MY ACCOUNT
An action-packed Premier League weekend saw title-chasers Manchester City and Liverpool secure victories while Burnley and Everton handed their survival hopes a huge boost.
The Reds briefly leapfrogged their rivals earlier on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Newcastle before the Citizens responded by beating Leeds 4-0 at Elland Road.
In a disappointing weekend for the Whites, both their relegation rivals won as Burnley completed a late turnaround at Watford and the Toffees claimed a shock win over Chelsea.
With top-four hopefuls Arsenal and Tottenham also victorious, we have picked out the stars of Matchday 35 so far ahead of Manchester United against Brentford tonight.
James Milner
Liverpool’s outstanding attacking stars have grabbed plenty of attention in their pursuit of an unprecedented Quaduple, but Saturday’s 1-0 win at Newcastle underlined the Reds’ strength in depth.
With the games coming thick and fast for Jurgen Klopp’s men, veteran midfielder James Milner was brought into midfield for his first Premier League start since January 2.
You would not have guessed that by watching the 36-year-old, who put in an energetic and mature performance to help see Liverpool over the line after Naby Keita’s opener.
After the win, Klopp told BT Sport: “James Milner, what a game.”
The German later added: “He was outstanding.
“Milly is Milly and is incredibly important for us and that is very important. We talk about the dressing room, he is very helpful there, especially with a manager who is not a native speaker.
“But on the pitch as well, he played a super game. I loved this game from the boys and James was a massive part of that.”
Phil Foden
Despite eventually notching four goals, Man City’s victory over relegation-threatened Leeds was far from comfortable.
With Jesse Marsch’s men disrupting their opponents’ rhythm for much of the encounter, the Citizens had to rely on set-pieces to break through — created by two superb Phil Foden deliveries.
The England international then sumptuously slid in Gabriel Jesus for their third to make the game much more comfortable than it had seemed in the early stages.
The kind of performance assist-king Kevin De Bruyne has become renowned for, Foden is showing himself to be the heir to the Belgian’s throne as the creator in the middle of the park.
Manager Pep Guardiola said as much post-game: “I think he can play in all five positions up front — wingers on both sides, striker and attacking midfielder in the pockets. He can play all of them.
“With time he will be more capable of playing in the positions in the middle.”
Jordan Pickford
While Frank Lampard felt the Everton fans deserved the “People of the Match” award in their crucial win over Chelsea, the Toffees boss had a man on the field to thank too.
The Goodison Park faithful produced a raucous atmosphere right from when the players arrived at the stadium to inspire the 1-0 victory over the Blues.
And no one reciprocated that never-say-die attitude among the players more than Jordan Pickford.
The England stopper somehow got himself across his goal to deny Cesar Azpilicueta from point-blank range for what pundit Jamie Redknapp later described as the “save of the season”.
Making four other superb stops, the 28-year-old ensured Richarlison’s finish early in the second half was the winner and show Everton are still alive in the battle to avoid the drop.
Heung-min Son
Failing to register a shot on target in their previous two games meant Tottenham needed their goalscorers to deliver against Leicester to keep their top-four hopes alive.
And that is exactly what they did, with Heung-min Son assisting Harry Kane’s nerve-settler in North London before the South Korean added two goals of his own.
Turning and firing in for his first of the afternoon, his second was a thing of beauty as he curled home from 25 yards out on his weaker left foot.
The double took the 29-year-old’s tally in the Premier League to 19, just three behind Mohamed Salah in the golden boot race.
Spurs still trail rivals Arsenal by two points in the bid to secure Champions League football but Sunday showed that with Kane and Son in attack, it would be foolish to write them off just yet.
Rob Holding
Arsenal know they are less blessed up front than their North London foes, so manager Mikel Arteta would have been delighted to see two defenders pop up with goals in their win over West Ham.
Rob Holding, who has spent much of the season second fiddle to starters Gabriel and Ben White, picked the ideal time to net his first ever Premier League goal.
Coming into the side in White’s absence, Holding opened the scoring in East London with a cute header before playing more than his part in a gritty win.
With fellow defender Gabriel putting the Gunners back in front after Jarrod Bowen’s equaliser, Holding made a string of crucial blocks to ensure they left with all three points.
Arteta said of the ex-Bolton man post-game: “I am really happy, especially for Rob Holding as he hasn’t played the amount of minutes he deserves. He was man of the match today. He is always there when we need him.”
