Premier League Team of the Week: Morata, Aguero and Sterling feature

Premier League best XI for matchweek 11, featuring Alvaro Morata, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling.

Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling inspired Manchester City to a 6-1 beatdown of Southampton which saw the Citizens reclaim top spot in the Premier League on Sunday.

City won on the same day Chelsea stayed in touch with the leaders thanks to Alvaro Morata rediscovering his scoring touch. The Spanish striker found the net twice as the Blues beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Saturday saw Liverpool lose a little ground in the title race despite a creditable 1-1 draw away to Arsenal. A colossal performance from center-back Virgil van Dijk helped the Reds stand firm on their travels.

Find out who else makes the latest team of the week:

Goalkeeper: Martin Dubravka, Newcastle

Newcastle’s first win of the season, a 1-0 triumph at home to Watford on Saturday, owed a lot to the assured display of Martin Dubravka. The 29-year-old stood firm in the Magpies’ goal to help the hosts maintain a slender lead and preserve a clean sheet.

Dubravka made key saves and was also grateful to Watford’s misfiring forwards. He owes a hefty debt of gratitude to winger Gerard Deulofeu, who spurned a hatful of promising chances.

Watford’s profligacy aside, Dubravka held the Newcastle back five together. His communication and decisive decision-making were key, as was his willingness to contest aerial deliveries into the box.

It’s one of the oddities of Newcastle’s season the Magpies actually own one of the stingier defenses in England’s top flight. They’ve shipped just 14 goals, and if manager Rafa Benitez can tweak an attack that’s found the net a mere seven times, Newcastle could finally be on the up.

Defender: Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool

Immense, imperious, impassive. All of those apply equally to van Dijk after he spent 90 minutes driving Arsenal to distraction. The former Southampton ace was a magnet for the ball every time the Gunners thought they had created the opening needed to score.

Van Dijk read the game brilliantly, mastering its pace early and putting himself in the path of the many pass-and-move combinations Arsenal tried in and around the box.

Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tried to work space with pace, intelligence and flair. Van Dijk was having none of it, though, as he put in a season’s worth of last-ditch blocks, well-timed tackles and brave headers.

The only blot on the Dutchman’s copybook was his lack of accuracy at the other end. Van Dijk was a menace in the Arsenal box, getting his head to a host of crosses only for the post or goalkeeper Bernd Leno to thwart him.

While he didn’t score the goals he should have netted, van Dijk’s overall performance left nobody in doubt about his defensive chops:

It’s hard to argue with praise this lofty after van Dijk has turned a suspect defense into one of the toughest units in the league.

Defender: Ben Chilwell, Leicester

Ben Chilwell was steady, composed and productive on an emotionally difficult day for Leicester. The Foxes were playing their first game since the tragic helicopter crash which left five dead, including owner Vichay Srivaddhanaprabha.

While the result was incidental, Chilwell played his part by assisting the winning goal scored by Demarai Gray in Cardiff. A smart pull-back from Chilwell gave the blossoming talent his first assist on the campaign, proof the 21-year-old left-back is developing the creative side of his game.

Chilwell has the pace and technique to be more of an asset in attacking areas. He also boasts an engine ideal for tracking back and recovering his position to thwart opposition breaks.

Keeping a veteran as capable as 32-year-old Christian Fuchs out of the starting XI is no mean feat. The fact Chilwell is managing to do it proves he’s set for a bright future.

Defender: Seamus Coleman, Everton

Seamus Coleman is wasting no time getting back to his best after putting a lengthy injury nightmare behind him. The raiding right-back smashed in a stunner to help Everton beat Brighton 3-1 on Saturday.

A finish this spectacular was the appropriate way to cap a performance typical of Coleman on form. He was tireless working the flank and taking the fight to the Seagulls.

Coleman combined seamlessly with Theo Walcott on the right wing. He also drifted infield and linked well with attacking midfielders Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bernard.

From a defensive standpoint, Everton boss Marco Silva will be pleased injuries don’t appear to have wrecked Coleman’s recovery pace. The 30-year-old tracked runners comfortably and helped keep wingers Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Jose Izquierdo and Anthony Knockaert in check.

Midfielder: Raheem Sterling, Manchester City

Raheem Sterling has to be in the conversion for every meaningful Player of the Year award. In fact, voters may as well just go ahead and hand the Manchester City winger a few gongs now.

Sterling is setting such an impressive pace no other attacker is likely to keep up. The England international added two more goals and a pair of assists to his tally during the blowout win over the Saints.

Those contributions add to the growing list of decisive moments Sterling has produced in the final third recently:

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/1059125698781167622

The numbers are a result of the subtle work Sterling has done to refine his game under the watchful eye of Pep Guardiola. He’s become more astute tactically, knowing when to hug the touchline and when to ghost into the middle.

