Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford, Everton
England’s number one helped the Toffees make it back-to-back league wins with a slender 1-0 victory over Brentford at Goodison Park. He made four saves on Saturday as Everton registered their 12th clean sheet of the campaign and ensured Premier League football for yet another season.
Defender: Tino Livramento, Newcastle
Newcastle’s full-back was a constant threat down the right flank during his side’s 5-1 thrashing of Sheffield United at St James’ Park. He completed 69 passes during the match and also created three chances for his team-mates as the Magpies picked up a vital three points as they aim to secure European football for the second consecutive season.
Defender: Issa Diop, Fulham
The Frenchman was rock solid during Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage on Saturday. He won 100 per cent of his tackles and 80% of his duels against the Eagles as Marco Silva’s side maintained a three-point lead over their London counterparts Crystal Palace.
Defender: James Tarkowski, Everton
Tarkowski was a stalwart at the heart of Everton’s defence against Brentford as they recorded their third victory in a week. Remarkably, he won all 10 of his duels on Saturday while also making 18 clearances during the 90 minutes.
Defender: Joško Gvardiol, Manchester City
The Croatian defender has found a knack of scoring important goals in recent weeks and he continued that run with the opener against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. He completed 86% of his passes while also making seven recoveries at the City Ground as the champions closed the gap on league leaders Arsenal to just one point with a game in hand. City are now favourites to win the Premier League at 7/20.
Midfielder: Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace’s central midfielder makes the team for the second consecutive week after a bright start to life at Selhurst Park following his January move from Middlesbrough. The England youngster created three chances for his team-mates and provided the assist for Jeffrey Schlupp’s thunderous second-half strike.
Midfielder: Idrissa Gueye, Everton
Everton’s Senegalese midfielder put in his customary all-action display in the middle of the park against Brentford. He completed 46 of the 53 passes he attempted and won seven of his nine duels before capping off a fine all-round display with the winner as Sean Dyche’s men confirmed their Premier League survival.
Midfielder: Josh Cullen, Burnley
Burnley’s skipper was integral to his side’s performance at Old Trafford as the Clarets picked up a vital point in their bid to avoid the drop. The Irishman completed 53 passes and made five recoveries as Burnley’s late penalty ensured they closed the gap on 17th-placed Nottingham Forest to two points.
Forward: Bukayo Saka, Arsenal
Saka looked back to his blistering best on Sunday as Arsenal picked up a crucial three points in the title race against their North London rivals Tottenham. His pacy burst into the box and clinical finish into the bottom corner doubled his side’s lead before they held off a Tottenham fightback to clinch local bragging rights.
Forward: Alexander Isak, Newcastle
The Swedish striker’s stunning season continued on Saturday as his brace helped the Magpies thrash a sorry Sheffield United. His composed finish into the bottom corner levelled the scoring before he calmly slotted his penalty away for the hosts' third of the afternoon. Newcastle’s number 14 now sits just two goals behind Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot and is 9/1 to finish as the league’s top scorer.
Forward: Kai Havertz, Arsenal
Havertz continues to shine for the Gunners with another brilliant performance against Tottenham on Sunday. His pinpoint crossfield ball provided the assist for Saka’s first-half strike before nodding in his side’s third of the afternoon from Declan Rice’s corner. With just three games to go, Arsenal sit on top of the Premier League and are priced at 9/4 to win the league.
The team is based on the following metrics:
xG: Expected goals. A metric used to measure the quality of a shot based on variables such as shot angle, distance, type of assist and type of shot
G: Goals. The number of actual goals scored
xT: Expected threat. A metric used to measure ball progression, in particular the impact of a player’s dribbles and carries in taking a team into ‘dangerous' areas
xD: Expected defence. Used to measure how much ’threat’ a player prevented with their defensive actions
xA: Expected assists. Used to measure the pass before the shot where the pass is assigned xG value of that shot. Takes into account various factors such as type and length of pass as well as its end-point
All statistics provided by BetMGM. Visit betmgm.co.uk 18+ BeGambleAware.org
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