Arsenal maintained their five-point lead in the Premier League, beating Chelsea 2-1 after Manchester City had won 1-0 at Leeds, and both title rivals have players who feature in our Team of the Week
Arsenal handled the pressure by beating Chelsea 2-1 after Manchester City’s 1-0 win at Leeds cut the deficit to two points. The Gunners are back to being five points clear, while fellow London side Fulham are playing fantastic football and their scorers in the 2-1 victory against Tottenham were again noteworthy.
Here is our team of the week for Gameweek 28.
Goalkeeper – Jordan Pickford (Everton)
There was little Jordan Pickford could do to prevent Newcastle’s two deflected goals on Saturday, but he demonstrated his class with a series of fine saves.
The standout was tipping Sandro Tonali’s thumping 94th-minute effort onto the bar to help the Toffees claim a 3-2 victory, a success that was especially sweet for the former Sunderland man.
Defender – Jurrien Timber (Arsenal)
Any great team needs a Jurrien Timber, a player who, although nominally a right-back, has the quality and intelligence to fulfil different roles throughout games.
Timber is also an attacking threat, scoring the winner in Sunday’s win over Chelsea to restore the Gunners’ five-point lead over title rivals Man City.
Defender – Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)
Saturday’s win at St James’ Park answered any doubts about Jarrad Branthwaite’s role for Everton, shining in central defence alongside James Tarkowski.
Picking him at left-back against Manchester United felt like David Moyes was looking to accommodate too many players, but Branthwaite was brilliant in the middle on Saturday, also adding a goal.
Defender – Rayan Ait-Nouri (Manchester City)
It has taken a while for Rayan Ait-Nouri to replicate his Wolves form at Manchester City, but he is getting a run in the side and impressing with his added minutes.
The Algeria international provided the assist for Antoine Semenyo’s decider in the 1-0 win over Leeds, and the width he provides can give the City attack another dimension.
Midfielder – Alex Iwobi (Fulham)
Few players are as fun or unique as Alex Iwobi, who again displayed his wonderful technique with his side-footed goal from distance, which proved to be the winner in Fulham’s 2-1 win over Tottenham.
The Nigeria international offers so much with the ball that his efforts out of possession get forgotten. He won six out of six duels on Sunday to reiterate how important he is to the Cottagers.
Midfielder – Joao Gomes (Wolves)
Joao Gomes has struggled amid Wolves’ difficult campaign but has started to show his previous class, excelling in his team’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
The Brazilian opened the scoring with a beautiful side-foot finish (made more satisfying as it went in off the crossbar) and, like Iwobi, was excellent both with and without the ball.
Midfielder – Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
A regular in these columns, Bruno Fernandes recovered from a poor start to display his quality in Manchester United’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
His behaviour bordered on petulant at times before the break, but he inspired the Red Devils’ second-half recovery, slotting home the equaliser from the penalty spot before picking out Benjamin Sesko for the winner.
Midfielder – Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford)
An all-round brilliant performance from Mikkel Damsgaard helped Brentford escape a scare by winning 4-3 at Burnley.
The Dane opened the scoring before laying on Igor Thiago’s second and after the Clarets has roared back from 3-0 to down to tie things up at 3-3, Damsgaard steered home what turned out to be the 93rd-minute winner at Turf Moor, with Ashley Barnes’ later effort ruled out by VAR.
Forward – Harry Wilson (Fulham)
Harry Wilson has a thing for playing against Tottenham and opened the scoring in Sunday’s win before playing the ball for Iwobi’s effort.
Wilson is out of contract in the summer but with 16 goals and assists this season, the Welshman will be batting the offers away.
Forward – Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
Hugo Ekitike grabbed his 16th goal of the season with the opener in Liverpool’s 5-2 victory over West Ham and also assisted Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo.
Ekitike’s movement and touch are top-class, and his excellence only adds to the questions about why the club remained so keen on Alexander Isak even after acquiring the Frenchman from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Forward – Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)
Forget the tricks and flicks that have highlighted his first season in England, Rayan Cherki’s simplified showing at Leeds was the best of his Manchester City career.
That was Pep Guardiola’s take anyway, after seeing the Frenchman’s clever pass find Ait-Nouri, who picked out Semenyo for the only goal of the game at Elland Road.
