiming for the top 4 this season, scraped out a well worked 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage against Fulham. Though Fulham created some problems in the dying moments of the game, it was Chelsea's game to lose as the Blues dominated the proceedings for the majority of the match.
There were particularly 5 players who were at their best this past weekend and were key to their team's victories. So, let's look at the top 5 players from the Gameweek 29 of the English Premier League!
#5 Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)
The 21-year-old English full-back played a magnificent game in Crystal Palace's 3-1 away victory over Burnley on Saturday evening.
Though one could point out 3-4 other Palace players could also be included in this list, what made Wan-Bissaka made the cut was his ability to control the whole right wing throughout the game. He ran past defenders with ease on the right flank and provided an inch-perfect cross for Michy Batshuayi's goal.
Wan-Bissaka has emerged as a transfer target for top English clubs, especially Manchester United, as their club captain Antonio Valencia, who also plays as a right-back, is set to bid a farewell to the Theatre of Dreams at the end of the season.
#4 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
If Liverpool win the Premier League this season, Virgil van Dijk has to be the player of the season for the club. The Dutch defender has sort of revived Liverpool's defence after arriving from Southampton last January, with the player putting in another flawless display last night.
Although Liverpool failed to score and endured a disappointing draw at Goodison Park, Van Dijk was the reason why Liverpool did not concede.
The Dutchman was a brick wall in front of Brazilian goalkeeper Allison, intercepting opposition crosses and winning one on ones against the Everton attackers. He was also great in the opposition's penalty box during set pieces, where he would always attack the ball on the far post and win the aerial duals against his Everton counterparts.
Overall, it was a champion's performance by van Dijk last night.
#3 Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Although both Arsenal and Tottenham literally gifted each other their respective goals, Harry Kane was one player to stand out from the others due to his overall contribution to the game.
While most of the Tottenham squad was busy defending due to Arsenal's constant attacking threat, it was Kane who tried to go on the counter every time he got the ball at his feet.
He produced a sensational cross to Christian Eriksen in the first half which Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno kept out just moments before making another save from a Tottenham shot on target.
Kane, then went on to earn a penalty off Shkodran Mustafi for his side, and coolly converted the same to secure a point for Spurs, thereby ensuring that his team avoided an embarrassing home defeat against their bitter rivals Arsenal.
#2 Jorginho (Chelsea)
Many will not agree with Jorginho being second in this list, but one had to watch the Fulham-Chelsea game yesterday evening.
Jorginho rose from recent criticism from football pundits, who said that the Italian International cannot score, cannot assist or cannot defend. But Jorginho ticked several boxes yesterday.
The midfielder scored a screamer into the top right corner of the Fulham goal after a brilliant run and pass by Eden Hazard. He controlled the tempo of the game throughout the 68 minutes that he played before being taken off by manager Maurizio Sarri.
He almost got an assist to his name when he sent a high cross to Gonzalo Higuain. The ball fell kindly for the Argentine, who, however, squandered the goalscoring opportunity. Overall, Jorginho had a great game and managed to silence his critics, at least for a while.
#1 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku has to be the Premier League player of the weekend.
Always criticized for his first touch, Lukaku had a brilliant game on Saturday, and his first touches in the game helped him score the two wonderful goals.
Lukaku terrorized the Southampton defence for the whole game due to his huge presence in the opposition half. He almost opened the scoring for United after a deflected Pogba through-ball found him in the six-yard box.
The Belgian then went on to score two beautiful goals for Manchester United - one coming after a turn which left the Southampton defenders for dead, and the second was a beautiful first touch shot from outside the penalty box.
This was the old Lukaku, who once dominated the Premier League during his stint at Everton.
