Premier League TOTW Gameweek 26: Brentford represented after big away win | OneFootball

Marcus Rashford’s revival at Aston Villa continued this weekend.

The Manchester United loanee is enjoying life away from Old Trafford and provided two assists to help Aston Villa come from behind to beat Chelsea.

Rashford has created seven chances for Aston Villa, the second-most in the Premier League since his debut for the Villans. He does sit top for big chances created in that time, with four, and third for crosses attempted (16). And Rashford also leads for Expected Assists (1.78) and open-play xA (1.77).

The Englishman makes it into our Team of the Week for gameweek 26, influencing the game against Chelsea as a half-time substitute. But it’s Brentford who dominate the team, with a total of four players.

We’ve used our Squawka Score to determine the 11 picks, based on the statistical leaders for metrics relevant to their positions. And as ever, we’ve thrown an honourable mention XI for good measure.

GK: Alisson (Liverpool)

Liverpool‘s big win over Manchester City saw them keep a clean sheet, frustrating their hosts’ attack. Alisson was the man in the Liverpool net, making five saves with only two goalkeepers making more this weekend. On top of his clean sheet and saves, Alisson also prevented 0.41 goals and made one punched clearance. He won the battle of the Brazilian goalkeepers quite comfortably.

Honourable mention: Mark Flekken (80%)

RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham)

West Ham United were excellent in their win over Arsenal, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka stood out more than most. He was the Hammers’ best attacking threat and set up the only goal of the game with his cross for Jarrod Bowen. Wan-Bissaka completed 100% of his open-play crosses and completed three take-ons. The right-back was also solid defensively with six clearances and three possessions won in the defensive third.

Honourable mention: Nelson Semedo (73%)

CB: Nathan Collins (Brentford)

Brentford were excellent in their 0-4 win away to Leicester City, really restricting their hosts attack. Nathan Collins was part of the rock-solid defence that faced 0.51 non-penalty Expected Goals. Collins made one crucial interception in his own box and a whopping 12 clearances, with no defender making more. He also won possession five times in the defensive third and was progressive in his passing, with five passes into the final third completed — a good number for a centre-back this weekend.

Honourable mention: Maxence Lacroix (72%)

CB: Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)

Brighton and Hove Albion shut out Southampton in their 0-4 away win this weekend, with Jan Paul van Hecke at the heart of their defence. The Seagulls faced just two shots from inside the box and a total non-penalty xG of 0.13. Van Hecke himself made eight clearances and won five aerial duels, with only three centre-backs winning more. But he also won 100% of his ground duels and won possession five times in the defensive third.

Honourable mention: Toti Gomes (71%)

LB: Keane Lewis-Potter (Brentford)

Keane Lewis-Potter started the season as a winger, but has now made Brentford’s left-back spot his own. He’s in the TOTW for the second gameweek running, and is scoring highly without needing a goal or an assist. Offensively, Lewis-Potter had three touches in the opposition box and three successful passes into the penalty area, alongside six passes into the final third completed. But this was about his defensive display too, blocking two crosses and being part of a defence which faced just three shots on target.

Honourable mention: Djed Spence (68%)

DM: Carlos Baleba (Brighton)

Our second Brighton representative, Carlos Baleba did a good job in ensuring the defenders behind him didn’t have too much to do. The midfielder made two interceptions retaining possession, and won possession three times in the defensive third. He also won both of his aerial duels and made six ball recoveries. On the ball, Baleba completed two take-ons and had an open-play passing accuracy of 86.11%, with 13 accurate forward passes. He also created one big chance and completed 100% of his passes into the final third.

Honourable mention: Thomas Partey (76%)

DM: Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa)

There was an interesting midfield battle at Villa Park on Saturday, and Aston Villa came out on top. Youri Tielemans was their top-scoring midfielder, helping to win the ball with one interception retaining possession and three tackles won. The Belgian made nine ball recoveries and won possession seven times in the middle third, with no midfielder doing so more this weekend. Tielemans made 16 accurate forward passes against Chelsea, the second-most of any midfielder at the weekend, and won three fouls to frustrate his opponents.

Honourable mention: Lewis Cook (75%)

RW: Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)

Bryan Mbeumo was on top form as Brentford thrashed Leicester, adding another goal and an intentional assist to his tally. The Cameroonian had two shots on target and created one big chance, posting a non-penalty xG on Target of 0.73. Mbeumo also had six touches in the opposition box and completed three crosses, linking up well with Yoane Wissa.

Honourable mention: Mo Salah (77%)

No.10: Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)

Bruno Fernandes started Man Utd’s comeback in their 2-2 draw with Everton, and it was a strong performance from the Red Devils’ captain — even if it took some time for his teammates to get up to his speed. The Portuguese midfielder created two chances including one big chance alongside his goal, from two shots on target. He tried his best to get Man Utd back into things with 23 final third passes completed and two crosses completed from two attempts. Fernandes also won four tackles, doing his bit defensively.

Honourable mention: Abdoulaye Doucoure (78%)

LW: Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa)

Marcus Rashford came off the bench for Aston Villa and changed the game, putting one of his favourite opponents to the sword. The Englishman provided two assists, setting up Marco Asensio for both of the Spaniard’s goal. He created three chances in total, with two of those being big chances. Rashford had five touches in the opposition box and completed seven final third passes, all despite playing just 45 minutes.

Honourable mention: Matheus Cunha (72%)

ST: Yoane Wissa (Brentford)

Capping off the Brentford XI Team of the Week is Yoane Wissa. He opened the scoring for Brentford in the 17th minute at the King Power, getting his team up and running. Wissa posted a non-penalty xG of 0.57, which increased to 0.88 non-penalty xGOT. So he improved his chances of scoring quite well with his shot placement. Wissa had nine touches in the opposition box in total, and had three shots in total.