Premier League Team of the Week XXV feat. Leicester City and Everton stars

Add as preferred source on Google

Embed from Getty Images

Aaron Lennon: Back to his dazzling best where he can dribble past people for fun, Aaron Lennon has the skill and pace to leave defenders for dead. It has been far too long since we have been able to observe him hitting those heights but his fortunes seem to be looking up as he is granted an extended run in the side. Collecting Ross Barkley’s lay-off in Stoke City’s half of the field, the ex-Spurs winger drove at pace at the heart of the defence and slipped Tom Cleverley in on goal, only for the energetic midfielder to be brought down by Jack Butland, earning a penalty for The Toffees.

Lennon scored a goal himself too and it was all his own work. A tremendous piece of anticipation allowed the speedy winger to pounce on a loose pass across the defence. He raced clear and; possessing the kind of speed that he does, there was no catching him. A calm finish meant that; for the first time in his career, he had hit the back of the net in three consecutive games. Roy Hodgson was in attendance at The Brittania, so will the former Spurs winger have given him a selection headache for the upcoming friendly internationals and possibly for the Euro 2016 squad?

Riyad Mahrez: Arguably the favourite for the Premier League Player of the Year, Riyad Mahrez made a bright start to the top of the table clash at The Etihad on Saturday, immediately setting the tone with his dribble to beat Delph and then drawing Kolarov into a foul. His whipped delivery from the resulting set-play should probably have been blocked at the near post but nonetheless, its pace and accuracy were such that the home side could not prevent Robert Huth from turning in the game’s opening goal.

In typical Mahrez style, he was not afraid to dribble at the opposition and successfully took the ball around a Manchester City defender on five occasions during the early kick-off on Saturday. To add to his assist on the day, the Algerian also hit the back of Joe Hart’s net himself. He made an intelligent but direct run through the middle of the field and after being fed by N’Golo Kanté; despite being better on his left foot, Mahrez jinked inside onto his right and nonchalantly stroked the ball beyond Joe Hart into the corner.

Against Manchester City on such a huge occasion for everybody associated with The Foxes, it was not Mahrez’s technical attributes which necessarily impressed me the most. For such a technically brilliant player, he certainly does not let his defensive responsibilities pass him by, tracking back to assist Danny Simpson in preventing danger becoming more serious from the flanks. With the trickery of David Silva and the pace of Raheem Sterling forming a formidable part of the opposition’s attack, Mahrez’s efforts in this aspect of the game should not be overlooked.

Embed from Getty Images

Anthony Martial: Continuing his recent surge in form; returning to the levels he achieved in the weeks immediately after his headline-grabbing summer switch to Old Trafford, Anthony Martial was the liveliest player on the pitch on Sunday evening. In a fixture which has such a rich history in recent times, the young Frenchman was a genuine bright spark. Martial; although operating primarily from the left, was the central figure in Manchester United’s bright play for most of the first half and when The Red Devils returned to a position of relative dominance in the second period, the former Moncao striker was pivotal once more. Ivanovic had a difficult day dealing with him and the veteran defender was notably cautious when it came to advancing down Chelsea’s right flank. on a day where the overall quality was not up to the highest standard. When in this vein of form, Anthony Martial always seems to exude a definite positivity, but his runs are intelligent too. He is good at recognising when it is the right time to try and beat a man or picking out an immediate cross instead and while he continues to exhibit these traits, it may be some time before Van Gaal moves him out of his current berth on the left hand side and into a more central role.

[vfv id=”17″]

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Alex Hannam