Premier League Team of the Week: Silva, Shaw and Bernard feature

Premier League best XI for matchweek 32, featuring Bernardo Silva, Luke Shaw and Bernard.

A rock-solid defense underpins the latest Premier League team of the week. There’s athleticism at full-back with players from Manchester United and Crystal Palace represented.

Things are tough as nails in the middle thanks to a Leicester stalwart and a Burnley ace as formidable as any defender in England’s top flight when at his best.

Warriors are replaced by artists in midfield where Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva leads a stylish group. Everton duo Bernard and Gylfi Sigurdsson also provide ample flair and vision.

There’s pace and technique to spare up front as Sunday’s goalscorers Roberto Firmino and Lucas Moura make the grade. Firmino’s impressive outing put Liverpool back into top spot and also forced Moura and Tottenham deeper into the scrap for top-four places.

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

Goalkeeper: Vicente Guaita, Crystal Palace

Palace might have entered the game confident of keeping goal-shy Huddersfield off the scoresheet. Yet it still took a couple of superb saves from Vicente Guaita to deny the Terriers.

The Spanish stopper was brilliant in turning away a pair of efforts from the lively Chris Lowe. Guaita first got down to palm away an emphatic header, before tipping a low shot around the post to complete two terrific saves in as many minutes.

Those contributions kept the Eagles in the match long enough for their talented forwards to get on track. The saves also offered emphatic proof for why Guaita has managed to take time away from Wayne Hennessey, a capable ‘Keeper in his own right.

Defender: Luke Shaw, Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer landed the job as United manager on a permanent basis because of how he’s revived the form of players like Luke Shaw. The precocious left-back was in danger of rotting on the vine while Jose Mourinho was still in town, but Shaw is finally looking like a player United can build a back line around.

He was terrific during Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Watford. The England international never let himself be fooled by the varied movement along the Hornets’ fluid forward line.

It meant not being drawn too far infield when Roberto Pereyra drifted off the flank and rotated positions with Gerard Deulofeu. Shaw also won his one-on-one battles and stayed strong in the air.

When it came time to breaking forward, the 23-year-old showcased technique, pace and vision any quality attacker would be proud of. Shaw’s eye for a pass was unerring when he slid an inch-perfect ball to release Marcus Rashford in behind to score the Red Devils’ opener.

Shaw has already staked his claim as one of the players Solskjaer will lean on to make his tenure a long-term success.

Defender: Wes Morgan, Leicester

Brendan Rodgers has got Leicester back on track by making key members of the Foxes’ old guard feel valued again. One such proven asset is 35-year-old Wes Morgan, who headed in the opener as Leicester beat Bournemouth 2-0 at home on Saturday.

Morgan’s recent scoring run has been vital in Leicester’s three-match winning streak since Rodgers took over. The veteran center-back has also restored the type of physicality and calm authority at the back the Foxes showed during their memorable title-winning 2015-16 campaign.

Rodgers needs to rely on the experience and stability of a Morgan-led back four. A firm foundation will give Leicester the platform to the play in the expansive style Rodgers loves.

Defender: James Tarkowski, Burnley

Keeping a Wolves team lethal on the counter this season scoreless is no mean feat. Burnley managed it thanks largely to the resolute performance of James Tarkowski.

The rugged and industrious center-back stayed tight to versatile forward Diogo Jota for 90 minutes at Turf Moor. He denied the 22-year-old time on the ball to release runners with clever flicks, as well as limiting the space to turn and unleash shots from in and around the box.

Jota and fellow wide attacker Ivan Cavaleiro also got no change out of Tarkowski in the aerial duels. Instead, the Burnley man kept Wolves’ most dangerous players quiet.

In doing so, Tarkowski was as responsible for the Clarets’ 2-0 win as any other player. His consistency will be key to Burnley beating the drop.

Defender: Patrick van Aanholt, Crystal Palace

In spells with Sunderland and Palace, Patrick van Aanholt has been one of the most quietly consistent full-backs in the Premier League. The Dutchman is rarely a liability defensively and has always proved a menace going forward.

Van Aanholt was typically enterprising and solid as the Eagles sent Huddersfield down thanks to a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park on Saturday. He was a relentless runner from deep, offering Palace an invaluable attacking outlet.

Those runs were vital as winger and attacking talisman Wilfried Zaha took time to find his stride. Van Aanholt was eventually rewarded for his endeavour when he met a Zaha pass with a fierce strike to confirm the Terriers’ fate.

Unlike Huddersfield, Palace can trust their ability to steer clear of the drop thanks to the talent and experience of established names like Van Aanholt.