As well as better awareness of space, Sterling has worked on his finishing and become more accomplished in front of goal. He’s also more decisive when it comes to picking the right pass to create chances.

There’s a strong argument to be made 23-year-old Sterling is more important to City than Aguero, David Silva or Kevin De Bruyne.

Midfielder: Richarlison, Everton

There is no doubt about how important Richarlison is to Everton. The Toffees would likely be embroiled in a relegation scrap without the prolific Brazilian’s goals.

Richarlison helped himself to a brace against Brighton to take this season’s haul to six. He made a lot of his own luck against the Seagulls by pressing high and harassing defenders into mistakes.

His hustle created his second goal and the Toffees clincher when Richarlison ghosted in to steal a pass intended for Shane Duffy. A mazy run followed and was ended when the ex-Watford star deftly rounded goalkeeper Mat Ryan.

Richarlison had already scored to cap a sweet team move earlier on. He was in the right position at the right time to finish coolly after a pinpoint pass from Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Moving to a de facto center-forward role has done nothing to slow down Richarlison. It’s proof of his overall quality and intelligence.

Midfielder: Lucas Torreira, Arsenal

Lucas Torreira had quietly been putting together a string of solid performances after Arsenal head coach Unai Emery gradually worked him into the starting XI.

There’s going to be nothing quiet about Torreira now, though, following a breakout display against Liverpool. The Gunners’ terrier in the middle of the park was a seek-and-destroy missile who never let Liverpool’s primary attackers enjoy an easy second on the ball.

Torreira didn’t just nip at the heels of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. He routinely took the ball off them and got Arsenal moving the other way.

There’s the rare and exciting blend of tenacity and technique in Torreira’s game. The player who arrived from Serie A side Sampdoria this summer showed every facet of his particular set of skills against the Reds:

Torreira is already indispensable in the Gunners’ best lineup.

Midfielder: James Milner, Liverpool

As easy as it is to salute the aggression and application Torreira showed on Saturday, it would be remiss not to acknowledge how James Milner showed the same in equal measure at the Emirates Stadium.

Milner was the lead dog in Liverpool’s midfield. He led the charge for the relentless high-press manager Jurgen Klopp loves.

It was Milner who usually forced Arsenal’s myriad of creative talents into mistakes. The 32-year-old led by example and eventually got the goal his smart and high-energy performance merited.

Milner took the goal brilliantly by unleashing a powerful drive through a crowd but managing to keep his shot low. He now has three goals and a pair of assists in all competitions so far this season, underlining his enduring value as the experienced man anchoring Klopp’s workmanlike midfield.

Midfielder: Felipe Anderson, West Ham

Felipe Anderson has mostly flattered to deceive since becoming West Ham’s record signing this summer. Yet the former Lazio man finally proved his worth during the Hammers’ 4-2 win over Burnley on Saturday.

Anderson scored twice to highlight a dazzling display. He found the bottom corner with his left foot for the first, before pouncing from close range to complete his brace, albeit via a deflection.

The deflection aside, Anderson had delivered the end product in the final third the Hammers have been hoping for since shelling out £36 million. He now has three goals and an assist to his credit.

Neither number offers an accurate reflection of the Brazilian’s talent. It’s time for Anderson to prove the goals against Burnley aren’t just a blip and start delivering consistently.

Striker: Alvaro Morata, Chelsea

Finding the net with any kind of consistency has proved a bridge too far for Morata during most of his time at Chelsea. Fortunately for the Blues, their misfiring striker found his range against Palace.

Morata produced a pair of deft finishes from inside the box to help Chelsea see off a plucky Palace side. His first goal erased a sluggish start from the hosts, while his second eased the nerves after Andros Townsend had equalized for the Eagles.

Both goals showcased the technique Morata is capable of. The Spain international is a strange mix in the sense his height and aerial power belies his flair and artistry.

Rather than being a traditional battering ram, Morata is more of a subtle link player who needs a different kind of service to thrive. If Chelsea can get their approach play right, Morata has the talent to score enough goals to keep the Blues in the thick of the title race.

Striker: Sergio Aguero, Manchester City

Aguero may go missing in some of the bigger matches, but he’s the ultimate flat-track bully. City’s prolific No. 10 proved as much when he got his name on the scoresheet against Southampton.

The Argentinian drew a blank against Tottenham last time out, but he needed no second invitation against a team struggling at the wrong end of the table. Aguero’s tap-in after Sterling picked him out brought up a notable landmark for the 30-year-old:

Goals aside, Aguero deserves credit for the two assists he provided on Sunday. He found Sterling in space in first-half stoppage time, before repeating the trick in the 67th minute.

Finding his creative niche can keep Aguero in the team. Guardiola hasn’t always been enamoured with the club’s leading goalscorer, but he can’t complain if Aguero is adding assists to his goal haul.