Arsenal have gone six points clear at the top of the Premier League, and two of the players who starred in Saturday's 4-0 win at Leeds are included in our Team of the Week.
Aston Villa losing to Brentford and Manchester City squandering a two-goal lead to draw at Tottenham means Arsenal are now six points clear at the top of the Premier League after beating Leeds.
Chelsea also continue to show spirit under Liam Rosenior, while Hugo Ekitike is increasingly Liverpool’s go-to man.
Here is our team of the week for Gameweek 24.
Goalkeeper – Djordje Petrovic (Bournmoeuth)
Bournemouth’s 2-0 win at Wolves was their first away victory since August and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic excelled at Molineux.
The Serbian stopper made seven saves, the most notable a point-blank block from Tolu Arokodare.
Defender – Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford)
Kristoffer Ajer has been shifted around the back-line during his career but is now a key part of Brentford’s central defence, partnering Sepp van den Berg in Sunday’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa, with club captain Nathan Collins on the bench.
The Bees had Kevin Schade sent off late in the first half, but still went in ahead at the break thanks to Dango Ouattara’s brilliant close-range finish soon after.
Villa dominated the second half but failed to create clear chances, with Ajer’s three blocks and a perfect record in aerial duels making the difference.
Defender – Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool)
It has been a difficult time for Ibrahima Konate and he was clearly emotional after his late goal in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Newcastle.
Before that, the Frenchman excelled at the back, registering 10 clearances.
Defender – Gabriel (Arsenal)
Arsenal won 4-0 at Leeds on Saturday and their clean sheet had a lot to do with Gabriel’s performance.
The Brazilian completed the game with 10 clearances and 10 defensive duels won.
Despite the dominant nature of the scoreline, Leeds did have good spells and Gabriel’s brave block from a Dominic Calvert-Lewin effort early in the second half typified his performance.
Defender – Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)
Liam Rosenior opted to rest Marc Cucurella on Saturday against West Ham but a slow first half prompted him to introduce the Spaniard at half-time.
He demonstrated his importance with a typically dynamic performance on the left, scoring the equaliser to make it 2-2 and was also in the mix during Enzo Fernandez’s winner.
The Blues look to be onto something under Rosenior and Cucurella’s post-match rallying call typified their attitude and the team’s current demeanour, telling the club website: “We have a lot of quality, so if we stick together and we fight together these things can happen.”
Midfielder – Noni Madueke (Arsenal)
Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea let Noni Madueke go in the summer, especially when he joined Arsenal, who already had his England wing rival, Bukayo Saka.
Saka’s form has been inconsistent this season, perhaps due to the amount of minutes he’s played in recent years and Madueke is pushing him hard for a regular place.
Saka got injured in the warm-up at Leeds on Saturday and his colleague stepped in expertly, providing an assist and a goal in the 4-0 win.
Midfielder – Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
World Cup winner Fernandez keeps coming up with the big plays and scored Chelsea’s winner in Saturday’s come-from-behind victory against West Ham.
The Blues were dreadful in the first half but inspired after the break, with Fernandez’s effort marking the third game in a row he has found the net.
That was his eighth Premier League goal of the season, and, like Cucurella, Enzo is one of those players that opposition fans hate but, if he plays for your side, you love.
Midfielder – Alex Scott (Bournemouth)
Alex Scott was called up by England in November and performances like the one he produced in Bournemouth’s win at Wolves can only push his claims for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.
Scott has improved defensively and led the Cherries in possession won (9), duels won (8), and tackles (3), while he also slammed home his side’s second goal.
Midfielder – Xavi Simons (Tottenham Hotspur)
Never afraid to back himself, Xavi Simons’ efforts have led to accusations that he lacks end product, but he is putting together a nice run of games.
Simons was Tottenham’s best player in their midweek Champions League win at Frankfurt and excelled against Manchester City, showing the supporters what he can do when dovetailing with Dominic Solanke.
His assist helped Tottenham come from behind to draw 2-2, a result that could mark a turning point in Spurs’ season.
Forward – Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tottenham’s issues this season have partly been due to their injury crisis, and Solanke’s performance against City showed the fans what they’ve been missing.
After Champions League goals against Dortmund and Frankfurt, the 28-year-old netted a brace in the draw with City, the second a spectacular scorpion kick.
Sunday’s draw started a tough February, which also features games at Man Utd and home fixtures against Newcastle and Arsenal, but having Solanke fit and firing can only be a positive.
Forward – Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
Hugo Ekitike showed Newcastle what they missed out on with his performance in Liverpool’s victory.
The Magpies trailed the French striker for most of last summer as they searched for a potential replacement for Alexander Isak, only for both Ekitike and the Swede to end up at Anfield.
Isak has struggled with injury, but Ekitike has flourished, scoring twice on Saturday evening to take his tally in his debut Premier League season to 10.