Midfielder: Bernard, Everton

True South American flair wasn’t in short supply when Everton beat West Ham 2-0 at the London Stadium on Saturday. Bernard provided it for the Toffees with an imperious display defined by intelligent runs and artful passing.

Everton combined effortlessly through midfield, with Brazil international Bernard usually the one to provide the spark further forward. His inspiration in the final third kept Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski busy.

Eventually class told as Bernard added cutting edge to his creativity by netting Everton’s decisive second goal. Finding the net has surprisingly not come easy for a player gifted with such natural technique.

Everton boss Marco Silva will have the Toffees worrying the top six next season if he can coax more consistency from this diminutive magician.

Midfielder: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Southampton

Southampton won’t be relegated as long as a workhorse as skilled as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg runs the midfield. The former Bayern Munich man showcased his big-club pedigree with a talisman-like performance during Saturday’s 1-0 win away to Brighton.

Hojbjerg was combative, cultured and composed against the Seagulls. His passing was incisive between the lines, while the Denmark international rarely mis-timed a tackle.

It was fitting Hojbjerg netted the winner when he made a sudden but calculated run from deep to beat the Brighton offside trap. Immaculate close control followed before the 23-year-old guided a cute finish beyond Mat Ryan in the Seagulls’ goal.

Hojbjerg has combined industry with ingenuity all season. His talents belong at a higher level, but for the moment, he is the general in the middle who will keep the Saints out of the bottom three.

Midfielder: Gylfi Sigurdsson, Everton

Gylfi Sigurdsson is as capable as any playmaker at the highest level when he turns on the style. The classy No. 10 was at his best as the Toffees led West Ham a merry dance in east London.

Sigurdsson ghosted in and out of pockets of space between the midfield and forward lines. His perceptive movement ensured the 29-year-old always had the time and room to pick his passes and manufacture shooting chances.

Technique and accuracy from set pieces have long been hallmarks of Sigurdsson’s game. He offered a reminder of those skills when his corner in the fifth minute dropped invitingly for Kurt Zouma to head in Everton’s opener.

Sigurdsson is the ideal craftsman to thrive in Silva’s grand design of midfield schemers dovetailing with one another.

Midfielder: Bernardo Silva, Manchester City

Bernardo Silva now looks at home during his second season with the Citizens. In fact, the former Monaco ace is steadily becoming the creative fulcrum of manager Pep Guardiola’s team.

It’s quite a distinction in a squad featuring fellow artful types such as David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan. Silva exceeded all three as the star turn during Saturday’s 2-0 win away to Fulham.

He opened the scoring by sweeping in an angled left-footed shot on the turn after just five minutes.

Silva wasn’t done though, as he continued to give City a spare man in the final third. The freedom he enjoyed eventually translated into an assist when he teed up Sergio Aguero 18 minutes before the break.

City didn’t score again, but it wasn’t for Silva’s lack of trying. His trickery, vision and shooting power are making the 24-year-old the midfielder teams should fear ahead of City’s more established names.

Striker: Lucas Moura, Tottenham

Lucas Moura is the only player from a losing team to make this week’s lineup. Yet a pat on the back is more than mere consolation for the Brazilian who ran Liverpool ragged on Merseyside.

Playing as a second striker in support of Harry Kane, Moura was direct and incisive in exploiting defensive gaps. His pace gave the Reds’ rugged back four numerous problems and opened pockets of space for teammates.

His willingness to take on defenders provided impetus for an otherwise cagey Tottenham team. The former Paris Saint-Germain winger also offered subtle variety in his movement, never hesitating to take up space in central areas whenever Kane dropped off the front or peeled onto the flank.

A goal was the least Moura merited for an outstanding performance from a mercurial talent who should be a regular in Spurs’ best XI.

Striker: Roberto Firmino, Liverpool

Firmino’s 16th-minute header was no less impressive just because Andrew Robertson’s fine cross made the finish routine. Firmino is far from a classic center-forward, but his ability to win in the air is a throwback to the game’s finest traditions.

He didn’t score again, but Firmino still had Spurs defenders chasing shaodws. His pace, flair and sense of space routinely pulled the Lilywhites’ back five out of shape.

While Mohamed Salah continued to toil amid what is a lengthy goal drought, Firmino’s typically deft touches and thoughtful runs maintained Liverpool’s considerable threat.

Firmino isn’t as prolific as last season, but the astute No. 9, who isn’t a No. 9 at all, should have a big say in where the title ends up.