Premier League Team of the Week: Pedro, Nasri and Willian feature

Premier League best XI for matchweek 22, featuring Samir Nasri, Pedro and Willian.

Samir Nasri still has what it takes in the Premier League after helping West Ham beat his old club Arsenal 1-0 on Saturday.

Nasri delivered on his return to England’s top flight, but he was far from the only creative player who shone in Week 22. Chelsea had Pedro and Willian to thank for an unconvincing 2-1 home win over struggling Newcastle.

Both players scored, with Willian producing a spectacular winner. Pedro had earlier opened the scoring to send the Blues en route to cementing their place in the top four.

Chelsea aren’t in touching distance of Liverpool, after the leaders scraped a 1-0 win in Brighton. A makeshift Reds defense was still formidable thanks to Fabinho’s comfort out of position.

Watford won’t make the Champions League places but merit a spot in the top seven after winning 2-1 at Crystal Palace. Gerard Deulofeu continued his recent renaissance with another bright display in the final third.

Meanwhile, Newcastle’s dropped points were compounded by fellow relegation-threatened team Southampton winning. The Saints beat Leicester 2-1 away, despite going down to 10 men, with Jannik Vestergaard outstanding at the back.

Find out who else makes the team of the week:

Goalkeeper: Neil Etheridge, Cardiff

Neil Etheridge has been Cardiff’s most consistent performer. The capable goalkeeper was Mr. Dependable again to help the Bluebirds at least take a point from a home clash with Huddersfield.

While a 0-0 draw against fellow strugglers hardly represents an ideal result it would have been worse without Etheridge. The 28-year-old produced a fine stop late on to deny Terriers substitute Laurent Depoitre what would have been a winning goal.

It was a terrific reflex save from a stopper who has grown in confidence in England’s top flight. Etheridge can now be trusted to keep the door at the back shut long enough for Cardiff to try and knick a goal at the other end.

It’s a pragmatic way to approach matches but one favored by manager Neil Warnock. He’ll know Cardiff won’t beat the drop unless Etheridge maintains his current high standards for 16 more matches.

Defender: Fabinho, Liverpool

Okay, so it’s a bit of a cheat to put a midfielder in among the defenders. But Fabinho shined when pressed into service as an auxiliary center-back for the trip to Brighton.

The Brazilian who doubled as both a right-back and a holding midfielder for AS Monaco added another string to his bow. Fabinho was alert, decisive and disciplined alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s rugged back four.

His best work came when timing blocks on the edge of the box. Fabinho was inch-perfect when he repelled an effort from the Seagulls’ chief creator Pascal Gross.

He also faced Brighton’s formidable aerial threat without hesitation. Fabinho bossed the tenacious Glenn Murray in the aerial duels and rarely lost his man in set-piece situations.

Naturally for a midfielder, there was nothing wrong with the way Fabinho started attacks with smart and cultured distribution from the back.

While he won’t play here every week, Fabinho’s standout for-emergencies-only defensive act is one more reason he’s justifying the £43.7 million Liverpool spent in the summer.

Defender: Andy Robertson, Liverpool

A big reason Fabinho looked so comfortable was the composure of the more familiar defenders around him. Among them, left-back Andy Robertson stood out as a player who made it easier on the men in the middle.

The Scotland international was his usual tireless and enterprising self going forward. He provided Liverpool with a quick transition from defense to attack and offered more than a few teasing deliveries for the dangerous forwards in front of him.

By contrast, Brighton’s frontmen struggled to get on track, particularly in wide areas. Robertson was alert to the pace and movement of the creative Solly March and the more direct Jurgen Locadia.

The stable defensive showing was timely from a player who had looked vulnerable against Arsenal and Manchester City recently.

Defender: Jannik Vestergaard, Southampton

Southampton’s best win under Ralph Hasenhuttl owed a lot to how Vestergaard underpinned a stubborn rearguard. Playing as something akin to an old-fashioned sweeper, the Dane proved himself highly accomplished in both phases of the game.

The 26-year-old was subtle with his positioning, always making sure to keep Jamie Vardy’s pace in front of him. Vestergaard also read the game brilliantly, intercepting more than one of the through passes James Maddison attempted to thread from the No. 10 role.

There were times when Vestergaard resembled a No. 10 himself as he rarely missed a chance to saunter out of defense and play some intelligent passes. His distribution released runners in wide areas and quickly put the Saints into the danger areas of the pitch.

Vestergaard’s defensive nous and calm authority on the ball held the Saints together for 45 minutes after Yan Valery was shown a red card.

Southampton haven’t had a complete defender since van Dijk upped sticks for Anfield. Vestergaard isn’t in the same bracket yet, but he can lend Hasenhuttl plenty of tactical flexibility for the fight against the drop.

Midfielder: Willian, Chelsea

Willian’s corker from inside the box three minutes before the hour mark ultimately saw off a resilient Newcastle side at Stamford Bridge.

The goal was a worthy addition to a career-long catalogue of stunning strikes. It also summed up the technique and power that make the Brazilian forward a threat any time he works a shooting opportunity.

Willian still proved there is more to his game than a flair for the spectacular. His running was relentless, movement perceptive and passing artful enough to keep the Magpies on the back foot.

His combination play with Chelsea’s attacking talisman Eden Hazard was a joy to watch. The two exchanged more than a few deft touches and cute tricks to leave defenders looking foolish.

