Premier League Team of the Week IV feat. Liverpool and Manchester City stars

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Midfielders

Right-Midfield: Adam Lallana (Liverpool)

Having finally got off the mark for his country during the international break with his late goal in Slovakia, Lallana looks a player full of confidence and seems to finally be stepping up to the plate consistently since his move from Southampton. Against Leicester he recaptured the spark he showed so often for Saints, netting his second goal of the season and making the second highest total of match passes by an individual player, bettered only by Lucas Leiva.

It has taken time, but under Jurgen Klopp, Lallana is looking more and more given this performance that he can cope with the pressure that comes with featuring for a big club, and may yet become one of its most key performers. His goal was a touch of class, firing the ball first time into the top corner in front of the Kop following Georginio Wijnaldum’s lay-off.

Centre-Midfield: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

Kevin de Bruyne returned to haunt former manager José Mourinho in the Manchester Derby in a man of the match performance which knocked the stuffing straight out of the Red Devils even within their imposing domain at Old Trafford. He showed the desire to get onto the end of Kelechi Iheanacho’s flick-on and superbly slipped the ball away from Daley Blind, before racing clear to finish beyond David De Gea for City’s opener, before ripping the hosts to shreds in the pockets of pace between Marouane Fellaini in midfield and the United rearguard.

The United centre-half pair of Eric Bailly and Daley Blind who had performed so well prior to the match looked bewildered in the face of De Bruyne’s wizardry in midfield, and he continually weaved his magic by picking defence splitting passes, and breezed inside from out wide with seeming ease before crashing a shot against the post, before the rebound was gratefully tucked away by Iheanacho for City’s second.

De Bruyne proceeded to pose a threat on the break as a false-nine in the second period as Guardiola’s team dug in their heels, and only the woodwork denied De Bruyne in helping himself to a second goal after he was denied by the foot of the post after Leroy Sané played him in. He has returned to the City fold keen to prove a point after last season’s injury lay-off and if he can continue performing to such a standard throughout the season he should easily be in with a shout at Player of the Year.

Centre-Midfield: Etienne Capoue (Watford)

28-year-old Etienne Capoue has become a massive part of Walter Mazzarri’s Watford side already, and he smashed home Watford’s third to put them in front for the first time in the match, his third goal in four Premier League appearances after scoring just once in his previous 57 in the top-flight.

The defensive-midfielder seems to finally be producing the sort of form expected of him in England which eluded him during his spell at Tottenham on the basis of his commanding performance at West Ham He has really come unto his own in Hertfordshire and is shaping up to be a massive contributor in Watford’s bid to beat second season syndrome and remain in the Premier League for yet another season.

Left-Midfield: Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur)

South Korea international Son Heung-Min enjoyed a fantastic game at the Bet365 Stadium in Spurs’ 4-0 win over Stoke, bagging an impressive brace and displaying the sharp, instinctive finishing expected since his £22million move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.

His finish from a tight angle was important in handing Spurs the initiative after an opening half-hour in which the hosts were on the front foot, but his wonderful first-time finish for his second after the interval effectively killed off the Potters’ challenge, and from there Tottenham had their platform to run riot. His brace was an exhibition on how to be clinical too, he scored from his only two efforts on target.