Premier League Team of the Week: Barkley, Salah and Mane involved

Premier League best XI for matchweek 10, including Ross Barkley, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Liverpool’s dynamic duo of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were both back among the Premier League goals as the Reds hammered Cardiff City 4-1 at Anfield on Saturday.

Chelsea, like Liverpool, remain unbeaten after thumping Burnley 4-0 at Turf Moor on Sunday. The Blues’ goal rush was inspired by Ross Barkley, who continues his resurgence on the watch of manager Maurizio Sarri.

Find out who else makes the team of the week after Manchester United and Bournemouth also won.

Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski, West Ham

West Ham played with 10 men for 52 minutes at Leicester but still took a point off the Foxes. Lukasz Fabianski’s form in the Hammers’ goal was a big reason why.

The former Arsenal stopper stood tall when his team needed him once skipper Mark Noble was dismissed. Fabianski made a series of saves to keep the Foxes at bay, with the best coming after the restart when he thwarted Marc Albrighton twice in quick succession.

The double save was the signature moment of a resolute display from the 33-year-old Poland international. Fabianski doesn’t always receive the strongest cover from the West Ham defense, yet he still rarely lets his team down.

Defender: Federico Fernandez, Newcastle

Newcastle’s goalless draw at Southampton let the Magpies bank a valuable point in what already looks like a season-long battle to beat the drop.

Keeping a clean sheet on their travels owed everything to a stubborn rearguard action led by Federico Fernandez. The Argentinian center-back was terrific as Newcastle’s last line of defense, regularly putting himself between the ball and danger to protect the visitors’ goal.

Fernandez was a magnet for the ball whenever the Saints thought they’d carved out a gilt-edge chance. He blocked, diverted and repelled shots, while also finding time to track runners off the ball, particularly the out to in movement of wide forward Nathan Redmond.

Fernandez led by example on the south coast and the rest of the Newcastle back line followed.

Defender: Jamaal Lascelles, Newcastle

No defender followed Fernandez’s lead as well as fellow center-back Jamaal Lascelles. The Newcastle skipper bossed the game when Southampton attempted to go direct to target man Charlie Austin.

Lascelles also kept the pace of Danny Ings in check, never letting the Liverpool loanee get the wrong side of him. As much as anything else, Lascelles made sure the defenders around him held their positions and preserved shape when it counted.

The 24-year-old has matured into a true leader in recent seasons. He merits the captain’s armband and his partnership with Fernandez is the best reason to believe Newcastle will ultimately avoid relegation.

Defender: Fabian Balbuena, West Ham

Fabianski was imperious in the West Ham goal, but he also had Fabian Balbuena to thank for making his job easier. The Paraguay international gave the Hammers a 30th-minute lead at the King Power Stadium.

His close-range goal was merely the start of a colossal performance at the back. Balbuena threw himself into challenges and timed his tackles brilliantly.

The 27-year-old center-back had many different threats to deal with, not least the pace and varied movement of Kelechi Iheanacho. Thanks to Balbuena, former Manchester City striker Iheanacho was rarely able to link with wingers Albrighton and Rachid Ghezzal, nor classy playmaker James Maddison.

Defensive solidity isn’t always a hallmark of Manuel Pellegrini’s teams, but the West Ham manager can count on Balbuena as an emerging rock at the back.

Midfielder: Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace

There was controversy about the penalty Wilfried Zaha won late on as Crystal Palace drew 2-2 at home to Arsenal. Zaha may have taken an easy tumble when he was challenged by makeshift left-back Granit Xhaka, but he had earned some luck after a sparkling display out wide.

From the off, Zaha tormented the Arsenal back four on Sunday. He played high, pressed players in possession and showed off efficiency and flair with the ball at his feet.

A narrow miss after aiming for the near post on the turn offered the Gunners a warning Zaha was in the mood. It was a warning Arsenal didn’t heed as the mercurial winger was soon allowed to combine brilliantly with Patrick van Aanholt, releasing the full-back with an outrageous flick to complete a neat one-two.

