Premier League TOTW Gameweek 30: Chelsea duo shine vs Spurs and Liverpool win Merseyside derby | OneFootball

Liverpool took another huge step toward the Premier League title in midweek with a 1-0 win over Merseyside rivals Everton.

The Reds are now 12 points clear of Arsenal with just eight games to go. But while Diogo Jota will take the headlines for the winning goal at Anfield, he was not the shining light for Arne Slot.

Who was? Well, read on for our Squawka Score-backed team of the week for Gameweek 30, which also features huge performances from a Chelsea duo and a surprise Southampton inclusion.

GK: Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)

Nottingham Forest’s march to the Champions League continued with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester United. Former Red Devils forward Anthony Elanga grabbed the headlines with his goal after just five minutes but the victory simply doesn’t happen without Matz Sels, who made five saves and prevented 0.41 goals on the night. The Belgian — who has been the joint-second-best goalkeeper in the league this season according to the Squawka Score — only completed nine of his 32 passes on a night where he faced immense pressure, but his saves and subsequent clean sheet rendered that meaningless and ultimately counted for as much as a goal.

Honourable mention: Emiliano Martinez (76%)

RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United)

West Ham fell to another disappointing defeat away at Wolves on Tuesday but Aaron Wan-Bissaka can walk away with his head held high. The former Man Utd and Crystal Palace man was immense on the right flank, creating one big chance to the tune of 0.14 xA, while playing six passes into the final third and attempting three crosses. Defensively, Wan-Bissaka was as dominant as ever, making seven tackles — winning five, a match-high — six clearances, five recoveries and two interceptions.

Honourable mention: Tino Livramento (68%)

CB: Matt Doherty (Wolves)

Better known for his time as a wing-back, Matt Doherty has taken well to life as a third centre-back. On Tuesday, the Irishman won both his attempted tackles and all three of his aerial duels, while making nine clearances, five recoveries, one block and one interception to help Wolves to a clean sheet and three points against West Ham that puts them so close to safety. Doherty even had time to create one chance, play six passes into the final third and complete both his attempted dribbles, clearly not forgetting the qualities that made him an excellent wing-back.

Honourable mention: Trevoh Chalobah (72%)

CB: Pau Torres (Aston Villa)

In his first Premier League start of 2025, Pau Torres did a great job of letting Villa know just how much they’ve missed him. The Spaniard was utterly dominant in their 3-0 win over Brighton, winning five of his seven duels — including one of his two tackles — while making eight clearances, three interceptions, one block and one recovery. Torres was also typically assured on the ball, with a 90% pass completion rate and six passes into the final third.

Honourable mention: Maxence Lacroix (69%)

LB: Patrick Dorgu (Manchester United)

Like Wan-Bissaka, Patrick Dorgu came out on the losing side this week, but can be thrilled with his individual performance. The young Dane also created one big chance, but his was worth 0.60 xA and he’ll be fuming with Harry Maguire heading wide. On top of that, Dorgu had seven touches in the opposition box, five passes into the final third, five crosses attempted and a 100% dribble success rate. Defensively, he won his only tackle, made two clearances and five recoveries, and wasn’t dribbled past once. The 20-year-old also won six of his eight duels.

DM:  Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)

Ilkay Gundogan has forged a career as a goalscoring box-to-box midfielder but here, we’re giving him a defensive midfield spot. That’s because he made three tackles, eight recoveries and one clearance to help Man City utterly dominate against Leicester on Wednesday. Of course, Gundogan still had time to create two chances and play 11 passes into the final third as well.

Honourable mention: Ryan Gravenberch (73%)

CM: Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)

Enzo Fernandez’s resurgent season continued on Thursday as he headed home the winner from close range in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory against London rivals Tottenham. But the Argentine’s performance was about far more than just a goal, with Fernandez completing 41 of his 45 passes (91%) and creating one big chance, while also playing nine passes into the final third and having six touches in the opposition box. Fernandez also did his bit to shut down Spurs, winning his one attempted tackle alongside four recoveries and one interception.

Honourable mention: Joao Gomes (73%)

RW: Savinho (Manchester City)

Man City ended their two-game Premier League winless streak with a comfortable 2-o victory over Leicester, even if it was a little underwhelming. One player who did sufficiently whelm was Savinho, with the Brazilian winger creating a whopping five chances on the night, including the assist for Jack Grealish’s early opener. Savinho also completed two of his four dribbles and contributed out of possession with two tackles won from two attempts and an interception.

Honourable mention: Jacob Murphy (72%)

AM: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

Cole Palmer finally ended a shocking 10-game run without a direct goal involvement (all competitions) with the assist for Fernandez’s winner against Spurs. It was thoroughly deserved, too, with the England star creating two chances and attempting two shots to the tune of 0.52 xGOT, so he really should have grabbed a goal of his own as well. Palmer may be misfiring slightly but his work rate has not dropped. In fact, he won all three of his tackles on Thursday, while making three clearances and four recoveries.

Honourable mention: Marco Asensio (76%)

LW: Luis Diaz (Liverpool)

Diogo Jota took the headlines for scoring the winner in the Merseyside derby, but it’s Luis Diaz who gave Everton serious headaches. The Colombian was immense at Anfield, creating a match-high six chances and completing five of his six dribbles — more than any other player on the pitch. Diaz was relentless, attempting three shots of his own and shutting Everton down with two tackles. Diaz is unplayable in this form.

Honourable mention: Gabriel Martinelli (67%)

ST: Paul Onuachu (Southampton)

Southampton were so, so close to just their third win of the season, but Matheus Franca denied them in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. But they are, at least, in double figures now and they can thank Paul Onuachu for that. The Nigerian striker did nothing pretty against Palace, completing just 11 of his 21 passes (52%). However, he did win seven of his 13 aerial duels and had seven touches in the opposition box, heading home the opening goal of the game after 20 minutes. Onuachu has doubled his Premier League tally for the season in his last two games, but it’s all a little too late for the Saints.