Virtually two-thirds of the 2024-25 Premier League season has now been completed, and it is as you were at the summit of the table after Gameweek 25, where Liverpool hit the 60-point mark in a nervy 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Reds' success kept them seven points clear of Arsenal, who left it late to seal a 2-0 victory at Leicester City, but Nottingham Forest's shock title bid suffered another setback in a 2-1 away loss at Fulham.
Chelsea's road woes also continued in a miserable 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, as did Manchester United's, as Ruben Amorim's injury-hit side were conquered 1-0 by fellow strugglers Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Manchester City's Champions League charge gathered pace once again in a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle United, as did Bournemouth's in a 3-1 triumph at relegation-battling Southampton.
Elsewhere, Everton's David Moyes-inspired revival continued in a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town defied the odds to draw 1-1 with Aston Villa, and Brentford left West Ham United's turf with a 1-0 London derby win to their name.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of fixtures.
DEFENCE
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For the first time in a long while, we were spoiled for choice in between the sticks, as Guglielmo Vicario, Ederson, Bart Verbruggen and Matz Sels all warrant a mention. However, Ipswich new boy Alex Palmer was nothing short of sensational on his Premier League debut, making six saves in the draw with Villa, including a phenomenal reaction stop to prevent an own goal right at the death.
The Tractor Boys also lost indispensable left-back Leif Davis to injury before the clash with the Lions, but Conor Townsend was equally exemplary in the West Midlands, registering four tackles, four clearances, three blocks and two interceptions to earn his side a potentially priceless point.
However, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou opted not to alter his full-backs despite the return of Destiny Udogie, who might have his work cut out to displace Djed Spence at this rate; the former Nottingham Forest man excelled again in the win over Man United, making two tackles and two blocks, winning six of his seven ground duels and completing 91% of his passes.
Standout centre-back performances were few and far between this week, so Fulham match-winner Calvin Bassey is the only true centre-half in our three-strong backline after his looping header sealed victory over Champions League-chasing Forest, whom he also drew two fouls against.
MIDFIELD
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Brighton present humiliated Brighton past on Valentine's Day, where Yankuba Minteh well and truly felt the love from the Seagulls faithful after turning Marc Cucurella twice for a pair of goals in the crushing of Chelsea, where he also created three chances and completed three successful dribbles in a delightful display.
Also shining on the South Coast, Bournemouth's Ryan Christie produced one of the finest goal-assist combinations we will see in the current campaign; the Scotland international firstly delivered a wonderful cross for Dango Ouattara to nod home against Southampton, just two minutes before his 20-yard drive fizzed into the bottom corner.
Carlos Alcaraz's former club may be on a one-way route back down to the Championship, but the Everton new boy has significantly aided the Toffees' efforts to retain their perennial Premier League status, laying off Beto to open the scoring against Palace before finding himself in the right place at the right time to crash home the winning goal.
Fulham enforcer Sasa Lukic may not boast the contributions of Christie and Alcaraz, but the Serbia international was just as influential to his side's success over Forest, where he created a whopping seven chances, made two interceptions and incredibly did not misplace any of his 42 passes.
Last but not at all least, City have appeared to follow the Liverpool philosophy of finding and signing an electrifying Egyptian, as all of Omar Marmoush's first three Premier League goals arrived at once in the champions' destruction of Newcastle, where the ex-Eintracht Frankfurt man displayed ruthless finishing and predatory instincts time and time again.
ATTACK
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Who says you need strikers to win football matches? Certainly not Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, who tasked Mikel Merino with being the fox in the Foxes' box against Leicester and witnessed the makeshift number nine come good with a delicate header and crisp first-time strike, thereby offering a solution to the Gunners' full-blown crisis up front.
Merino's first of the afternoon was set up by 17-year-old phenom Ethan Nwaneri, whose performance at the King Power was rightly ranted and raved about for hours afterwards. The 2007-born talent is now the youngest player on record to both set up a goal and complete five successful dribbles in a single Premier League game - he registered an astounding seven - and having also come agonisingly close to scoring himself with two woodwork hits, comparisons with Lionel Messi by Chelsea great Joe Cole were not completely unfounded.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (3-5-2): Palmer; Spence, Bassey, Townsend; Minteh, Lukic, Alcaraz, Christie, Marmoush; Nwaneri, Merino
Ben Knapton
