Team of the Week: Arsenal duo joined by Everton and Liverpool stars

The Premier League season is quickly drawing to a close, but there is still plenty to play for up and down the table.

Arsenal kept their slim hopes of lifting a first Premier League title since 2004 alive with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United, in doing so ensuring that they will finish in the top 2 this season.

It was a good weekend for Liverpool too, with the Reds winning and seeing those above them lose, keeping them in the hunt for a Champions League spot next season.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned at the bottom. Leeds fell to a tense 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, then were forced to watch on as Everton thrashed Brighton and Nottingham Forest dispatched Southampton to leave the lilywhites in the drop zone with just three games to play.

Here’s who we think stood out from the weekend’s action.

GK: Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

All three of England’s goalkeepers had excellent outings, and Jordan Pickford was very close to making this team. However, Arsenal’s no.1 underlined his credentials against Newcastle United with several massive saves, helping his side keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League and hand Newcastle a rare home defeat.

🗣 “We work a lot with our goalkeeper coach on our reactions.”

Aaron Ramsdale explains his positioning for some key saves pic.twitter.com/KvOOiHZwcM

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 7, 2023

CB: Cristian Romero (Tottenham)

However, he was much better against Crystal Palace, winning nine of his 12 duels and making five interceptions, all without making a foul. When you consider that the Palace front three are among the most fouled players in the top flight, it’s some achievement and may be Romero finally showing some signs of much-needed maturity.

CB: Benoit Badiashile (Chelsea)

Among the dross that Chelsea have signed in recent seasons, there have been some really promising stars and Benoit Badiashile appears to fit firmly into that category.

Signed from Monaco in January, he has probably not played as often as he would have liked to, but he continues to prove himself a solid customer whenever he gets the chance, and capped off a strong performance with a goal against Bournemouth.

Benoit Badiashile vs Bournemouth :

7/9 long balls completed
85 passes (most in the match)
5/9 duels won
1 clearance
1 interception
3 recoveries
Dribbled past just once
1 GOAL @BadiashileB 🇫🇷 🔵 pic.twitter.com/oukinIlt1b

— Pys (@CFCPys) May 6, 2023

CB: Toti Gomes (Wolves)

Wolves continued to move themselves well clear of the relegation battle thanks to a narrow win over Aston Villa in the midlands derby.

Toti scored the only goal of the game, but also contributed plenty defensively, with the left back managing five clearances as well as an interception to keep the clean sheet intact for his side.

RM: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

The only man that can come to Kevin de Bruyne in the Premier League, Odegaard came to Arsenal’s rescue again with his 15th goal of the season when he fired them into the lead against Newcastle.

He then joined the travelling fans on facetime as they returned to London, underlining his credentials as Gunners skipper further in what was an excellent day for the Norwegian.

THAT MAN AGAIN! 🔥

Martin Ødegaard with a brilliant strike to give Arsenal the lead pic.twitter.com/VKkedD2oem

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 7, 2023

CM: Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)

Penalty miss aside, Ilkay Gundogan’s performance against Leeds United was perfection.

The German kept the side ticking over, registering the most passes of any player in a Premier League game, while he swept in two carbon copy goals to help his side take all three points against a much more stubborn Leeds side under Sam Allardyce.

Déjà vu 💭@Mahrez22 🤝 @IlkayGuendogan pic.twitter.com/FpcydEZXJb

— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 6, 2023

CM: Declan Rice (West Ham United)

He may be set to leave the London Stadium this summer but Declan Rice is continuing to prove a standout star in an underwhelming season for the Hammers. The Englishman underlined his credentials, and no doubt increased his price tag, with an excellent performance as he helped his side to a 1-0 win over Manchester United, putting the Hammers safe for another season.

LM: Dwight McNeil (Everton)

Perhaps the performance of his life, Brighton will be having nightmares about McNeil for years to come.

The ex-Burnley man popped up with two goals and an assist in a shocking 5-1 thumping at the AMEX, which helped Everton take a giant step to Premier League survival.

After showing incredible poise for his first goal, he showed his power for the second as he rocketed it past a helpless Steele.

Everton sign off with a fifth goal on the south coast 🫡

Dwight McNeil bags his second of the game! pic.twitter.com/1pFb1oQmna

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 8, 2023

RW: Mo Salah (Liverpool)

Another week, another case of asking where on earth Liverpool would be without Mo Salah. They struggled to break down a stubborn Brentford side for the most part, and Salah’s goal won’t go down as the prettiest he’s ever scored, but he once again found himself in the right place at the right time to bundle the ball home, taking him to nine successive goals in home games, a new club record, in the process.

Mo Salah scores his 186th goal for Liverpool in all competitions, and moves level with Steven Gerrard.

What a player! 👏#BBCFootball #LIVBRE pic.twitter.com/KWh4xsA8Ez

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) May 6, 2023

ST: Taiyo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)

Having missed much of the season, Awoniyi is a welcome return to Forest in the dying games as they look to stave off relegation from the top flight.

The ex-Hertha Berlin man showed his quality against Southampton, netting twice to help Steve Cooper’s side pick up a massive three points, and leave Leeds United staring down the relegation barrel as well as the Saints.

Awoniyi at the DOUBLE 😱😱

Forest are in dreamland 💫 pic.twitter.com/OJpQOPSdc4

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 8, 2023

LW: Willian (Fulham)

We’ll never quite know why Willian didn’t work out at Arsenal, but back in west London he is continuing to excel. Another two goals for the Brazilian in the 5-3 thrashing of Leicester City took him to nine goal contributions for the season, and leaves the Foxes on the brink of dropping out of the Premier League.00

Our first goal directly from a free-kick since… 👀 pic.twitter.com/XasMhzE3y8

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) May 9, 2023

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