Man Utd trio make Premier League best rated XI from midweek action

The race to finish in the top four is going down to the wire after Chelsea, Leicester and Manchester United all triumphed in midweek to remain one-point apart with two games to go.

Arsenal pulled off the surprise result of gameweek 36 after coming from behind to defeat Liverpool 2-1, albeit thanks to individual mistakes from the champions as opposed to well-crafted goals.

At the bottom of the table things look bleak for Aston Villa and Bournemouth, as each suffered late heartache in respective matches against Everton and Manchester City. Both now look destined for relegation, while West Ham are on the brink of safety after a huge 3-1 win over Watford.

Here we run through the Premier League Team of the Week for the midweek round of matches, rewarding the best WhoScored rated player for per position played in a 4-4-2 formation.

Goalkeeper

David De Gea has been widely criticised for a string of errors this season but was equal to everything fired his way in Manchester United's important 2-0 win away to Crystal Palace on Thursday night. Not only was the Spaniard on form between the sticks, saving all five of Palace's shots on target, he also performed above his average (74% pass accuracy) with the ball at his feet (88% pass accuracy). De Gea's display against Palace (8.07) was his second best rated performance of the Premier League campaign.

Defenders

After a few games at left-back, Cesar Azpilicueta was swapped back into his usual right-back position in Chelsea's 1-0 home win over Norwich and claimed the WhoScored Man of the Match award. Azpilicueta made seven tackles and interceptions combined to help limit Norwich to 0 shots on target and also registered four key passes.

Making up the centre-back pairing is Brighton's Lewis Dunk and United captain Harry Maguire. Dunk made a vital clearance off the line with Brighton trailing Southampton 1-0 before Graham Potter's side grabbed a late equaliser. Southampton had no luck in the air up against Dunk, with the Brighton centre-back winning seven aerial duels. As for Maguire, he was guilty for missing some goalscoring opportunities but still proved a real threat in the Palace penalty area three shots. Maguire won nine aerial duels in total and made a great tackle to prevent Palace racing through one-on-one on goal.

Rounding off the back four is Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson. Despite the fact Liverpool ended up losing 2-1 away to Arsenal on Wednesday, the Scotland international managed to grab his 10th assist of the Premier League campaign. Robertson played a perfect ball driven ball across the six-yard box for Sadio Mane to convert to reach double figures for assists for the second league campaign running. The 26-year-old registered five more goalscoring chances and even had three attempts of his own in Liverpool's unusual defeat.

Midfielders

Willian has been in superb form since the restart and is giving Chelsea a real headache with his contract expiring at the end of the season. The Brazil international was once again at his creative best in their narrow 1-0 win over Norwich on Tuesday, supplying seven key passes for team-mates. Willian also had a shot on target and chipped in with two tackles.

David Silva's Premier League career is coming to an end but the veteran has at least saved some magic for his goodbye. The Spaniard scored an inch-perfect free-kick and set up Gabriel Jesus for what proved to be the winning goal for Manchester City against Bournemouth on Wednesday. Silva has now played a direct hand in 16 league goals this season at the age of 34.

Wilfred Ndidi has endured a notable drop-off since the restart but returned to form just at the right time to keep Leicester's pursuit of Champions League football on course. Sheffield United simply couldn't get going against Leicester and Ndidi played a big part in that, with 10 tackles - a personal record in a Premier League game this season - and five interceptions.

Completing the midfield bank of four of Manchester United's man of the moment Marcus Rashford. In the same week he was given an honorary doctorate from the Univeristy of Manchester, Rashford scored and assisted in United's 2-0 win away to Crystal Palace. Rashford showed great composure for his goal and to set up Anthony Martial late on. The United No.1 also completed three dribbles to cap a fine individual display.

Forwards

Michail Antonio has been in the form of his life since the restart and has played a major part in firing West Ham to the brink of safety. Antonio netted his seventh league goal post-lockdown, more than any other player in that period, in the Hammers' 3-1 win over relegation rivals Watford on Friday night. In addition to his goal, the 30-year-old completed seven dribbles and registered two key passes.

Newcastle were eventually well-beaten by Tottenham in their meeting on Wednesday night but it was another good day's work for summer signing Allan Saint-Maximin, who clamed the WhoScored Man of the Match award. The 23-year-old was played centrally as opposed to his usual wing position and managed three shots on targets and as many key passes. What is most remarkable, however, is despite working in less open space he still set a personal record for dribbles completed in a Premier League game (11). In fact, on only two occasions in a Premier League game this season has someone managed more than Saint-Maximin.