Premier League TOTW Gameweek 7: West Ham dominate after impressive win | OneFootball

The 2024-25 Premier League is off for another international break. But it went out after an interesting gameweek seven.

Liverpool held onto their place at the top of the table for the break, with Manchester City and Arsenal just a point behind them. A small gap has opened up to the rest, with both Chelsea and Aston Villa dropping points.

At the other end of the table, Leicester City got their first win of the season to lift themselves three points clear of the relegation zone. But Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers remain winless.

So, which players have made the Squawka Premier League Team of the Week for gameweek seven? We’ve used our Squawka Score to determine the 11 picks, based on the statistical leaders for metrics relevant to their positions. And we’ve also shown an honourable mention for each position.

GK: Jordan Pickford (Everton)

There mere a few standout performances among goalkeepers this week, but Jordan Pickford just pipped his rivals. The Englishman kept a clean sheet in Everton‘s goalless draw with Newcastle United as they stretched their unbeaten run to three matches. Of course, the standout moment was his penalty save against former Toffee Anthony Gordon, one of three stops Pickford made. Including the penalty, Pickford prevented 0.86 goals this weekend.

Honourable mention: Matz Sels (82%)

RB: Thomas Partey (Arsenal)

No, your eyes do not deceive you. If you missed Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday, they did deal with their issues at right-back by playing Thomas Partey out of position. And he was excellent. The Ghanaian won four tackles during his time on the pitch, and two interceptions while retaining possession. He made two clearances, 10 final third entries and two touches in the opposition box, while Arsenal also faced just two shots on target with Partey.

Honourable mention: Trent Alexander-Arnold (73%)

CB: Caleb Okoli (Leicester)

Leicester fought hard for their first win of the season, coming with a clean sheet against Bournemouth. Caleb Okoli started at the heart of their defence once again and was an absolute rock at the back. The Italian made a massive 10 clearances against Bournemouth, the second-most of any player in the Premier League this weekend. He won three aerial duels and made seven ball recoveries, with only two centre-backs managing more of the latter.

Honourable mention: Ibrahima Konate (73%)

CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Speaking of rocks. Virgil van Dijk was at his best against Crystal Palace, even if it was probably fortunate not to concede a penalty. The Liverpool captain won a whopping eight aerial duels, more than any other player in the Premier League this weekend. He also had a success rate of 88.9%. On the floor he was unbeatable, winning all of his ground duels. Van Dijk also ranked top for long passes completed among outfield players, with nine in total.

Honourable mention: Jonny Evans (74%)

LB: Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves)

Wolves may have lost 5-3 to Brentford on Saturday, but Rayan Ait-Nouri was one of the few players who could leave the match with their head held high. The left-back scored and assisted in the defeat, with two crosses completed and four touches in the opposition box. He wasn’t the major defensive issue either. Ait-Nouri made two interceptions retaining possession, won possession four times in the defensive third and won three aerial duels.

Honourable mention: Lewis Hall (69%)

DM: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)

This was yet another solid performance from Ryan Gravenberch at the base of Liverpool’s midfield. His score is slightly hurt by being given three unsuccessful touches by Opta, with his retention rate at 88.89%. But the Dutchman had an open play passing accuracy of 92.41% and completed six passes into the final third. Defensively, Gravenberch chipped in with two interceptions retaining possession.

Honourable mention: Bruno Guimaraes (71%)

CM: Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)

West Ham United were the biggest winners of the weekend, beating Ipswich by a three-goal margin. Lucas Paqueta was one of the West Ham men to find the net, scoring West Ham’s fourth. And that capped off a good personal performance. The Brazilian won possession once in the attacking third, won one tackle, made one interception retaining possession and had 10 final third entries.

Honourable mention: James Maddison (67%)

CM: Mateo Kovacic (Man City)

Mateo Kovacic was the two-goal hero for Man City in their win over Fulham, but as a midfielder he continues to intrigue. The Croatian lost two challenges and completed one of his two take-ons. But he also had six final third entries, two possessions won in the middle third and completed 89.7% of his total passes.

Honourable mention: Dejan Kulusevski (64%)

W: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)

Our second West Ham man, Jarrod Bowen ended the win over Ipswich with a goal and an assist. The Englishman, who was snubbed from the latest England squad, posted an xA of 1.04 against Ipswich, more than any other player this weekend. He also had an xG over-performance of 0.61. Offensively, Bowen also created two big chances and had three shots on target, with five penalty area entries. He won possession three times in the attacking third, with only one player managing more this weekend.

Honourable mention: Facundo Bounanotte (79%)

ST: Michail Antonio (West Ham)

Capping off our West Ham trio, Michail Antonio opened the scoring for the Hammers in the opening minute. It was one of two shots on target for the Jamaican, who played 70 minutes at the London Stadium. Antonio also created two big chances for his teammates, with only two players creating more this weekend.

Honourable mention: Kai Havertz (72%)

W: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Bukayo Saka was directly involved in all three of Arsenal’s goals in their victory over Southampton. The Englishman set up the first two and scored the third as the Gunners came from behind. That alone who rank Saka high, but the winger was a serious threat across the pitch. He had an xA of 0.93 and created three big chances, with no player creating more. Saka also won possession four times in the attacking third, the most in the Premier League this weekend. His 15 touches in the opposition box was also only bettered by one player this weekend.