Emerson dazzles as West Ham dominate Premier League Team of the Week
With the weekend’s Premier League action now complete, we’ve taken a look at the standout performers from gameweek 26. West Ham and Crystal Palace are the dominant sides in our best XI, with three representatives each, while players from Fulham, Brighton, Manchester City and Arsenal are also included.
Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno earns a spot in our best XI after a player of the match performance in the Whites’ 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. The former Arsenal stopper made a total of seven saves and won one aerial duel to land a WhoScored rating of 8.04.
Vladimir Coufal (West Ham) - 7.70
A rejuvenated West Ham side put four past Brentford on Monday night, and one of the Hammers’ standout performers was right-back Vladimir Coufal. The 31-year-old provided the assist for Jarrod Bowen’s second strike of the evening after just seven minutes, while he also made one tackle, three key passes and two successful dribbles to earn a WhoScored rating of 7.70, his second-highest rated performance of the season.
Chris Richards (Crystal Palace) - 8.07
Crystal Palace made a winning start under new boss Oliver Glasner at the weekend, and USA international defender Chris Richards was the man to head the Eagles in front 23 minutes into the second half. The 23-year-old won three aerial duels, made three tackles and one interception to take home a WhoScored rating of 8.07.
Joining Richards at the heart of defence is Brighton captain Lewis Dunk, who came up trumps for the Seagulls with a 94th-minute equaliser against Everton on Saturday, that his third goal of the season. The England international also made one tackle, two clearances and two key passes, while maintaining a pass success rate of 96.6%, to record a WhoScored rating of 8.29.
With a perfect WhoScored 10 rating, West Ham left-back Emerson is the Premier League player of the week after his performance in the Hammers’ 4-2 victory over Brentford. The 29-year-old provided the assist for Jarrod Bowen’s fifth-minute opener, before finding the net himself with an outrageous effort 20 minutes from time. To go with his contributions in front of goal, the Italian defender also made four tackles, five interceptions, four key passes and two successful dribbles. Emerson becomes only the third player to earn a perfect rating in the Premier League this season.
Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace) - 9.51
Life under Oliver Glasner started as well as it possibly could for Crystal Palace attacker Jordan Ayew, who scored and assisted in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Burnley at Selhurst Park. The Ghana international also made three tackles, five key passes and three successful dribbles to return a WhoScored rating of 9.51, his best rated performance of the season so far.
Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace) - 8.23
Joining Ayew in midfield is Palace teammate Jefferson Lerma, who won a whopping 11 aerial duels in Saturday’s win over the Clarets. Lerma also contributed with two tackles, three clearances, one key pass and one successful dribble to round off a fine all-round display.
Phil Foden (Manchester City) - 8.29
England international Phil Foden continued his brilliant form with the winning goal in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth on Saturday evening. The 23-year-old was on hand to tap home the rebound from an Erling Haaland strike midway into the first half, finding the net with one of four attempts on goal, while he also made four key passes and two successful dribbles to take home a WhoScored rating of 8.29.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka takes his place in the Premier League team of the week having netted in a fifth successive Premier League match. The 22-year-old’s strike in the 4-1 victory over Newcastle on Saturday brought his tally of goals for the season to 13, while he also made two key passes and completed one dribble to post a WhoScored rating of 8.41.
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) - 9.38
West Ham will have Jarrod Bowen to thank for their first victory of 2024 after the 27-year-old bagged a first-ever senior hat-trick against Brentford on Monday night. Bowen opened the scoring for the hosts after just five minutes, before doubling their lead two minutes later and going on to complete his hat-trick 18 minutes into the second half. The England international found the net with each of his three attempts on goal in what was his highest rated performance so far this term.
Nigeria international Alex Iwobi was the hero at Old Trafford on Saturday as Fulham claimed their first victory away to Manchester United in 21 years. The 27-year-old found the net with a rifled effort in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, while he also made four key passes and one successful dribble to earn a WhoScored rating of 7.46
