Gameweek 21 of the Premier League saw Manchester City lead the table comfortably after the nearest challengers drop points. City defeated Sheffield United by a single goal to extend their lead by 3 points with a game in hand.
Manchester United and Arsenal played an entertaining draw which could have gone either way, had they converted their chances. Edinson Cavani’s and Marcus Rashford’s missed chances mean they fall 3 points behind City but still remain 2nd. Arsenal had a temporary rise in the position which was reset after Chelsea won their game.
Everton and Leicester City were victims to shock defeats against Newcastle United and Leeds United respectively. Newcastle’s win was much needed as they were slipping to the relegation zone. And a win over a title contender was just perfect at the moment. Leeds United outplayed The Foxes with 3 brilliant goals.
Thomas Tuchel won his first game at Chelsea with the unlikely duos scoring for them. Chelsea defeated Burnley by 2 goals in a completely dominant display. They climb 2 spots and are 7th in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur was without their main striker as they succumbed to another shock defeat. They lost to Brighton and Hove Albion who kept themselves safe from relegation with the win.
Liverpool defeated West Ham comfortably as the reigning Champions are back into the top-3. Mohamed Salah’s brilliance was missing for a long time, but he was at his best when they outplayed The Hammers.
PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK:
GOALKEEPER:
EMILIANO MARTINEZ (ASTON VILLA)
Emiliano Martinez became only the second goalkeeper after Ederson to keep 10 clean sheets this season. He has been crucial for his team in winning many games. Southampton’s constant pressure was not troubling him.
DEFENDERS:
RUBEN DIAS (CB, MANCHESTER CITY)
Another clean sheet for the Citizens. And yet another dominant display from Ruben Dias. He was tidy with the clearances and didn’t let the ball go beyond the backline.
DAVID LUIZ (CB, ARSENAL)
He was outstanding against United and helped his team to a deserving draw. David blocked a lot of counter-attacks.
VICTOR LINDELOF (CB, MANCHESTER UNITED)
Just like Luiz for Arsenal, it was Victor Lindelof for United. He was unbeatable in the air and every aerial ball was won by him. Cesar Azpilicueta should have taken this spot as he had scored a goal but his team was playing so good, the opposition didn’t get a chance to test the defensive capability.
AARON WAN-BISSAKA (RB, MANCHESTER UNITED)
Wan-Bissaka was excellent defensively. He was tackling every ball with perfection. He also provided crosses that troubled the opposition.
MIDFIELDERS:
MARCOS ALONSO (LB/LWB, CHELSEA)
He was the unlikely scorer for Chelsea. After getting the rarest start this season, he scored an incredible goal to guarantee the win for the team.
JACK GREALISH (CAM, ASTON VILLA)
The talented midfielder once again proved his worth as he assisted the only goal in their win over Southampton. With the assist, he has already surpassed his previous season’s tally with 15 goal involvements.
CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI (RW, CHELSEA)
He grabbed an assist to his name in Chelsea’s win. But he contributed much more than that. He was a continuous threat down the right flank and troubled the oppositions defence with clear composure.
FORWARDS:
MOHAMED SALAH (ST, LIVERPOOL)
Salah scored a brace in Liverpool’s win. It was an important win as they closed the gap to the top to 4 points with the win.
PATRICK BAMFORD (ST, LEEDS UNITED)
Patrick was leading the frontline in the crucial win over Leicester City. He scored 1 and assisted 2 in the win.
CALLUM WILSON (ST, NEWCASTLE UNITED)
It was an important fixture for Newcastle and Callum Wilson made sure they won. He scored 2 wonderful goals to save them from exiting the Premier League.
PL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
It is none other than the Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah. Liverpool has returned to their winning ways with back-to-back dominant wins. But it was even important for Mo Salah.
He hadn’t opened his scoresheet this season and was threatening to be a shadow of his past. However, he scored 2 goals of the highest calibre, opening his account of 2021.
Since his arrival to Liverpool, he has scored 20+ goals every season. This tally was previously achieved only by Ian Rush in 1984-85 season. He is currently the top goal-scorer in the Premier League with 15 goals.
