Premier League Team of Week 2: Aguero, Pedro and Kante feature

Premier League best XI for Week 2, featuring Sergio Aguero, Pedro and N’Golo Kante.

Manchester City and Chelsea stayed in free-scoring and winning form for the second week of the 2018/19 Premier League season. Sergio Aguero fired a hat-trick to inspire defending champions City to a 6-1 win over Huddersfield, while Pedro scored as Chelsea beat Arsenal in a five-goal thriller.

N’Golo Kante also helped the Blues emerge as winners from Saturday’s headline London derby. The Frenchman eschewed his usual destructive instincts for a buccaneering display going forward.

Arsenal may have lost, but head coach Unai Emery ought to be pleased by Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s impressive performance. The Armenia international wasn’t the only attacker who caught the eye, as striker Glenn Murray stood out during Brighton’s surprise 3-2 victory over Manchester United on Sunday.

Find out who else makes the team of the week:

Goalkeeper: Neil Etheridge, Cardiff

Saving a penalty in stoppage time capped a stellar showing from Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Etheridge. It also preserved a point for the newly promoted Bluebirds against Newcastle on Saturday.

Philippines international Etheridge merited the clean sheet he kept after standing tall against intense pressure from the Magpies. Even after Newcastle went down to 10 men when substitute Isaac Hayden was sent off on 66 minutes, the visitors remained on the front foot.

Fortunately for Cardiff, Etheridge kept them in the game with a string of fine saves. The 28-year-old saved his most important stop for when he facd Kenedy from 12 yards in injury time.

It marked the second match in a row Etheridge has rebuffed a penalty. Unlike his stop during the 2-0 loss to Bournemouth, this contribution got Cardiff off the mark in the big league.

Defender: Benjamin Mendy, Manchester City

Having Benjamin Mendy fit has already made the champions a more potent force going forward. The France international left-back tore Arsenal to pieces last week, and was even more menacting against the Terriers.

Mendy tossed in 12 crosses from open play at the Etihad Stadium, according to Adam Bate of Sky Sports. He has been more forward than defender through two weeks, using pace, direct running and rapid decision-making in the final third to get in behind defenses and create chances.

There isn’t much mystery to what Mendy is going to do once he latches onto the ball in space. He’s going to take one touch at most and fire a cross in, often without looking up.

Yet those quick crosses, whipped in at pace, ensure there’s more regular supply for City’s feared attacking arsenal.

Defender: Jamaal Lascelles, Newcastle

Jamaal Lascelles is already proving last season was no fluke. The young former Nottingham Forest center-back established himself as a linchpin of the Magpies defence in 2017/18, and is picking up where he left off.

Lascelles was typically aggressive, decisive and brave against Cardiff. He never shied away from a collision if it meant winning the ball, throwing himself into harm’s way more than once.

Whenever Cardiff shots were aimed toward goal, Lascelles was usually the one on hand to block them. Similarly, he often became the winner when the ball was in the air.

Newcastle suffered a blow when Lascelles’ fellow center-back Florian Lejeune had knee surgery on the eve of the new season. Manager Rafa Benitez has been relying on Ciaran Clark while new signings Federico Fernandez and Fabian Schar get up to speed.

Truthfully, it doesn’t matter too much who plays alongside him as long as Lascelles underpins the Magpies’ back line.

Defender: Steve Cook, Bournemouth

Bournemouth have quietly defied expectations by winning two games in a row to begin the season. While the Cherries have been typically enterprising on the ball, they’ve also had an improved defense to thank for their fast start.

A clean sheet against Cardiff last week was followed by a stubborn second-half effort at West Ham’s London Stadium on Saturday. The Hammers had gone one up thanks to a penalty from Marko Arnautovic, but a Bournemouth back four led by match-winner Steve Cook stood firm after the break.

Cook helped keep the bullish Arnautovic under wraps, while also spying runs from the lively Javier Hernandez. His efforts meant Bournemouth had enough time to stabilize before equalising through Callum Wilson on the hour mark.

It was left to Cook to add a flourish to his rugged display by heading the Cherries to all three points.

Midfielder: Pedro, Chelsea

It’s official: Pedro has a new lease of life now Maurizio Sarri is in charge at Chelsea. The latter’s arrival as manager has coincided with the Spanish forward getting back in the starting XI and back among the goals.

Pedro scored for the second match running when he netted the first goal in the 3-2 win over Arsenal. The finish came after yet another of Pedro’s typically incisive runs from outside to in.

He ghosted off the right flank with perfect timing and roared through the middle to leave Nacho Monreal trailing in his wake. The finish was cool and collected, the hallmark of an attacker who is naturally ruthless in front of goal.

