There were some big upsets and some gallant displays in gameweek 7 of the Premier League. Tottenham and Liverpool managed to strengthen their title credentials, while Chelsea came back to life with a crucial victory.
It wasn’t a great week for the big two from Manchester, as Manchester United couldn’t manage to beat an off-form Stoke City side and Man City were convincingly beaten by Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Meanwhile, Arsenal got the job done against Burnley with a controversial last-minute goal from Laurent Koscielny. Here is the TheHardTackle’s Premier League Team of the Week:
Lee Grant (GK)
The former second choice keeper at Championship side Derby County, Grant almost single-handedly kept Stoke in the game against Manchester United. He made some superb saves from the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard.
The Englishman made eight saves during the game — joint highest in the league so far this season.
Joel Ward (RB)
Ward was excellent on both the defensive and attacking front against Everton. He made more tackles (4) than any other Crystal Palace player and helped his club salvage a point with an assist for Christian Benteke’s goal.
Toby Alderweireld (CB)
The Belgian consistently proves just why he is considered one of the best centre-backs in the league and this past week was no different.
Alderweireld’s assured presence at the back made sure that Manchester City were unable to score, while his composure on the ball allowed Tottenham to build quickly from the back when they won possession. City failed to find the net for the first time this season under Pep Guardiola, and the Belgian was one of the chief architects of the defeat.
David Luiz (CB)
Daivd Luiz had a rocky return to Chelsea with the loss against Liverpool, followed by defeat to Arsenal. However, the Brazilian put in a great performance for the Blues as they triumphed over Hull City. The Brazilian played the role of playmaker from the back, with the highest pass success rate (90.6%) among the Blues.
James Milner (LB)
Jurgen Klopp’s decision to play the veteran English midfielder at left-back is paying rich dividends. Milner was solid throughout their game against the Swans, winning three of four tackles made, making five interceptions and putting in nine crosses.
Milner also scored the winning goal via a penalty to take his tally for the season up to four. It doesn’t look like Alberto Moreno will get a look in any time soon at this rate.
Victor Wanyama (CM)
Spurs undoubtedly have one of the best defensive midfielders in the league in Victor Wanyama. The former Southampton player absolutely dominated the midfield against Manchester City. His strong presence, pressing and awareness helped Spurs put off Guardiola’s men.
Wanyama was one of the most important cogs in the Spurs machine on Sunday and did not let the absence of first-choice midfield duo Moussa Dembele and Eric Dier affect his team’s overall display.
Dele Alli (CM)
The sensational young Englishman played in a sightly deeper role against Manchester City this past weekend due to the absence of Dembele and Dier. Alli was still at his attacking best though, scoring the second goal for Spurs.
In the absence of Harry Kane in particular, Alli was needed to step up and he did so with aplomb.
Dimitri Payet (LM)
West Ham’s hero from last season came to their rescue once again. It looked the Hammers were in for yet another ugly defeat as Middlesbrough took the lead and were looking to pile on the misery on an under-performing Hammers side.
However, Payet took matter into his own hands with a brilliant run and goal. The Frenchman jinked, dribbled and ran his way past four defenders before slotting in to give his team a point.
Willian (RM)
The Brazilian hasn’t quite captivated under Antonio Conte, but he put in a good performance for the Blues against Hull City. He opened the scoring for Chelsea against the resilient Tigers, and was one of their biggest attacking threats throughout the game.
Willian created three goal scoring chances and the Blues will hope he can continue this form as they look to get their season back on track.
Son Heung-Min (FW)
The South Korean forward has blossomed into one of Spurs’ biggest attacking threats after a quiet debut season. Son was shifted from the wing into a central striker’s role in the absence of Harry Kane and he delivered the goods.
After scoring four goals in four games heading into the match, Son didn’t find himself on the scoresheet against Man City. However, his influence was critical as he forced Aleksandar Kolarov into scoring an own goal and set up Dele Alli for Spurs’ second.
Diego Costa (FW)
Another week, another goal for Chelsea’s main man Diego Costa. The temperamental striker seems to have put last season’s woes behind him as he now leads the Premier League goalscoring charts with six goals for the Blues.
Costa was a constant thorn in the side of Hull’s defence, harrying and bullying Mike Phelan’s side. The Spaniard is proving to be the most consistent goalscorer in these early days of the 2016-17 season.
