Garth's Team of the Week: Vardy, Rashford, Barnes, Willian, Kenedy, Mahrez, Young
- Published
There were wins for Manchester United, Everton, Newcastle, Leicester, Burnley, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, while Swansea battled to an incredible draw at Huddersfield, despite playing with 10 men for 79 minutes.
But who has impressed me this week? Here is my team for this week...
Goalkeeper - Petr Cech (Arsenal)
Troy Deeney doesn't miss many but if he was going to miss a penalty then who better to save it than Petr Cech? The Czech international may be past his best but both will go down in history for very different reasons. However, Cech can take great comfort in achieving a great Premier League landmark. To reach 200 Premier League clean sheets is very special. He has been a great keeper and an even better professional.
Did you know? Goalkeeper Petr Cech is the first to keep 200 clean sheets in the Premier League.
Defence - Ashley Young and Chris Smalling (both Manchester United), Matthew Lowton (Burnley)
Ashley Young, Manchester United: The possibility of Ashley Young being selected for England's World Cup squad in Russia still fills me with amazement but it is becoming a distinct possibility with every game. His performance against Liverpool was impressive. Quite apart from his naturally competitive nature and his desire to want the ball he never gave Mo Salah a kick. How interesting, that for all of Mourinho's spending power, he still has to rely on Young and Valencia, two United veterans, to shore up his defence. Strange that.
Did you know? Ashley Young made the most combined tackles and interceptions (nine - five tackles, four interceptions) of all Manchester United players against Liverpool. He won 80% (8/10) of his duels, the best success rate of all his team-mates (minimum two duels).
Chris Smalling, Manchester United: The times I've heard complete numbskulls suggest Chris Smalling is not good enough for Manchester United. Well, that particular prognosis was kicked into touch again against Liverpool. His interventions were immense and without him United would have suffered. This is a lad who was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson, played under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho and they can't all be wrong.
Did you know? Chris Smalling blocked four shots against Liverpool, more than any other player in the Premier League this weekend.
Matthew Lowton, Burnley: Anyone who gets struck in the cojones and then produces a performance like Matthew Lowton deserves a mention. The full-back struggled to walk for five minutes after the incident. Michail Antonio, the man responsible for the accidental but painful blow thought it was hilarious and so did the West Ham fans. It was Lowton and Burnley who had the last laugh though.
Did you know? Burnley right back Matt Lowton made 18 passes into the final third against West Ham and completed 13 of them, both the highest totals of all Burnley players.
Midfield - Kenedy (Newcastle), Willian (Chelsea), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Arsenal), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester)
Kenedy, Newcastle: I can't make up my mind if Newcastle were that good or Southampton were that bad. One thing is for sure is that Kenedy made the Saints pay for their lack of team cohesion. It's been a long time since I have seen players so concerned with themselves and couldn't care about the team. Southampton have big problems.
Did you know? Kenedy became the first Newcastle player to score a brace at St James' Park in the Premier League since Georginio Wijnaldum in May 2016.
Willian, Chelsea: Chelsea are all over the place at the moment. They can be brilliant one minute and shocking the next. Against Crystal Palace they were somewhere in between the two. The brilliant was Willian and he has been since he took on Barcelona in the Champions League tie at Stamford Bridge recently. The not so brilliant has been Andreas Christiansen, who is clearly a talented defender but not in David Luiz's class yet. Conte needs to heal that rift with Luiz.
Did you know? Willian has now scored 13 goals for Chelsea in all competitions this season - his best ever return in a single campaign for the club.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Arsenal: Arsenal fans may be announcing their displeasure by not turning up in any great number against Watford but it didn't seem to bother Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian international got on with the business of winning football matches. Arsenal fans might think about doing the same. They still have the Europa League and that could mean the Champions League. A great time for Wenger to consider a dignified exit.
Did you know? Henrikh Mkhitaryan now has the same record this season in nine appearances for Arsenal in all competitions as he did in 22 games for Manchester United (two goals, five assists).
Riyad Mahrez, Leicester: The boy is back in business again. Another sparkling performance from Riyad Mahrez and since his return from his self-enforced sabbatical the Algerian international has looked incredible. The ball from Mahrez to Vardy was one thing but the deft touch for his goal demonstrated the variety of his skills. Mahrez has done wonderfully well to get over his spat with Leicester but we can all see why Manchester City wanted to buy him.
Did you know? Riyad Mahrez has now been involved in 18 Premier League goals this season (10 goals, eight assists) - twice as many as last season (nine - six goals, three assists).
Forwards - Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Ashley Barnes (Burnley)
Marcus Rashford, Manchester United: And about time! My comments in the 'Crooks of the Matter' (below) go much further, but when is Mourinho going to stop treating Marcus Rashford like a child? In football terms he's a grown up and Mourinho should start treating him like one. I would have been livid being taken off in such a fixture having scored two goals. How dare Mourinho deny the lad his hat-trick by taking him off!
Did you know? Manchester United had just two shots on target against Liverpool - both of which were scored by Marcus Rashford (13:34 and 23:37), who has scored with 29% of his shots against "big six" clubs in the Premier League.
Jamie Vardy, Leicester City: What a strike. The ball from Mahrez was lovely but the finish by Jamie Vardy was absolutely sensational. Didn't it occur to West Brom players the time and space they were giving Mahrez to chip the ball so perfectly on to Vardy's right foot? Well they do now and while they're at it they can also have a good look where they are in the table.
Did you know? Jamie Vardy has scored in all four of his Premier League appearances against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns (four goals).
Ashley Barnes, Burnley: They've only gone and done it again. Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood are fast becoming a partnership. All credit to manager Sean Dyche who spotted West Ham's vulnerability. However, fans running on to the pitch is totally unacceptable. Fans can make whatever protests they like but they must remember they are the 12th man and the Hammers need to be helped not hindered.
Did you know? Ashley Barnes has scored in three successive appearances for Burnley - the last time he scored in three successive games was back in May 2011 for Brighton (four games).
You've seen my picks this week. But who would you go for?
Choose your XI from the shortlist selected by BBC Sport journalists and share it with your friends.
The Crooks of the matter...
Marcus Rashford's lack of starts for Manchester United this season should not affect his chances of playing for England at the World Cup, says manager Jose Mourinho. But it will. The 20-year-old started his first Premier League game against Liverpool since Boxing Day. But Mourinho said Rashford is a key player at United and always "starts or is on the bench". As if any of that rhetoric will have any bearing on the harsh reality facing Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard for that matter.
Mourinho has their careers in the palm of his hand and he is slowly squeezing the life out of both these boys. We know Mourinho has 'previous' when it comes to this kind of activity. He totally dismissed the potential of Kevin de Bruyne, Mo Salah and even Romelu Lukaku while manager of Chelsea.
Rashford has won 15 international caps and scored on his debut in May 2016. Despite his lack of recent starts Rashford has still managed to score 12 goals in 39 games for United this season in all competitions, including substitute appearances. If Mourinho continues to insist on Rashford and Lingard remaining on the bench then they should leave United. It may break their hearts but they cannot afford to stick around a moment longer.
England needs them.
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