Zaha is one of the more exciting Premier League players to watch when he’s in this sort of form. Arsenal’s inability to control him brought a run of 11-straight wins in all competitions to an abrupt end.

Midfielder: Ryan Fraser, Bournemouth

Callum Wilson scored two goals, while David Brooks continued to emerge as the latest proof of Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe’s eye for talent.

However, Ryan Fraser’s wizardry truly made things click for the Cherries during Saturday’s 3-0 win away to hapless Fulham. Fraser exploited the Cottagers’ dire defense with vision, intelligence and flair.

His passes between the lines sent multiple runners behind Fulham markers. Fraser’s best pass was a wonderfully angled ball to teed up Wilson for his second. The Scot had already set up Brooks to find the net.

Fraser is the hidden gem of Bournemouth’s underrated front three. His artistry is the key to the expressive game Howe wants.

Midfielder: Ross Barkley, Chelsea

In the same way Fraser is responding to Howe’s methods, Barkley is loving life under Sarri. The Italian favors a progressive, possession-based style perfect for Barkley’s mercurial talents.

Those talents destroyed the Clarets as the former Everton midfielder scored one goal and assisted two more. His deft touch to create Alvaro Morata’s opening goal was a thing of beauty. So was the low, arrowed shot Barkley launched past Joe Hart.

Barkley is finally delivering on the promise he showed at Everton six years ago:

https://twitter.com/EPLBible/status/1056561006464372737

Few teams will match Chelsea’s cultured control of the ball if Barkley’s form continues.

Midfielder: Sadio Mane, Liverpool

Salah offering so considerable a threat makes it easy to overlook Mane. Yet defenders who forget about the Senegal international winger usually regret it.

Cardiff did as Mane netted his 49th and 50th goals in a Liverpool shirt to take the game away from the Bluebirds and make history for his nation:

https://twitter.com/Sporf/status/1056212502260924416

Mane’s always had the pace to trouble any defense. Where he’s improved is in his range of movement.

His runs off the flanks and into the middle are well-timed, thoughtful and in symmetry with those of Salah. Having two versatile forwards who can puncture defenses from a variety of positions is why the Reds are legit title contenders.

Striker: Anthony Martial, Manchester United

If Barkley’s renaissance is something to behold, Anthony Martial’s return to good graces at United almost defies belief. The French forward had become something of a favorite target for manager Jose Mourinho and his acid-tongued rants to the press.

To his credit, Martial has stayed patient and is now proving to Mourinho he’s lost none of his confidence in front of goal. It was Martial who sealed the points for the Red Devils in a 2-1 win over Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday.

His curling effort beyond Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was ample proof of a finisher in form. Martial has done enough to not only prove he deserves to start more often, he’s also shown Mourinho he has a viable alternative to misfiring Romelu Lukaku.

Striker: Glenn Murray, Brighton

While Martial refused to buckle when faced with Mourinho’s criticism, Glenn Murray is refusing to give in to father time. The 35-year-old scored his sixth league goal in nine games this season when he netted the winner for Brighton against Wolves on Saturday.

Murray’s side-foot finished proved he’s lost none of his instincts for sniffing out a chance and putting it away. Those qualities keep the veteran among the goals, while his more robust attributes also make him invaluable to the Seagulls.

Murray bullies defenders, rarely affording them a second’s respite. He plays with his back to goal, wins aerial duels and leads the line with aggression.

Continuing to do those things means there is no end in sight to the prolific winter of Murray’s career.

Striker: Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

Salah was supposed to be in a slump. Fortunately for Liverpool, nobody told the goal-hungry 26-year-old.

He scored the Reds’ opener against Cardiff to follow a brace against Red Star in the Champions League. Salah had also netted the winner away to Huddersfield last time out in England’s top flight.

Aside from getting Liverpool going against the Bluebirds, Salah even punished them with a pair of assists. His deft touch for Xherdan Shaqiri was as good as any No. 10 can conjure, as was the pass to release Mane.

Salah is beginning to put together a season eerily reminiscent of his awesome first campaign on Merseyside:

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1056259234726375424

It’s great news for Liverpool, but an ominous sign for the Reds’ title rivals.