Premier League Team of the Week – Everton resolute, Lewis-Skelly’s dream day, Salah inevitable – GW 24 | OneFootball

Matchday 24 brought its fair share of twists and turns to the Premier League, with some high-scoring games and significant results.

Liverpool continued their surge towards the title with a 2-0 victory away at in-form Bournemouth.

Arsenal did all they could to stay in touch with the Reds at the summit, trouncing a poor Manchester City side 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Nottingham Forest, who were beaten 5-0 last weekend by Bournemouth, responded in perfect fashion by recording a 7-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Wolverhampton Wanderers moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa, while Everton continued their impressive form by resoundingly beating Leicester City 4-0.

There is still one game left to be played on Monday night, as Chelsea host West Ham United, now led by former Blues’ boss Graham Potter.

With Man City, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Villa all losing this weekend, Enzo Maresca’s side can re-enter the top four with all three points.

Who were the individuals who shone on Matchday 24? Here is the Premier League Team of the Week:

Goalkeeper – Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Everton’s revival under David Moyes continued with a third straight Premier League victory, taking the Toffees nine points clear of the bottom three with a game in hand.

Their 4-0 win over Leicester featured three early goals, followed by organisation and discipline for the rest of the game.

Jordan Pickford was instrumental in making sure Everton’s outfield players didn’t give their opponents an inch and kept their clean sheet intact.

England’s number one also got an assist, as his punt up-field in the first minute found its way into the opposition box and set up Abdoulaye Doucoure to score.

Right-back – Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)

Going into their game away at Brentford, Spurs hadn’t won in the league since December.

Thomas Frank’s free-scoring and exciting side were seven points ahead of the Lilywhites before kick-off, and there were some ominous signs for Ange Postecoglou’s men.

With no specialist centre-backs on the pitch due to their incredible injury crisis, Spurs’ 2-0 victory was surprising but well-earned.

Spence featured as the left-back on Sunday, displaying his versatility and staking a claim to become an unequivocal starter.

The Englishman was assured on the ball, brought intensity and calmness during defensive phases and largely kept Brentford’s talisman Bryan Mbeumo quiet.

Tottenham have a huge week coming up as they travel to Anfield for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.

Spurs have a 1-0 lead to defend, and the win and clean sheet at the Gtech Community Stadium should serve as the perfect morale-booster.

Centre-back – Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace)

Crystal Palace are once again hitting form in the second half of the season.

Lacroix had one of his best games in a Palace shirt since joining from German club Wolfsburg in the summer.

Manager Oliver Glasner brought Lacroix to Germany from Souchaux in 2020, and he is once again getting the best out of the centre-back.

With Chris Richards and Marc Guehi alongside him in a back three, the 24-year-old hardly put a foot wrong against Manchester United.

He kept the home side at bay as Palace recorded their fourth-straight clean sheet against the Red Devils.

Centre-back – Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Matt Doherty more than played his part in nullifying Aston Villa’s dangerous trio of Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.

Wolves pulled two points clear of the drop-zone with their first victory since Boxing Day.

Manager Vitor Pereira will be hoping that this is the impetus his men need to go on a solid run and continue their stint in the top flight.

Left-back – Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)

Myles Lewis-Skelly came into Arsenal’s side earlier in the season following an injury to Riccardo Calafiori but has almost established himself as a regular.

The 18-year-old was unfortunate to be sent off at Wolves last weekend, but the red card was subsequently rescinded, allowing him to start against Man City on Sunday.

The reigning champions were the architects of their own downfall on multiple occasions, but Arsenal were on top of their game and didn’t allow the visitors to breathe.

Lewis-Skelly’s youthful exuberance was exemplary and resonated throughout the pitch and the crowd.

The cherry on top of the cake for the Englishman was getting his first goal for his boyhood club and rounding it off with an Erling Braut Haaland celebration.

Central midfield – James Garner (Everton)

James Garner started his first game for Everton since October on Saturday.

The former Manchester United midfielder spent over three months out with a back injury, and his return could be a huge positive for the Toffees.

Garner covered every blade of grass and registered a fine assist, drilling a low through-ball with surgical precision to split the Leicester centre-backs and set up Beto to score.

Central midfield – Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Declan Rice was absolutely everywhere in Arsenal’s 5-1 victory over Man City.

With Thomas Partey starting in midfield, the Englishman was able to back the Arsenal press in City’s defensive third, and the visitors were forced into mistake after mistake.

Rice also set up the goals scored by Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri.

Right-winger – Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

There isn’t much left to say about Mohamed Salah this season that hasn’t already been said.

In one of the most difficult Premier League fixtures currently, away at Bournemouth, Liverpool needed their main man to stand up and be counted.

Salah unerringly dispatched his penalty in the first half to give the league leaders the advantage going into the break.

The home side pushed for the equaliser after the break, but Salah dealt the hammer blow. His brilliant curling effort completed a crucial victory.

Left-winger – Antony Elanga (Nottingham Forest)

Inconsistency has marred Antony Elanga’s career, but there are days when he is close to unplayable.

The 22-year-old was an absolute livewire against Brighton on Saturday and provided assists for three of the seven goals scored by Nottingham Forest.

Elanga relied on some brilliant individual skill to create space and set up Chris Wood for the striker’s first two goals. He also created Morgan Gibbs-White’s goal.

Striker – Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)

Chris Wood has already surpassed his previous-best goal tally in the Premier League, with 14 games still left to play.

The New Zealander’s imperious form in front of goal has been a big reason for Forest forcing their way into contention for Champions League qualification.

With a hat-trick in the 7-0 victory over Brighton, Wood has now scored 17 times in the Premier League, with only Salah and Haaland bagging more.

Striker – Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s brace at Old Trafford on Sunday takes his tally of Premier League goals in 2025 to six after netting just four times in the first half of the season.

After a torrid start to the season that had them floundering just above the relegation zone, Palace are now looking like a solid unit once again.

This victory moved them ahead of Man United into 12th place.

GW24 – Team of the Week