Goal’s Nizaar Kinsella accurately summed up Pedro’s impact:

Subtle movement and a keen eye for goal make the former Barcelona forward a major threat in Sarri’s slick and pass-happy style of play.

Midfielder: N’Golo Kante, Chelsea

Kante’s game has rarely been about getting forward, but he showed a surprising affinity for running beyond the striker against the Gunners. Several times it was the archetypal midfielder destroyer who gave Chelsea a man over in attacking areas.

Relentless running, quick decisions and efficient passing made Kante a useful outlet in the final third. The World Cup winner teed up center-forward Alvaro Morata with a deft touch after one such bullish break forward.

Sarri has clearly encouraged Kante to indulge his wanderlust and seize the moment when he gets the appetite to attack. Having Jorginho sit deeper in midfield has allowed Kante to gorge his taste for something more in his game.

Letting him break forward more often has reframed Chelsea’s attack and given opponents a deceptive threat they can no longer ignore.

Midfielder: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Arsenal

It took missing a sitter for Mkhitaryan to spring into life against Chelsea. He had already lifted a shot over the bar before he blasted the Gunners back into the match by arrowing a shot through the grasp of Blues goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The goal lifted Mkhitaryan’s spirits, as he began taking up increasingly threatening positions in the final third. Specifically, the 29-year-old exploited gaps behind raiding Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso.

He was in this area when he crossed for Alex Iwobi to equalise. The contribution was nearly replicated when another low cross found Iwobi unmarked, only for the Nigeria international to blaze over.

Mkhitaryan was on the losing end, but his array of neat flicks, smart touches and intuitive runs off the ball offered a reminder Arsenal have a special player who can unlock any defense when he’s on form.

Midfielder: James Maddison, Leicester

James Maddison offered hints he was ready for the step up to Premier League level during Leicester’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United last time out. The midfield schemer signed from Championship outfit Norwich this summer, was even better during Saturday’s 2-0 win over Wolves.

Maddison scored the Foxes’ second goal and provided some of the creativity missing since Riyad Mahrez left the club. In particular, Maddison’s delivery from set-pieces always proved dangerous and a likely route to goal.

As a player who can thrive on the flank, as well as through the middle, Maddison is giving the Foxes a lot of options up front. The 21-year-old’s versatility and technique will lead to greater fluidity, provided manager Claude Puel is brave enough to include more of his marquee attackers.

Maddison can provide regular supply for strikers Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho. He can also dovetail well with wingers Fousseni Diabate and Rachid Ghezzal.

Striker: Callum Wilson, Bournemouth

Callum Wilson kept his hot streak going by finding the net with a superb solo effort against the Hammers. Wilson took on a small army of defenders with pace, power and close control, before deftly prodding the ball under onrushing goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

The Bournemouth striker had little support when he received the ball but he didn’t tamely cede possession under pressure. Nor did he choose a safe option, instead backing his own ability to conjure some magic out of nothing.

Such bravado is a sure sign of a striker growing in confidence and approaching peak form. It’s also proof of a frontman who knows how to handle the difficult responsibility of leading the line by his lonesome.

Wilson is rapidly emerging as a complete striker England boss Gareth Southgate can’t continue to overlook for long.

Striker: Glenn Murray, Brighton

Murray is Wilson’s senior by eight years, but the 34-year-old is making the most of the winter of his career. He opened the scoring in style against United to continue a fine run against the division’s heavyweights:

Simple qualities have helped Murray undermine the big clubs. He’s a tough, physical presence up top who rarely gives defenders an easy time or a breather.

Murray is also a smart mover who times his runs expertly and chooses the right gaps to exploit. Gaps were aplenty against a United back four in disarray from the start.

Neither Eric Bailly nor Victor Lindelof had the nous to track Murray and beat him to the ball when chances presented themselves in the box.

Striker: Sergio Aguero, Manchester City

Goals rarely dry up for Aguero, who has started the season in ruthless mood. After coming close, but ultimately failing to score against Arsenal, the Argentinian was determined to find the net against Huddersfield.

He managed it three times, while leading the line superbly in tandem with Gabriel Jesus. Few strikers can match Aguero’s desire for goals, a point underlined when he declined to play in several team-mates while working the space to chip in his first.

While his second goal owed more to a mistake from Huddersfield goalkeeper Ben Hamer, Aguero’s third came from his outrageous skill. The sly, faint touch at the end of a near-post run to meet yet another Mendy cross showed a striker once again determined to make the lion’s share of City’s goals his.