Premier League Team of the Week: Higuain, Hazard and Son feature

Premier League best XI for matchweek 25, featuring Gonzalo Higuain, Eden Hazard and Heung-min Son.

Chelsea proved they won’t relinquish a top-four spot easily by putting five past relegation-doomed Huddersfield in the Premier League on Saturday.

The big win took the Blues back above Arsenal and into the final qualification spot for next season’s Champions League. January signing Gonzalo Higuain opened his account in style to suggest Maurizio Sarri has finally found the answer to his dilemma at striker.

Sarri will be just as pleased to see attacking talisman Eden Hazard return to form. Like Higuain, the classy No. 10 also bagged a brace as Chelsea showed ‘Sarriball’ can work, following the miserable 4-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

Saturday was also a good day for another of Arsenal’s London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. The Gunners’ north London neighbors made it two home wins from two by scraping past a resilient Newcastle team at Wembley Stadium.

A goal from Heung-min Son separated the two sides and added momentum to the Lilywhites’ surprising title charge.

Things didn’t go swimmingly for Arsenal on Sunday when Sergio Aguero proffered three goals at the Etihad Stadium to keep Manchester City hot on Liverpool’s trail in the title race.

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

Goalkeeper: Ben Foster, Watford

Ben Foster’s imitation of fine wine continues, as the former Manchester Untied goalkeeper goes from strength to strength in the winter of his career.

Foster was easily Watford’s best player, far from the first time he’s been that this season, during Saturday’s goalless draw at Brighton. The 35-year-old added to his epic collection of notable saves by denying Jurgen Locadia twice from close range.

Fortunately for the Hornets, Foster was still alert late on when he rebuffed an effort from Florin Andone. It was the kind of one-one-stop most Keepers would commit to a highlight reel, but one becoming merely routine for Foster.

Watford’s place inside the top 10 is as much due to Foster’s enduring quality as any other factor.

Defender: Matt Targett, Southampton

Matt Targett’s emergence as a dynamic left-back has boosted Southampton’s survival hopes. The 23-year-old’s pace, energy and deadly deliveries from the flank have increased the threat from a goal-shy team.

Targett’s relentless running and accurate crosses troubled Burnley throughout Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Turf Moor. While Targett didn’t tee up Nathan Redmond’s opener for the Saints, he did his best to try and ensure the visitors found the net more than once.

Only wayward finishing denied Targett an assist or two. Pinpoint deliveries were wasted by Stuart Armstrong and James Ward-Prowse during the second half.

Targett had also played Danny Ings through and wasted a chance of his own before the break.

Southampton’s approach going forward now hinges on getting the ball to Targett in space.

Defender: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crystal Palace

Roy Hodgson’s decision to fast-track Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the first XI looks like a masterstroke. The 21-year-old right-back is proving to be a budding superstar after yet another accomplished display belying his years.

Recovery pace, aerial power and anticipation defined the way he set about denying Fulham a route to goal during a 2-0 home win. The Eagles youngster timed his tackles just right and displayed an intuitive sense of positioning, space and danger.

Wan-Bissaka had to stay aware because he was tasked with subduing the threat posed by Ryan Babel. The veteran former Liverpool winger cut a frustrated figure as he rarely put any daylight between himself and his precocious minder.

Hodgson should expect to have to fend off offers for the player who is fast becoming the cornerstone of a solid Palace defense.

Defender: Luke Shaw, Manchester United

Another Ole Gunnar Solskjaer win was far from as stylish as those that have proceeded it. Yet Manchester United still managed to take three points on an off day thanks to a resolute defensive performance led by left-back Luke Shaw.

A team of code-breakers is still working to decipher exactly what Jose Mourinho had against the former Southampton ace. After all, Shaw is so obviously the answer to problems on the left side of United’s defense that started the day Patrice Evra headed to Turin.

There shouldn’t be any more doubts about what Shaw can offer defensively after the way he frustrated Leicester during Sunday’s 1-0 away win.

The Foxes would have been level just six minutes after conceding a Marcus Rashford goal had it not been for Shaw. His well-timed, last-ditch block as James Maddison was about to equalise should have been scored by Hans Zimmer to underline its epic quality and significance.

Shaw stuck to his defensive chores all day and was regularly the player who made the clearance among a crowded box as creaking United looked like they might finally break.

Of all the players who have been re-energized since Solskjaer replaced Mourinho, Shaw’s turnaround may prove to be the most valuable to a squad still coveting a top-four spot.

Midfielder: Jeffrey Schlupp, Crystal Palace

Palace had athleticism and craft from midfield to thank for their win as much as rock-solid performances at the back. Most of the tough running and intelligent use of the ball came from Jeffrey Schlupp.

The former Leicester utility player stretched Fulham out wide. He also rarely missed an opportunity to ghost inwards off the flank and support misfiring strikers in central areas.

Schlupp’s runs off the ball were perceptive and perfectly timed. His ability to exploit space often gave the Eagles a man over in the final third.

It was the Dutchman who made the room he’d found count when he tapped in a second goal for Palace three minutes from time.

