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Those who were brave enough to go with West Brom’s defensive options have been rewarded as Alan Pardew picked up his first win as the Baggies manager on Saturday.
West Brom overcame Brighton 2-0 at The Hawthorns with defensive duo Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson producing disciplined and goal scoring displays to keep Chris Hughton’s side at bay.
Those who backed Marko Arnautovic to maintain his recent run of form were also big scorers as Sportsmail puts together a look at the fantasy football team of the weekend across the Premier League.
Schmeichel would have been an interesting pick as Leicester traveled to Chelsea after Antonio Conte’s men had failed to score in their last two games.
However, it takes a robust defensive display to keep the Blues out at home and that is exactly what the Dane served up as he produced a number of brilliant stops to seal a point for his team.
Evans may well be in line for a transfer to a top six club but it still would have taken a brave soul to install any West Brom defender into their line-up.
However, Pardew recorded his first win as Baggies manager on Saturday and Evans was a key figure in the game. Not only did he keep a clean sheet but the Northern Irishman also opened the scoring.
One West Brom defender was a risk. Two would have been unthinkable. However, anyone who had both Evans and Craig Dawson would have been delighted on Saturday night.
Dawson, like Evans, also earned an emphatic 14 points as he too scored a goal and managed to keep Brighton out.
Valencia finally returned to action following a hamstring injury on Monday night and it appeared the break did him the world of good as he fired his team ahead in the ninth minute.
The Ecuador international collected a crossfield pass from Paul Pogba and unleashed a stunning shot beyond Jack Butland into the top corner. A clean sheet was an added bonus, handing him 14 points for the week.
West Ham’s South American star combined beautifully with Arnautovic all afternoon, scoring twice as David Moyes’ men blew Huddersfield away 4-1 on Saturday.
Lanzini first finished expertly into the far corner with a low, drilled finish before he completed the scoring five minutes later by slamming the ball home following a powerful run from his Austrian team-mate.
Ward-Prowse scored his first two goals of the Premier League season in the Saints’ 2-2 with Watford on Saturday.
The homegrown talent produced two composed finishes as he appeared to put his side on track for all three points before a blatant handball from Abdoulaye Doucoure snatched a point for the Hornets late on.
Son continues to show his importance to Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Despite Harry Kane receiving all the plaudits, the South Korean continues to score important goals for Spurs.
He equaled Jermain Defoe’s record of scoring in five consecutive home league matches during the 4-0 win over Everton with a close-range finish and also provided an assist at Wembley.
Any Liverpool player would have been in contention for a place in the team following their stunning 4-3 win over Manchester City but it is the deadly Egyptian who made the cut once again.
Salah scored his side’s fourth goal when he capitalised on a poor clearance from Ederson before firing into an empty net from distance. He also won possession and provided the crucial pass which led to Sadio Mane putting Liverpool 3-1 ahead in the second-half goal rush at Anfield.
As Pep Guardiola’s side saw their unbeaten Premier League record come to a shuddering halt at Anfield, players to have selected Gundogan would have been more than happy with his efforts.
The German midfielder saw his blocked shot fall into the path of Bernardo Silva, who made it 4-2 in the closing stages, before he then scored a goal of his own to set up a nervy finish on Merseyside.
Arnautovic continues to impress for David Moyes and he put Huddersfield to the sword on Saturday with an emphatic performance.
Deployed as a striker, the Austrian showed aggression, pace and an eye for goal as he scored his side’s second and set-up Lanzini twice at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Another game, another brace for Tottenham’s lethal striker.
Both goals were relatively simple for a forward of Kane’s calibre as he beat Jordan Pickford from close range twice to score 12 points for the week.
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