Gameweek nine of the 2021-22 Premier League season is done and dusted, with Chelsea still sitting pretty at the top of the pile after putting seven past a hapless Norwich City side.
Liverpool produced the result of the season so far by thumping Manchester United 5-0 on their own turf, while Manchester City ran out comfortable 4-1 winners against fellow high-flyers Brighton & Hove Albion.
West Ham United took advantage of the Seagulls' slip-up to move up to fourth with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, while Arsenal returned to winning ways in convincing fashion with a 3-1 success over Aston Villa.
Claudio Ranieri's Watford produced a barnstorming comeback to sink Everton 5-2 at Goodison Park, and Leicester City were made to work for their 2-1 victory over Brentford.
Elsewhere, Southampton and Burnley played out a four-goal draw, Newcastle United's winless run continued with a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, and Leeds United salvaged a point right at the death against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Team of the Week for gameweek nine of the Premier League season.
DEFENCE
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Former Gunner Lukasz Fabianski pulled out all the stops to ensure that West Ham would be on the winning side against Spurs, with the Polish veteran making four saves on the day - including a point-blank header from Harry Kane - during an assured display.
Fabianski's teammate Kurt Zouma also earned high praise for his performance on the day, and with good reason too. The ex-Chelsea man boasted an 81% pass accuracy, won both of his aerial duels and made four clearances to keep out Kane and co in the capital.
Southampton's clash with Burnley hardly produced any standout defensive performances, but Valentino Livramento proved his prowess at the other end of the pitch with a well-taken header after striking the post with a curling effort, and the youngster won seven ground duels while also making three key passes on the day.
Finally, eyebrows were raised when Ibrahima Konate was given the nod over Joel Matip for Sunday's trip to Old Trafford, but the Frenchman more than justified his selection. Chalking up eight clearances, winning both of his ground duels and posting a 92% pass completion rate, Konate's introduction to English top-flight football was an unforgettable experience.
MIDFIELD
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Scintillating. Unstoppable. The best in the world. Fans and pundits alike are running out of superlatives to describe Mohamed Salah, whose Old Trafford hat-trick saw him shatter records left right and centre, and the Egyptian has now found the back of the net in his last 10 games for the Reds across all competitions.
Mateo Kovacic may not have made the net ripple himself against Norwich, but the ex-Real Madrid man was simply unplayable in the middle of the park. With two assists, five tackles, six key passes and a 94% pass completion rate, Kovacic has certainly given Thomas Tuchel food for thought going forward.
While he continues to enjoy success at the tip of Pep Guardiola's attack, Phil Foden has been moved to the centre of the field for the purposes of this TOTW, with the England international scoring two and setting up another on the South Coast against Brighton while also completing 94% of his passes.
Burnley fans have had to be patient to see Maxwel Cornet unleashed in the Premier League, but the Ivorian was the star of the show at St Mary's - finding the back of the net with his head before firing home a magnificent first-time half-volley to rescue a point for his side.
ATTACK
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With an abundance of stellar attacking performances on show, whittling the best of the best down to just three was challenging, but there simply had to be a spot for Mason Mount, whose hat-trick and assist against Norwich was indicative of the 22-year-old's irrepressible talent.
Mount and fellow English talent Emile Smith Rowe were the topic of comparison debates on social media over the weekend, with the Arsenal playmaker also producing a man-of-the-match performance with a goal and assist in his side's win over Villa, although his strike did take a significant deflection to wrong-foot the returning Emiliano Martinez.
Finally, there was clearly no love lost between Everton and Joshua King at Goodison Park, with the former Toffee not hesitating to celebrate in front of the home crowd during his three-goal showing, as Ranieri's Watford were on the right side of a Merseyside thrashing this time around.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (3-4-2-1): Fabianski; Livramento, Zouma, Konate; Salah, Kovacic, Foden, Cornet; Mount, Smith Rowe; King
Ben Knapton
