Premier League TOTW Gameweek 16: Tottenham dominate after five-star performance | OneFootball

Amad Diallo is looking very much undroppable following his Manchester Derby heroics.

The 22-year-old Man United winger never stopped running and working hard as the Red Devils made a remarkable comeback in their 195th meeting with Premier League champions Manchester City.

Diallo joined United as a highly sought-after prospect from Atalanta in January 2021. However, he initially found it challenging to make an impact at Old Trafford, managing only 12 appearances across all competitions last season. Despite these limited opportunities, he made a noteworthy impression such as scoring the extra-time winner in a thrilling 4-3 FA Cup victory over Liverpool, en route to lifting the trophy.

He won the penalty that led to Bruno Fernandes’ equaliser against Pep Guardiola’s struggling team, and then he netted the winner shortly afterwards. He is the sole representative from United in our Team of the Week for gameweek 16, which features four Tottenham players following their 5-0 victory over Southampton.

We’ve utilised our Squawka Score to determine the eleven selections, based on the statistical leaders in metrics relevant to their positions. As always, we’ve also included an honourable mention XI for additional recognition.

GK: Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Before facing Everton, Arsenal had scored in their last seven home Premier League matches, averaging 2.43 goals per game. Jordan Pickford needed to be at his best. England’s number-one goalkeeper delivered for the perennial strugglers from Merseyside, making five saves (all inside the penalty area) while preventing 1.81 goals. This was his sixth clean sheet of the season and by far his most impressive, considering the calibre of the onslaught he faced.

Honourable mention: Arijanet Muric (78%)

RB: Djed Spence (Tottenham)

In the opening half-hour of Tottenham’s emphatic 5-0 win over Southampton, Djed Spence — making his Premier League debut for Spurs — was bombing down the right flank, and it took him just 36 seconds to contribute, setting up James Maddison’s opener. When Destiny Udogie was forced to leave the match due to injury and was replaced by Pedro Porro, Spence shifted to a left-back role. However, his most significant impact on the game had already occurred.

Honourable mention: Malo Gusto (66%)

CB: Radu Dragusin (Tottenham)

The temporary absence of Mickey van de Ven and Cristian Romero was not noticeable against a struggling Southampton, but this should not overshadow Radu Dragusin’s outstanding performance. He recorded an impressive 92.22% retention rate and was consistently alert, as demonstrated by his four interceptions that helped retain possession. Additionally, he won all of his ground duels and successfully initiated two offside traps.

Honourable mention: Murillo (73%)

CB: Nikola Milenkovic (Nottingham Forest)

It has been some time since the Premier League featured a strong Serbian centre-back, and the growing comparisons between Nikola Milenkovic and his footballing idol, Nemanja Vidic, are becoming increasingly justified. In his recent match against Champions League contender Aston Villa, Milenkovic delivered another outstanding performance, making six clearances and achieving an impressive retention rate of 94%. He also excelled in both aerial and ground duels, winning every encounter.

Honourable mention: Cameron Burgess (73%)

LB: Lewis Hall (Newcastle)

Lewis Hall dominated the left side during Newcastle’s 4-0 victory over Leicester. He recorded the most touches, completed the most passes, and created the most chances, which included one assist. This impressive performance earned him praise from head coach Eddie Howe.

“Lewis has been very consistent,” he said post-match. He has been a shining light for us, for someone so young that is not easy to do. I think his technical ability has been outstanding, defensively he has been pretty good, how he has handled himself and his maturity on and off the pitch has been high level.”

Honourable mention: Antonee Robinson (70%)

CM: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)

Hall’s former teammate Elliot Anderson is one key reason behind Nottingham Forest’s impressive rise in the Premier League standings. In their recent victory over Aston Villa, he recorded one intentional assist, made two interceptions, won five tackles and 13 total duels. If that wasn’t impressive enough, he also achieved an 87.5% success rate on passes into the final third.

Honourable mention: Ryan Christie (77%)

CM: Pape Sarr (Tottenham)

Pape Sarr delivered another impressive performance, even though it was against weaker opposition. He was unstoppable against Southampton, contributing effectively on both ends of the field. Sarr registered a goal, made four interceptions, successfully won three tackles, and completed all of his attempted take-ons.

Honourable mention: Bruno Guimarães (73%)

RW: Amad Diallo (Man United)

Before initiating Manchester United’s comeback, Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville noted that, while Ruben Amorim’s side was down 1-0, Amad Diallo was the only Red Devil performing at an acceptable level. In a span of five minutes, Diallo single-handedly turned the match around. Ultimately, it was a breakthrough performance; he had the joint-most shots (4), the most touches in the opposition box (9), and completed the most dribbles in the match (5).

Honourable mention: Bukayo Saka (76%)

No.10: Matheus Cunha (Wolves)

Not everyone in our Team of the Week has to be on a winning side. Matheus Cunha, once again, saw his Wolves team lose, plunging further into a relegation battle that no one anticipated. His frustration boiled over at full-time, and he could be facing an FA suspension. Despite this, he scored another goal and created two additional chances.

Honourable mention: Ismaïla Sarr (75%)

LW: Son Heung-Min (Tottenham)

Reports have emerged that Son could reunite with his former Tottenham teammate Harry Kane at Bayern Munich. In the meantime, the South Korean forward delivered another impressive performance, scoring against Southampton and assisting on two more goals—all within just 45 minutes.

Honourable mention: Anthony Gordon (79%)

ST: Alexander Isak (Newcastle)

Perhaps the most in-form striker in the Premier League, Isak scored in his third consecutive match, bringing his total for the season to seven goals, with six of those scored in his last eight appearances. He also contributed his fourth assist of the 2024-25 season in Newcastle’s impressive victory over relegation-threatened Leicester.