At the end of each Premier League round, BBC football expert Garth Crooks presents his team of the week.
But who did he choose this time? Take a look, then select your team below. As usual, Garth speaks out on big gaming topics in his The Crooks of the Matter.
Garth's Team of the Week
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Jack Harrison's close range save from Martinez was brilliant. The Argentinian world champion must have had an amazing run and confidence since his big success in Qatar. Martinez has been in great form since returning to his villa at Aston and Leeds he contributed to his side's 2–1 win over United.
The 30-year-old appears unaffected by the criticism he has received since his antics in Qatar. That includes throwing the ball away in that epic final penalty shootout and trying to upset Aurelian his Chuameni. Martinez was also photographed holding a toy baby wearing a Kylian Mbappe mask during his country's celebration in Buenos Aires: boys will remain boys Ben White (Arsenal)
Gabriel and William Saliba have played for my team this season, but Ben White hasn't played as much. I thought the defender stood out against the Spurs. He did his job quietly and effectively, dealing admirably with Son Heung-min's threat. In fact, there was a moment in the first half when he put Son in the bag.
This Arsenal squad is indistinguishable from the ones I saw earlier in the season. The back four now play together and no longer give stupid free kicks in dangerous places. This looks like a team finding each other and getting serious. Everyone thought it would be Tottenham's year, but it was far from the truth.
Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
Recently, when Luke Shaw took on the role of centre-back against Bournemouth, I said he was an inspiration. Well, he was even better against Manchester City's goalscoring prodigy Erling Haaland. I once heard Liverpool's late Emlyn Hughes suggest himself to be a fierce competitor. At the time, I was offended by the comment and refused to accept it - and time has not changed my mind. I've been annoyed by the way of thinking. However, Shaw's recent performances at United are sure to inspire young players across the country desperate to play centre-back.
Alex Moreno (Aston Villa)
Rarely does a defender come on as a substitute and make an impact like when Alex Moreno made his debut for his new club. His defensive qualities were excellent against Leeds at times. His reaction when the Leeds attacker circled Rodrigo Martínez in Villa's goal and blocked a sure goal was great.
A good defender can tackle it and a really good defender can see a threat and actually do something about it. Football became interesting again. Solly March (Brighton)
He was unlucky not to be named in my Team of the Week as Brighton swept Southampton at St His Mary's on Boxing His Day. Solly March scored a smash that day and has played great all season.
But if you're a Liverpool fan, there's something to worry about. It wasn't the Brighton defeat that stopped me, it was the way they lost. After losing to Brentford, I said their midfield was stale and they couldn't keep up like they did two seasons ago. Jürgen Klopp has been unable to deal with the issue and Liverpool will continue to fight until he does.
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
We've admired Martin Odegaard for quite some time this season. We have also seen him develop into a quality player and take Arsenal to the top of his league in the Premier League. His performance against the Spurs, he was one of the highest quality performances ever. His goal worked and advanced the match far beyond Tottenham's potential. However, while you'd expect a decent keeper to save shots from that distance, Hugo Lloris hasn't been decent for quite some time.
What caught my attention was Arsenal's newfound professionalism. Mikel Arteta is much more in control technically and it's clear the league's leader isn't swayed by small incidents or distractions -- enough to take Arsenal very seriously.
Matthias Jensen (Brentford)
There is no denying the work Thomas Frank has done at Brentford. His squad is nothing compared to the one he brought to the Premier League two seasons ago. But there is a problem with managers who only see what they want to see and simply insist on something in their own best interest. Frank called Yvan his Tony foul on Bournemouth's clever play by Marcos Senesi. Sure, they tricked the referee into giving Brentford a penalty, but that wasn't the case for those of us who played the game.But there was nothing mean about Mathias Jensen's goals or performance. A great goal from a player who had a great first half of the season.
James Ward Prowse (Southampton)
It's been a while since James Ward-Prowse was one of his in my squad, but that was largely due to Southampton's poor performances this season. But after scoring his two goals for Everton in his second-to-last, he was happy to see the golf swing kick in again.
His first match was received brilliantly, showing all the composure of a captain at the top of the table instead of the bottom where they currently sit. Meanwhile, Everton are in a desperate situation on and off the pitch. No matter what problems your fans have in running a great club, you cannot serve your purpose by insulting or threatening people who are doing their best to help with their problems.
Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest)
This kid is a really motivated player full of hard work and effort. He spotted Brennan Johnson first but struggled in front of goal. Not so against a Leicester City team that has completely lost confidence. With a World Cup suspension, you can't help but feel that Steve Cooper has given Nottingham Forest valuable time to put the team together. Ahead of the international tournament, its chairman bought everyone's name and the manager was tasked with the big job of putting together a team that could score points and ultimately survive in the Premier League. did it. Whether or not Forrest survives in this division is an entirely different matter, but Brennan, Morgan his Gibbs-White, Taiwo he might have a chance if Awonyi is firing on all cylinders. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Marcus Rashford was definitely offside and the linesman confirmed it. The question is whether Manchester United's striker is considered a hindrance to the game. Manchester City believe he did, and so do I. To add insult to injury, Rashford not only returned to the game phase, but actively prevented Manuel Akanji from playing the ball. Rashford's composure and quick wit were admirable, but he left the offside rule too open to the referee's interpretation, forcing the trainer and the horse to enforce the rules of the game. Therefore, the current form of offside law is no longer in force.
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
If this match had been a boxing match, the referee would have stopped it. Talk about men vs boys. Arsenal completely destroyed Spurs in the first half. At one point, Bukayo Saka looked like he could take on an entire Tottenham team. The Arsenal winger gave Ryan Sessegnon a very hot time. It was hard to believe that Antonio Conte left a defender on the pitch to serve more penalties.
However, Arsenal's performance in the second half was very different from the first half. The Gunners mastered the game admirably and never lost control. At this rate, I see no reason why Arteta and his men should not start talking about winning titles. We all know what they're thinking about.
thing crook
Questions have been asked about whether violence is on the rise in football this week. I was confused because the article was asking fans questions. The consensus seemed to be that the problem was growing inside and outside the football stadium, but no one knew what to do about it.Last season we occasionally invaded the pitch and saw the manager subjected to threatening behavior from the fans. Such conduct was condemned by the gaming authorities, but the police and courts were quick to respond. It seems that the only way to deal with football hooligans is to imprison them.
There was a time in the 1970s and his 80s and some of his 90s when violence on the football field got out of hand and even the fools who perpetrated it were celebrated. Games can't afford thugs to take us back to those dark times. The price was too high. We weren't allowed to play European football for five years, TV income was meager, football clubs went bankrupt, and some players went unpaid.
The advent of the Premier League not only cleaned up English football, it was saved by its success.
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