Phenomenal Kluivert, super-sub Núñez: symbolic team of Matchday 22 in the Premier League according to Dailysports

From January 18-20, Matchday 22 of the Premier League took place.

Bournemouth thrashed Newcastle away, while Brentford, West Ham, and Leicester secured identical 2-0 away wins against Liverpool, Crystal Palace, and Fulham, respectively. Arsenal missed out on a win against Aston Villa.

In their match against Brighton, Manchester United suffered their sixth home defeat of the season. Everton and Nottingham both won with identical scores of 3-2 against Tottenham and Southampton, respectively. Manchester City demolished Ipswich away, and Chelsea defeated Wolverhampton.

We present the symbolic team of Matchday 22 in the Premier League.

Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno (Fulham)

In the match against Leicester, the 32-year-old German goalkeeper made three saves and kept a clean sheet. This marked Leno’s 100th career clean sheet.

Right-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Trent recorded three clearances, two interceptions, and one tackle in the match against Brentford. His passing accuracy was 87%, including five key passes and crosses. In stoppage time, Alexander-Arnold delivered a precise pass to Núñez, who opened the scoring.

Center-back: Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth)

In the second half against Newcastle, the 19-year-old Dutch-Spanish defender cleared the ball off the goal line twice. He also recorded three tackles, two interceptions, 81% passing accuracy, and won four of five duels on the ground and in the air. Huijsen came close to scoring but missed the target.

Left-back: Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth)

In Matchday 22, the Hungarian made two clearances and two interceptions. His passing accuracy was 84%, including one cross and three long passes. Kerkez won four of six duels on the ground and in the air. All three of his dribble attempts were successful. In the 90+6th minute, the Hungarian scored against Newcastle, sealing the final score.

Defensive midfielder: Idrissa Gueye (Everton)

The 35-year-old Senegalese delivered 95% passing accuracy in the match against Tottenham. He created two chances, both leading to goals. Additionally, Gueye won seven of nine duels on the ground and in the air, made three tackles, two clearances, two interceptions, and blocked one shot.

Midfielder: Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City)

The 30-year-old Croatian scored and assisted in the match against Ipswich, marking his first Premier League contributions since late October. Kovačić completed 96% of his passes, including three key passes and two long balls. He created two chances, won four of six ground duels, made one successful dribble, one clearance, and three tackles.

Midfielder: Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth)

With three goals and an assist, the 25-year-old Dutchman was Bournemouth's hero against Newcastle. Kluivert secured his second away hat-trick of the season. At St. James’ Park, Justin scored more goals in one match than his legendary father did while playing for Newcastle.

Right winger: Phil Foden (Manchester City)

In the match against Ipswich, Foden recorded two goals and an assist. The 24-year-old Englishman has now contributed in four consecutive games. In Matchday 22, Foden completed 89% of his passes, including two long balls and two key passes.

Left winger: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)

The hero for Brighton against Manchester United was the 27-year-old Japanese player. In the 5th minute, he assisted Minta, and in the 60th minute, Jankuba returned the favor with an assist to Mitoma. This season, Mitoma has once again taken on the leadership role for Brighton, scoring five goals and providing three assists in 22 matches. Mitoma has scored 15 goals in the Premier League, more than any other Japanese player.

Striker: Darwin Núñez (Liverpool)

Before Matchday 22, Arne Slot admitted he had yet to fully unlock Núñez’s potential. But in a tied match against Brentford, the Uruguayan secured Liverpool’s victory. Coming on as a substitute in the 65th minute, Núñez managed four shots, two of which found the net.

Striker: Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

In Matchday 22, Jean-Philippe was the standout player against West Ham, scoring twice. One goal came from open play, and the other from the penalty spot. Mateta had three shots, provided one key pass, and created a goal-scoring chance. The Frenchman has now contributed in three consecutive matches for the London club.

Coach: Arne Slot (Liverpool)

For the second consecutive match, Liverpool’s points were secured by players Slot brought on as substitutes in the 65th minute. In the previous round, it was Tsimikas and Jota; this time, Darwin Núñez made the difference against Brentford. In Matchday 22, Slot’s players fired a record 37 shots against the Bees.