Willian’s enduring quality is why Chelsea find it hard to give starts to the precocious Callum Hudson-Odoi. The 18-year-old gifted enough to be linked with Bayern Munich will have to continue biding his time or move on.

Midfielder: Samir Nasri, West Ham

Arsenal should have known from experience how effective a motivated Samir Nasri can be. He flashed moments of brilliance during an otherwise troubled three-year spell with the Gunners from 2008-11.

Things haven’t always gone Nasri’s way since, but the man on the “Olympic standing there team” in two title-winning squads for City is loving life back in England with the Hammers.

Nasri won the second of those two titles on Manuel Pellegrini’s watch in 2014. The Chilean has smartly brought him to east London to add a creative spark for West Ham, something the Frenchman did consistently during Saturday’s early kick-off.

Nasri began by pulling the strings from the middle, but he was smart enough about using space to drift into a number of challenging positions. He was most effective when ghosting into the inside channels and exploiting the space left by Arsenal’s forward-thinking wing-backs.

Nasri created a number of promising openings before deftly teeing up Declan Rice to sweep in the winner three minutes after the restart.

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Unlike Mesut Ozil, who is mistakenly being frozen out by Unai Emery, Nasri will get plenty of chances to boost his tally for Pellegrini.

Midfielder: Declan Rice, West Ham

Pellegrini was smart to snap up Nasri on a free, but his best move has been moving Declan Rice from center-back to holding midfielder. The switch has worked beautifully, with Rice getting better tactically each week.

He was the most astute player on the pitch against Arsenal. Rice tracked passes alertly and stayed aware of runs off the ball.

His attention to detail left him perfectly positioned to thwart several Gunners attacks with a well-timed tackle or a key interception.

Some of Rice’s best defensive work came when he retreated to more familiar surroundings. He regularly dropped between central defenders Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop.

Rice gave the Hammers an extra man in the middle to deal with the low crosses Arsenal peppered the box with from the wings.

As good as he was defensively, Rice was not out of place in possession. His distribution was neat and thoughtful alongside Mark Noble and Nasri.

A first career goal was just reward for Rice’s superb all-round showing:

He’s fast becoming the rock Pellegrini can build a team around, a team sure to be a threat to the top four next season.

Midfielder: Gerard Deulofeu, Watford

Deulofeu continues to relish playing for Hornets boss Javi Gracia. Whatever Gracia is doing, he’s found the right formula for unleashing the incredible, yet often frustratingly unfulfilled, talent the former Barcelona winger possesses.

Watford’s reliance on Deulofeu for inspiration was merited by the way he took the fight to Palace. His acceleration and close control gave Eagles defenders a host of issues.

Deulofeu hit the afterburners to sprint clear early. While he crashed his shot off the post, the former Sevilla and Everton loanee had served notice he was in the mood.

Adding Deulofeu to a team already defined by Roberto Pereyra’s creativity has made Watford more effective and versatile going forward. It’s the main reason why the Hornets won’t lose sight of the top six.

Midfielder: Jeff Hendrick, Burnley

Southampton weren’t the only team in trouble to ease relegation worries on Saturday. Jeff Hendrick helped Burnley do the same as the Clarets heaped more misery on Fulham with a 2-1 win at Turf Moor.

Hendrick was the creative catalyst, as his precise deliveries from out wide consistently brought about panic in the Cottagers’ defense. It was a Hendrick cross Joe Bryan turned into the visitors’ net to cancel out Andre Schurrle’s opener and draw the hosts level on 20 minutes.

Not content with making one goal, Hendrick forced another costly mistake three minutes later. He teased in one more typically teasing cross Denis Odoi couldn’t read and ultimately sent past his own goalkeeper.

Hendrick’s craft from the flanks allowed Burnley to somehow win without a registering a single shot on target.

Burnley aren’t a side known for guile in the final third, but the Clarets’ reputation for ruggedness does Hendrick little credit. The 26-year-old matches industry with a commendable eye for a pass sure to be crucial for Burnley’s bid for survival.

Striker: Pedro, Chelsea

Pedro saves his best for the Bridge. He’s netted seven league goals this season after his cheeky lob put Newcastle 1-0 behind, with five coming on home soil, per WhoScored.com.

The respectable tally is par for the course from a shrew forward who displays some of the most intelligent movement in the game. He times his runs impeccably and has an innate feel for where gaps will appear, especially on the counter.

Pedro’s pace isn’t quite what it was, but he can still stretch most defenses. Producing a sudden burst at exactly the right moment makes Pedro the ideal target for players looking to launch passes from deep.

David Luiz is well aware of Pedro’s skills. It’s why he picked him out with a long ball over the top to put Newcastle in the hole early.

The goal was the signature part of an aggressive display in forward areas:

Even at 31, Pedro is still good enough to keep Hudson-Odoi waiting for his chance.

Striker: Shane Long, Southampton

Shane Long has never been the most prolific of strikers. Yet the 31-year-old is a guarantee of clever movement, relentless running and pace defenders fear.

Long was a constant menace for Leicester players who rarely got near him. He drew a foul from Nampalys Mendy to give Southampton a penalty James Ward-Prowse converted for an early lead.

Long’s next contribution was even more important as he found the net from close range in first-half stoppage time. The clutch finish meant the Saints had a 2-0 lead, easing the nerves somewhat following Valery’s dismissal.

Southampton have been goal shy all season, but the club will stay up if Long continues to pick his moments in key games.