De Bruyne’s brilliance and Salah's great performance: Team of the Matchday 14 by Dailysports

From December 3 to 5, matches of the 14th round of the Premier League 2024/25 took place. The midweek round was marked by Manchester City's first win in eight matches (3-0) and a goal fest between Newcastle and Liverpool (3-3). Chelsea and Everton achieved significant victories over Southampton and Wolverhampton, respectively.

There was an impressive debut for Ruud van Nistelrooy on the Leicester managerial bench, while Ruben Amorim failed his first test in the Premier League.

Here is the symbolic team of the 14th Premier League round.

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Goalkeeper: David Raya (Arsenal)

Arsenal's corner kicks played a decisive role in the match against Manchester United. However, without the confident performance of Spanish goalkeeper Raya, the "Gunners" might not have enjoyed the same success.

In the 66th minute, with Arsenal leading 1-0, Raya made a spectacular save after Matthijs de Ligt’s header heading for the far corner.

Central defender: William Saliba (Arsenal)

The Frenchman not only brilliantly blocked Thomas Partey’s shot in the 73rd minute but also recorded 94% passing accuracy, won a foul, and made a successful interception and tackle.

Central defender: Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth)

The 19-year-old central defender made 10 clearances and four tackles over 90 minutes, winning all duels—both on the ground (4) and in the air (1). Most notably, in the 17th minute, Huijsen scored the only goal of the match, from a corner kick, marking his debut goal for Bournemouth. He also became the youngest goalscorer in the club's Premier League history.

Right-back: Ashley Young (Everton)

The 39-year-old defender continues to defy his age. In the 10th minute of the match against Wolverhampton, he opened the scoring, becoming the oldest Premier League player to score from a direct free-kick. Additionally, Young made 4 interceptions and 7 tackles.

Left-back: Victor Kristiansen (Leicester)

In the match against West Ham, Victor made five tackles, blocked the ball three times, and completed 88% of his passes. One of those passes led to a goal for Leicester. In the 90th minute, Kristiansen sent a long ball to Patson Daka, who scored Leicester's third goal.

Defensive midfielder: Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle)

The Brazilian didn’t score but was involved in all three of his team's goals. First, he made a long pass to Alexander Isak, who opened the scoring against Liverpool. Then Bruno made an assist for Isak, who in turn set up Anthony Gordon's goal. Finally, in the 90th minute, when it seemed Liverpool had completed their comeback, Guimaraes took a free kick, and Fabian Schar capitalized on a mistake by Caoimhín Kelleher to secure a sensational draw for Newcastle.

Central midfielder: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

The Belgian made his first start in three months and immediately showed how crucial he is for the team. In the 8th minute, a header from De Bruyne was only slightly redirected into the net by Bernardo Silva. Twenty-one minutes later, De Bruyne himself scored. He had three more opportunities to score, all of which forced the opposing goalkeeper into action.

Central midfielder: Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)

You can’t overlook the Frenchman in Manchester City’s lineup. Against Nottingham, he was a constant threat on the left wing, drawing two defenders and setting up De Bruyne for the second goal. In the 57th minute, Doku found the net himself. Towards the end of the match, he almost scored again but sent the ball over the bar after dancing past three defenders.

Left winger: Bilal El Khannouss (Leicester)

The 20-year-old Moroccan stunned West Ham in the 2nd minute by evading several players and providing a brilliant assist to Jamie Vardy. An hour later, he responded to a pass from Casey McAtire, found space, and with a precise shot doubled Leicester's lead. These were his first assists and goals for Leicester.

Right winger: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Salah was involved in all three of Liverpool’s goals against Newcastle. First, he assisted Curtis Jones, then he scored a brace and nearly secured three points for Liverpool, had it not been for a costly mistake from Caoimhín Kelleher. Salah could have completed a hat-trick, but the crossbar denied him. Nevertheless, his two goals pushed him ahead of Erling Haaland in the Premier League top scorer race, with 13 goals to Haaland’s 12.

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Central forward: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

The 28-year-old Englishman was named the best player of the Aston Villa vs Brentford match. He provided an assist, won a penalty, and converted it. Watkins made 89% of his passes and won two fouls.

Manager: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)

November is now behind Manchester City like a bad dream. In the 14th round, Pep’s men finally broke their seven-match winless streak, hammering Nottingham 3-0. Guardiola’s decision to lock himself in his office before the match, avoiding phone calls while strategizing, clearly paid off.