Team of the Week: Cunha and Foden take centre stage as Undav and Barkley impress again
Here is our latest Team of the Week:
Goalkeeper
Mark Flekken (Brentford) 9.4
Despite conceding three goals to a rampant Manchester City, Flekken prevented the scoreline from looking much worse for his side.
The Dutch shot-stopper made a remarkable 12 saves throughout the match, with nine of those coming in a tremendous first half where he almost single-handedly kept the reigning champions at bay.
Flekken also became the first goalkeeper to register an assist in the Premier League this season, setting up Neal Maupay for Brentford's opener.
Defence
Ignacio Rivero (Cruz Azul) 8.4
Never one to turn down an opportunity to bomb forward, Ignacio Rivero showed his attacking threat with a goal and an assist in Cruz Azul's 3-1 triumph over Queretaro on Saturday.
The Uruguayan full-back scored just his second goal of the campaign with an instinctive header that found its way into the net via the underside of the crossbar.
Lewis Dunk (Brighton) 8.4
Lewis Dunk led from the front in the M23 derby, heading home Brighton's opener in a convincing victory over rivals Crystal Palace.
Aside from his goal, the English international oversaw a vastly improved defensive performance from the Seagulls, limiting the visitors to an xG of just 0.32.
Yuri Berchiche (Athletic Bilbao) 8.6
Bilbao's left-back produced an inspired display against Mallorca, finding the net with a pair of acrobatic strikes that even the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be proud of.
Berchiche opened the scoring inside three minutes with a stupendous flick into the far corner, before doubling his tally shortly afterwards with an equally impressive volley from 12 yards.
Midfield
Benjamin Andre (Lille) 9.1
Lille moved into the Ligue 1 top four over the weekend, and crucial to their dominant victory over rock-bottom Clermont was the performance of experienced midfielder and captain Benjamin Andre.
Not only did Andre get himself on the scoresheet with a well-taken header, he also made seven tackles, three interceptions and finished with an 86.5% pass success rate.
Pascal Gross (Brighton) 9.1
Brighton’s always-reliable Pascal Gross added a touch of class to proceedings against local rivals Crystal Palace, providing two assists in a blockbuster first-half showing from the Seagulls.
It was Gross’ second assist of the match which really caught the eye, with the German international cutting inside Joachim Andersen on the edge of the box before playing a sublime reverse pass into the path of Facundo Buonanotte who stroked home.
Ross Barkley (Luton) 9.4
In a thrilling match with several standout performances all over the pitch, it was Ross Barkley who once again came up trumps for Luton.
The influential midfielder controlled large spells of the match for the visitors, tucking home an equaliser shortly before half time and then producing an excellent assist for Luton's fourth in the second half.
Phil Foden (Manchester City) 9.5
Phil Foden has earned plenty of plaudits during his young career so far, but the Englishman’s form this season continues to go from strength to strength after another match-winning display against Brentford.
Foden drew his side level on the stroke of half time with a smart finish and then added two goals in the second period to cap off a memorable night’s work in west London.
Attack
Taylor Booth (Utrecht) 9.3
Having failed to find the net in his 10 previous Eredivisie appearances this season, Taylor Booth showed no signs of rustiness in front of goal against FC Volendam.
The American grabbed an impressive hat-trick to lead Utrecht to a comfortable 4-2 win - a proud day for the Booth family given it was Taylor's younger brother, Zach, who had opened the scoring for the visitors.
Matheus Cunha (Wolves) 10
A perfect score tells you all you need to know about Matheus Cunha's magnificent performance at Stamford Bridge.
Accompanied by Pedro Neto and Pablo Sarabia, the Brazilian delivered a masterclass in front of goal, becoming the first-ever Wolves player to score a Premier League hat-trick away from home.
Cunha's first might have been a tad fortuitous, but his second was expertly taken after great work by Neto and the third from the penalty spot was only made possible after his marauding run towards goal was halted by a sliding Malo Gusto.
Deniz Undav (Stuttgart) 9.4
With top scorer Serhou Guirassy still unavailable, Deniz Undav has more than stepped up for Stuttgart in recent weeks.
Fresh from a superb hat-trick against RB Leipzig last weekend, the German forward produced another stellar display against Freiburg.
Undav notched a goal and an assist inside seven minutes to give Stuttgart a dream start before setting up his side's third late on in the second half. That's now 13 goals in 17 league matches for the Brighton loanee.
