Premier League – Stars of the Week: Matchweek 32

Well we own it. Six weeks of matches remain, and we’re still close to finding out who will lift the Premier League trophy next month. Given that Matchweek 32 has hosted one of the biggest matches in Premier League history, it’s not really surprising that all eyes will turn to Sunday’s vibrant 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Liverpool, a match that scored the highest. Quality from two of the best teams on the planet.

Aside from the weekend game, the Premier League has not usually disappointed in its other games either, with the other nine games scoring 25 goals and enough twists and turns to fill several weeks of excitement. A weekend of mixed fortunes for the London hitters saw avenging Chelsea and a soaring Spurs thrashed Southampton and Aston Villa respectively, while Arsenal dealt a major blow in chasing the top four with a shock home defeat to Brighton. Elsewhere, Leeds United’s recovery continued and Everton scored a huge moral victory over Manchester United.

Here are the stars of the week in Matchweek 32

Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Pickford

Amid all the goals scored this weekend, there were some great goalkeepers on display too, not least from Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris before his side finally blasted Aston Villa away.

However, in terms of impact on the match, this week’s star goalkeeper award goes to Jordan Pickford. The top seed at Everton put in a superb performance when his side needed him most, holding steady before and after the Toffees put up a tenuous 1-0 lead. Good saves and good handling from the likes of Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo were enough to keep United on their way to victory.

With Everton continuing to fight for survival in the Premier League, this performance could prove to be one of Pickford’s best and most important contributions during his time on Merseyside.

Defender: Liam Cooper (Leeds United).

Leeds United have been on the rise since February, extending their unbeaten run in the league to four games with a landslide victory over struggling teammates Watford. While the strikers did the work in front of goal with a few finishing touches, the score was built on the performance of captain Liam Cooper, who has been a blockbuster for the white jersey.

The center back was on top of their game on Vicarage Road, leading a resolute defense against threats by Ismaila Sarr and forwards Joao Pedro. Individually he was outstanding, making three tackles and five interceptions and winning 10 out of 11 duels.

Cooper appears to be just one of many Leeds players who are back to their best under Jesse Marsh.

Midfield: Mason Mount (Chelsea)

Mason Mount from Chelsea and Anthony Martial from Manchester United

A bruised week in the league and Europe was much in doubt about Chelsea’s fight as well as Mason Mount’s form, questions answered emphatically on Saturday afternoon as Mount Southampton’s Chelsea ripped through.

Playing his favorite offensive midfield role, Mount was unplayable against Southampton. Young Chelsea got a crucial pass for Marcos Alonso to open the scoring before scoring two goals on his own, the first with a very low shot from outside the area and the second with a simple kick after Southampton failed to do so. Get the ball clear.

A Portsmouth native, Mount always seems to enjoy playing against the Saints, and this return to form could not have come at a more significant point in the season, both for him and Chelsea.

Attacker: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)

Tottenham - Hotspur - Son celebrates the goal

Goals are flowing in at an astonishing rate for Tottenham Hotspur at the moment, with the North London side boasting the three most impressive forwards in the Premier League. That point came home again in Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday night, with Son Heung-min emerging as our star striker in the Premier League for the second match week in a row.

After scoring a goal and an assist in last week’s win over Newcastle, the South Korean outdone himself in his last game, showing that he meant to work with an early shot off the post to put his side 1-0 ahead.

Having survived the storm of Aston Villa in the remainder of the first half, Son scored another goal after hitting Harry Kane’s header and lunging, before concluding his hat-trick with another shot off the post.

Is there a more brilliant player in the Premier League right now?

Director: Graham Potter (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Graham Potter is the new director of Brighton & Hove Albion

How’s that for an unexpected story? After weeks of poor performances from Brighton, their season appears to have come to a halt, the Nawras scored a stunning victory over Arsenal in the Emirates.

Having scored just once in seven matches, Brighton certainly weren’t a goal shy side at the Emirates, as Graham Potter and his team stuck to their style of play and took Arsenal a punch. Leandro Trossard and Enoch Mwepo took advantage of the absence of the hosts on the wings and re-finded the shooting boot to punish Arsenal, the whole team held out and defended hard when needed.

They seem to have lost their way in recent weeks, but this was a reminder of what Graham Potter is all about in Brighton. Once again, they have proven themselves to be Arsenal’s enemies.