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Just as always, the top five European leagues lived up to its reputation this past weekend to produce some action-packed encounters. Manchester United beat Liverpool in the clash of the weekend and staked their claim on the second spot. Arsenal also got back to winning ways in front of a scantily filled Emirates.
Juventus extended their stay at the top of Serie A with a win over Udinese as Napoli lost further ground in the title race with a goalless draw against Inter Milan. The likes of PSG, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona continued their dominance at the summit of their respective leagues with routine yet emphatic victories.
Many players gave standout performances, shining brightly this past weekend. And in this segment, we will take a look at the European team of the week consisting of the best of the best from this weekend's football action:
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech (Arsenal)
The Gunners and Petr Cech, in particular, have come under scrutiny in recent weeks with a number of lackadaisical performances. But against Watford, fresh from their win over AC Milan, Arsenal looked at their fluent best with Petr Cech helping out at the back efficiently when the need arose.
At the hour mark, Cech stopped a penalty from Troy Deeney, guessing the direction right and palming the ball away. It came at a crucial time in the game when Arsenal were leading 2-0 as a goal back for Watford at that juncture would have opened a few doors for the visitors. In doing so, Cech finally kept his 200th Premier League clean sheet - the most for any keeper in the history of the league.
Defence
Right back: Thomas Meunier (PSG)
The Belgian fullback had a brilliant outing in a 5-0 onslaught of Metz at the Parc Des Princes. Meunier opened the scoring with a neat finish at the far post, getting at the end of a Kylian Mbappe deflected shot.
He was a constant threat on the right flank and it was his partnership with Angel Di Maria on the right that caused Metz the most damage. Meunier put in 2 delightful crosses into the box and also completed 3 successful dribbles.
Centre back: Kostas Manolas (AS Roma)
Roma won 3-0 at the weekend against Torino with central defender Kostas Manolas opening the scoring. The Greek international thumped home a header from a Florenzi cross to break the deadlock in the second half.
He was also up to the pace against Andrea Belotti and kept the clinical striker in check. He has formed a solid partnership with Juan Jesus at the back, an example of which was evident on Saturday.
Centre back: Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid)
In Atletico's 3-0 win over Celta Vigo, it was the side from Celta that enjoyed a lion's share of possession with 55% of the ball. In that scenario, Jose Gimenez stepped up to the plate and made sure that the Colchoneros held their fort and continue their domination in defence.
Another clean sheet was achieved because of some smart thinking and a no-nonsense approach from the Uruguayan defender. Gimenez also provided a headed assist for the first goal to Antoine Griezmann which opened the shackles for Simeone and his men in the second half.
Left-back: Ashley Young (Manchester United)
Mohamed Salah has been one of the best players in Europe this season with the Egyptian already netting 31 goals in all competitions. But, the Liverpool talisman had the worst game of his Reds career because of the astute man marking of Ashley Young.
The makeshift left back never let Salah get out of his sight and there was hardly any instance in the game where Salah looked threatening. Young won 8 duels and made 6 interceptions on the night and was one of the biggest reasons why United got the better of Liverpool.
Midfield
Centre midfield: Geoffrey Kondogbia (Valencia)
In an away game against Sevilla, Valencia had just 38.2% share of the ball. But the Mestalla outfit still managed a 2-0 victory courtesy of a midfield masterclass from Geoffrey Kondogbia. With the ball, the Frenchman was the driving force forward for his team and it was him who delivered both the assists for Rodrigo.
Kondogbia also nipped a number of Sevilla's attacks in the bud as he made as many as six interceptions and helped Valencia achieve quicker transitions.
Centre midfield: Christopher Nkunku (PSG)
Paris Saint Germain needed to bounce back after their Champions League exit against Real Madrid and they managed just to do that with a 5-0 rout of the basement boys, Metz.
The star of the show for Paris was the 20-year-old midfielder Christopher Nkunku who started just his second game at this level.
Nkunku scored two goals on the night and could have had a hattrick but his third was ruled offside. Both of his goals came because of his timely runs into the box which were then followed by superb finishing. This kid is definitely one to keep an eye on!
Left wing: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Zinedine Zidane admitted that Eibar were the better side in their 1-2 loss to Real Madrid. The only reason that Eibar lost that game was because of a gentleman named Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese hitman continued his elite form and smashed two goals in either half to win a gritty game for his side.
His first saw him run straight on goal courtesy of a through ball from Luka Modric while he nodded the second home from a Dani Carvajal cross. With his brace, Ronaldo has now scored 13 goals in his last seven matches and is also on 18 league goals at the moment, just 6 behind a certain Lionel Messi.
Centre attacking midfield: Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
Juventus delivered a professional performance in a 2-0 win over Udinese and the star of the show was Paulo Dybala. The Argentine 'number 10' scored a brace and continued his fine run of form in the second half of the season.
Dybala scored his first courtesy of a brilliant curling freekick from about 20-25 yards. He then doubled his tally with a neat finish after some brilliant hold up play from Gonzalo Higuain. Dybala's stunning display helped Juventus take a 1 point lead at the top of the table with one game in hand over Napoli.
Right Wing: Son Heung Min (Tottenham Hotspur)
Despite a 4-1 win over Bournemouth, Spurs received a big blow in the match due to an ankle injury suffered by Harry Kane. But in his absence, it was the Korean utility man that rose to the occasion and scored a much-needed brace.
Both of his goals were a result of Son being in the right place at the right time. His displays this season can give Tottenham a big hope of churning out results even without Harry Kane. With this brace over the Cherries, Son has now amassed 18 goals in all competitions.
Striker
Centre forward: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Matches against Hamburg have become a stroll in the park for Bayern Munich in recent years. It was a similar case this Saturday as the Bavarians romped past Hamburg 6-0 at the Allianz Arena with Robert Lewandowski netting a hattrick. The Polish striker could have scored four but missed a penalty.
With this hattrick, Lewandowski reached the milestone of 100 goals for Bayern Munich in just 120 appearances. He also became the highest scoring foreigner in the Bundesliga history as he took his tally to 141 goals in just 182 games.
Bench: Matt Ryan (Brighton); Matteo De Sciglio (Juventus); Thiago Silva (PSG); Radja Nainggolan (AS Roma); Marcus Rashford (Manchester United); Ousmane Dembele (FC Barcelona); Alassane Plea (Nice)
