Another Premier League gameweek, another weekend of Liverpool streaking clear while Manchester City falter, as Arne Slot's men established an eight-point lead at the top of the rankings with a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Southampton.
The Reds capitalised on Man City's catastrophic 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur - their fifth loss in a row in all competitions - allowing Chelsea and Arsenal to rein Pep Guardiola's charges in.
The Blues eked out a 2-1 success versus Enzo Maresca's erstwhile employers Leicester City in the first match of the weekend, while Arsenal snapped a four-game winless streak in the division with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
There would be no perfect start for Ruben Amorim in the Manchester United hotseat, though, as the Red Devils settled for a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town, while Aston Villa also had to make do with a share of the spoils in a 2-2 stalemate with Crystal Palace.
Everton's home affair with Brentford ended without the net rippling once, but Wolverhampton Wanderers put Fulham to the sword in a 4-1 Craven Cottage crushing and Bournemouth succumbed to a 2-1 home loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, before another surprise result at St James' Park saw West Ham United record a 2-0 win over Newcastle United in Monday night football.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of fixtures.
DEFENCE
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If Guglielmo Vicario's display for Tottenham against Man City was not impressive enough, the fact that the Italian played for an hour with a fractured ankle makes his feats all the more astonishing. Spurs' number one kept Erling Haaland and co at arm's length with five top saves and three high claims, and he will be sorely missed while he recuperates from surgery.
Vicario represents one of two Tottenham nominees in our four-man rearguard, as one-time Man City graduate Pedro Porro - who never made the grade at the Etihad - ensured that his old club would live to regret their transfer call, sending the away end into raptures with a smartly-taken strike and also chalking up seven clearances and two blocks in Man City's heaviest home loss in the Guardiola era.
Sticking with the theme of goalscoring full-backs, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has never lapped up the plaudits for his attacking contributions, but the ex-Manchester United man made a brilliant inside run before picking out the far side of the net for West Ham against Newcastle. In addition to scoring his first Premier League goal since February 2021, Wan-Bissaka put in the work defensively, registering four clearances, three tackles and two interceptions in another gameweek 12 upset.
Wan-Bissaka's former outfit Man United could not breach the Ipswich backline more than once at Portman Road, thanks in no small part to the impenetrable Dara O'Shea. The 25-year-old incredibly won all 10 of his duels on the night - five on the ground and five in the air - while making six clearances and four tackles to deny Amorim his dream debut.
Brentford's draw with Everton should have also felt like a point gained for a Bees side who had lost all of their first five away matches in the 2024-25 Premier League, especially with 10 men on the pitch for the entire second half, and Nathan Collins was at the heart of their rearguard efforts, winning six of his seven aerial battles and making eight clearances on Goodison soil.
MIDFIELD
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Offered a route back into the Chelsea first XI thanks to Romeo Lavia's injury, Enzo Fernandez has more than made his case to stay there on account of a masterful display at the King Power Stadium. The Argentine teed up Nicolas Jackson to strike first before following in with a header after his Senegalese teammate was denied in the second half, and he also put in five successful tackles in the middle of the park.
Another South American lynchpin who shone bright in gameweek 12 was Wolves' Joao Gomes, scorer of the Old Gold's second goal in their demolition of Fulham with a powerful strike into the far corner, and the 23-year-old also laid on an assist for compatriot Matheus Cunha in an electrifying engine room performance.
As 28th birthdays go, they do not get much better than obliterating Man City on their own turf, as a James Maddison-inspired Tottenham did on Saturday evening. After a couple of late cameos from the bench, the Englishman justified his return to the first XI and then some, opening the scoring with a well-taken volley at the far post before lifting the ball over Ederson with exemplary composure.
ATTACK
© Imago
While Martin Odegaard and first-time PL scorer Ethan Nwaneri stole the post-game acclaim after Arsenal's beating of Forest, Bukayo Saka's display may have flown under the radar slightly, but the Hale End graduate is not overlooked here. Seemingly adding to his array of finishes every month, Saka found the far top corner with venom before also claiming the assist for Thomas Partey's equally stunning effort.
A handful of Saka's fellow Arsenal academy starlets now plying their trade at Fulham were the victims of Matheus Cunha's latest dazzling display on Saturday, as the Wolves talisman netted two of his side's four goals in the capital, firstly a delicate dink after an amazing first touch before finding the top corner with a 20-yard stunner.
Last but never least, Mohamed Salah strengthened his case for a lucrative new Liverpool deal with a decisive double to save the Reds' bacon against Southampton, firstly beating an onrushing Alex McCarthy with a genius first-time finish before an inch-perfect penalty completed the comeback. The Egyptian's on-field feats soon paled into insignificance after his bombshell contract comments, as he admitted that he was more "out than in" as he awaits a renewal offer, one which would arrive tomorrow if the Anfield faithful got their way.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Wan-Bissaka, O'Shea, Collins, Porro; Joao Gomes, Enzo Fernandez; Salah, Maddison, Saka; Cunha
Ben Knapton
