With 37 goals scored, it’s safe to say that gameweek 12 of the 2023/24 Premier League season was a fun one.
Eight of those goals came at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea and Manchester City played out a true Premier League classic, while there were plenty of other shocks (Wolves beating Tottenham), thrillers (West Ham 3-2 Forest) and crucial wins (Liverpool seeing of Brentford) elsewhere.
In time old tradition, it’s time to pick out the top performers for 90min’s team of the week.
GK: Neto (Bournemouth)
It’s no coincidence that relegation-threatened Bournemouth looked far more solid at the back with Neto back between the sticks.
The former Juventus and Barcelona goalkeeper made five saves and kept a clean sheet as the Cherries cruised to an unexpected 2-0 win over injury-ravaged Newcastle United – one that takes a whole load of pressure off of Andoni Iraola’s shoulders.
RB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)
William Saliba came into consideration for team of the week after netting Arsenal’s winner against Burnley, but it’s teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko who earns 90min team of the week stripes for a superb scissor-kick strike.
The Ukrainian hasn’t been at his best in recent weeks, yet he scored one of the more spectacular goals of the weekend to put the game beyond Vincent Kompany’s Clarets.
CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk’s levels have gone up and up in recent weeks, with the Dutchman’s performances reminding us just how colossal he was prior to his ACL injury.
On Sunday, he put in another commanding performance as Liverpool saw off the threat of Brentford, winning 10 duels against a side who Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for after the final whistle.
CB: Victor Lindelof (Manchester United)
Victor Lindelof put in arguably the best performance we’ve seen from a centre-back all season in the win over Luton Town on Saturday.
107 completed passes, 100% of his tackles won, three ball recoveries and a winning goal to boot; it was quite the outing for the Swede.
LB: Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton)
For a second gameweek in a row, Vitaliy Mykolenko was on the scoresheet for Everton, this time in a 3-2 win away at Crystal Palace.
The Toffees are perking up under Sean Dyche, with this result building on the promising win at West Ham last time on the road, and the Ukrainian’s all-round performance was key to getting the job done in south London.
RM: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah now has 14 goal contributions to his name in just 12 games this season – a remarkable statistic even by his lofty standards.
Salah bagged a brace in the weekend win over Brentford, once again proving why he’s considered to be one of the very best footballers in the world.
CM: John McGinn (Aston Villa)
John McGinn not only got on the scoresheet for Aston Villa in their 3-1 win over Fulham, but he also won 15 duels in the heart of midfield.
That’s an insane amount for a Villa side who have now won 13 home games in a row in the Premier League – which is also insane.
CM: James Ward-Prowse (West Ham United)
James Ward-Prowse, widely regarded as the best set-piece taker in the country, had nine corners to take against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, and boy did he make the most of them.
His in-swinging delivery less than 60 seconds after Anthony Elanga had given Nottingham Forest the lead allowed Jarrod Bowen to glance home, before his delivery from the opposite side landed perfectly on the forehead of Tomas Soucek, who buried his header into the bottom corner.
Gareth Southgate, are you watching?
LM: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Cole Palmer left Manchester City in the summer when it became apparent he wouldn’t be getting regular minutes at the Etihad Stadium. But having come up against him playing for new side Chelsea, the Premier League champions may have been wishing they did things differently.
Palmer was superb for the Blues, causing havoc on the right flank throughout, and he showed nerves of steel to dispatch his 94th minute penalty high into Ederson’s top corner – one that earned a 4-4 draw in a truly barmy game.
ST: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
In between the October and November international breaks, Erling Haaland has scored nine goals and bagged two assists in all competitions.
That is unheard of.
Three of those goal contributions came in Manchester City’s dramatic 4-4 draw with Chelsea on Sunday, which may finally end talk of the Norwegian not being able to cut it against the big boys.
ST: Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth)
With six goals in his first 12 games of the season, Dominic Solanke has already matched his best Premier League goal tally in 21 less games.
The forward was at his best in the win over Newcastle, causing havoc with his clever movement and impressive finishing.
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