Premier League Team of the Week: Romero and Igor Thiago the picks of the bunch

Igor Thiago celebrates
Igor Thiago celebratesJohn Walton / PA Images / Profimedia

With the busy festive period finally drawing to a close, the last round of Premier League fixtures before the FA Cup break took place during the week.

Brentford rose to fifth in the table after beating Sunderland 3-0, while Manchester United played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Burnley.

Elsewhere, Newcastle came out on top of a seven-goal thriller against Leeds, and Nottingham Forest dented West Ham's survival chances with a 2-1 win at the London Stadium.

It's time for Flashscore's Premier League Team of the Week, based on our player ratings system.

Premier League Team of the Week
Premier League Team of the WeekFlashscore

Goalkeeper

Caoimhin Kelleher (Brentford) - 7.9

Kelleher excelled between the sticks in Brentford's win over Sunderland by making three saves - one of which was stopping Enzo Le Fee's penalty.

Granted, the ball was chipped straight into his hands, but it takes a lot for a goalkeeper to stand still at a spot-kick, and the Irishman did just that to help the Bees keep a fifth clean sheet of the season.

Defenders

Nathan Collins (Brentford) - 8.1

Another top Brentford performance came from defender Collins, who grabbed an assist in their victory against Sunderland.

His touch allowed Yegor Yarmolyuk to net his first goal for the club, while Collins also contributed defensively with six clearances and two interceptions.

Cristian Romero (Tottenham) - 8.8

Romero put in a Player of the Week performance in Spurs' match at Bournemouth, despite coming out on the losing side.

The Argentine registered a staggering 21 duels won, seven tackles, two big chances created and three shots to earn an 8.8 Flashscore rating.

His score was the highest of anyone in the Premier League during the last round of fixtures.

Romero v Bournemouth
Romero v BournemouthOpta by StatsPerform / Mike Egerton / PA Images / Profimedia

Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest) - 7.9

Nottingham Forest widened the gap between themselves and the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over 18th-placed West Ham, with Williams one of the top performers for Sean Dyche's side.

The defender was resolute at the back and made a match-high eight clearances, while also winning nine duels.

Midfielders

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) - 8.6

Manchester United played out a 2-2 draw away to Burnley in interim manager Darren Fletcher's first game in charge.

Fernandes was one of the Red Devils' top performers, providing an assist and creating three big chances in an excellent creative display.

The captain also completed 13 passes in the final third and four accurate crosses to earn the joint-second highest rating of the week.

Sander Berge (Fulham) - 8.6

Berge played a starring role as Fulham came out on top in a London derby with Chelsea - picking up an assist as the Cottagers secured a hard-fought 2-1 win.

The midfielder's influence stretched beyond the goal involvement, though, with Berge completing three dribbles and 21 passes in the final third, as well as making four tackles, four clearances and two interceptions.

Berge v Chelsea
Berge v ChelseaOpta by StatsPerform / Ashley Western/Colorsport / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle) - 8.1

Newcastle edged a seven-goal thriller against Leeds, with Guimaraes excelling in a 4-3 victory at St James Park.

The Brazilian first provided the assist for Joelinton's second-half goal before netting the equaliser in the 91st minute, coolly converting from the penalty spot.

Guimaraes has been one of the Magpies' top performers this season and has now contributed to 11 goals in 20 appearances.

Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest) - 8.1

Dominguez was one of Forest's main attacking threats in their triumph at West Ham and found the net with a looping header at the start of the second half.

He remained threatening throughout the encounter, having five shots, one successful dribble and one accurate cross, all while maintaining an 85 per cent pass accuracy. 

Jaidon Anthony (Burnley) - 8.1

Burnley's Anthony helped get his side back on level terms against Manchester United with a superb finish just eight minutes after coming onto the pitch.

The winger curled an unstoppable effort into the top corner to help earn his side a solid result at Turf Moor and even contributed to holding onto the point with four ground duels and one tackle.

Forwards

Igor Thiago (Brentford) - 8.6

Brentford star Thiago broke the record for most goals scored by a Brazilian in a single Premier League season after netting a brace in his side's win over Sunderland.

The striker now has 16 for the current campaign and only trails Erling Haaland in the scoring charts.

Benjamin Sesko (Manchester United) - 8.5

Sesko netted his first brace for Manchester United in their draw at Burnley and was unlucky not to score more after registering eight shots and 13 touches in the opposition box.

The Slovenian took advantage of a dominant attacking display from United and was their focal point up front - winning eight aerial duels.

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