Having a player this capable and versatile is a huge bonus for a club regularly struggling to maintain its status in England’s top flight.

Midfielder: Eden Hazard, Chelsea

It’s no surprise Chelsea hit five goals, after going two league matches without scoring, on the day Hazard returned to form. The mercurial wing wizard tormented Huddersfield for 77 minutes at Stamford Bridge.

His slalom-like runs, physics-defying close control and intuitive vision brought Sarri’s particular ideas about the game to life. Hazard led his markers on a merry dance as he conjured shooting opportunities and opened avenues for through passes at will.

Fortunately for Chelsea, all the trickery was allied with end product as Hazard netted his 11th and 12th league goals of the campaign. His first came from the penalty spot as Hazard sent Jonas Lossl the wrong way with typical deftness and sleight of hand.

Hazard’s second was even better, summing up the technique and bravado essential to his game. His neat and exact first touch to control a pass out of the air looked effortless when it was in fact anything but.

There was also an enviable ease about the way Hazard sauntered past Lossl before tucking in the finish to complete yet another masterpiece in front of goal.

Chelsea can finish fourth and make good in both the FA Cup and Europa League as long as Hazard stays on song.

Midfielder: Joao Moutinho, Wolves

Wolves continue to look and act like a team that belongs among the best in the division. Their comfort at this level is due to the presence of skilled and established stars such as Joao Moutinho.

The 32-year-old playmaker supplied his seventh assist in the league when his typically cute free-kick found the head of Raul Jimenez. It was enough to put Wolves two up and well on the way to an impressive 3-1 win at Everton.

Moutinho controlled proceedings with his now familiar mixture of artistry and efficiency. Neat and purposeful distribution helped Wolves keep the ball and tire the Toffees out.

Wolves’ regular route to success has been to strike swiftly and intricately on the break. The approach demands the range of passes Moutinho can be trusted to provide.

Midfielder: Aron Gunnarsson, Cardiff

Cardiff aren’t noted for proficiency in possession, but when the Bluebirds do something good on the ball it’s usually because of Aron Gunnarsson. The Iceland international has quietly established himself as the embodiment of the modern defensive midfielder.

Gunnarsson is equally comfortable as both a destroyer who shields the defense and a deep-lying playmaker who can influence his team going forward.

He carried off both roles perfectly to inspire Cardiff to a 2-0 win at home to Bournemouth. It was Gunnarsson who rolled a precise pass through for Bobby Reid to score his second goal and double the hosts’ tally.

While the goal ended Bournemouth’s hopes, the Cherries had already had enough trouble trying to work through a back four protected by Gunnarsson. His measured reading of the pattern of play and awareness for tracking runners positioned the 29-year-old to wreck several attacks with well-timed tackles.

Cardiff’s chances of staying up hinge on the man who holds the engine room together.

Striker: Heung-min Son, Tottenham

Spurs were far from their free-flowing best against a Newcastle side executing a smart defensive plan. Yet where flair was missing, Heung-min Son’s graft proved the difference.

Despite only recently returning from Asian Cup duty with South Korea, Son kept running until he’d scored his second league goal in four days. This one came seven minutes from time when Son collected a touch from target man Fernando Llorente and worked the space to squeeze a shot underneath Martin Dubravka.

While there was an element of fortune about the finish, Son had earned his luck thanks to a performance matching industry with skill:

It’s fair to say Son has now become as valuable to Tottenham as any of the club’s star names, including injured duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

Striker: Gonzalo Higuain, Chelsea

Things had been slow sledding for Higuain through goalless performances against Sheffield Wednesday and Bournemouth. Yet while he hadn’t found the net, the Juventus loanee still proved his movement is superior to that of Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud.

Higuain finally added the goals to his subtle runs when the 31-year-old struck twice against the Terriers. The first goal typified why the Argentinian makes Chelsea better.

He’d positioned himself between both center-backs, an unerring habit for one of the best goalscorers in Europe. Higuain waited for the right moment to angle his run and turn to meet N’Golo Kante’s through pass.

The finish was decisive and inch-perfect. Sarri had seen it all before:

It wasn’t long before 17 became 18 when Higuain got his second in memorable fashion:

Having a striker this proficient to finish off the attractive and elaborate moves Sarri preaches can guarantee Chelsea a place at Europe’s top table next season.

Striker: Sergio Aguero, Manchester City

Aguero won’t ever wow you with his work off the ball. He won’t ever make fans drool with the quality of his link play.

What the Argentinian will always do is put himself in the best positions to score goals. It’s what he did three times against a hapless Arsenal defense still waiting (and waiting) for the Unai Emery effect to take hold.

Aguero pounced to cap a trio of typically flowing City moves and bring up a few more scoring milestones for the most prolific striker of the Premier League’s modern era:

While his third goal had more than a suspicion of handball, Aguero merited his hat-trick because of his subtle movement. His wheels are always turning when he’s in the area, as City’s No. 10 plots new ways to find space in the most important part of the pitch.

Arsenal had no answer, but the Gunners are far from alone. Opponents know Aguero is still the player they have to keep quiet to stop City marching to another title.