Premier League Team of the Week

Here is our team of the week from the weekend’s Premier League action, including a World Cup-winning goalkeeper and a trio of improving stars from Manchester City

Week 11 of the Premier League provided more drama, with West Ham making it back-to-back wins by beating Burnley 3-2 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in the teatime game Sunderland held Arsenal 2-2, before Manchester City outclassed Liverpool 3-0 in Sunday’s late match.

Here is our team of the week for Gameweek 11.

Goalkeeper: Emi Martinez – Aston Villa

Few people’s favourite, but those who appreciate Emi Martinez adore him.

Aston Villa beat Bournemouth 4-0 on Sunday and Martinez fully deserved his clean sheet, twice thwarting Alex Scott – once from a corner that almost went straight in and then later on tipping his deflected effort over the bar.

He also saved an Antoine Semenyo penalty when Villa were only 2-0 up.

Right-back: Trai Hume – Sunderland 

Strong in the Championship, Trai Hume has excelled in the Premier League and won six out of seven ground duels in Sunderland’s 2-2 against Arsenal.

Leandro Trossard’s goal was out of Hume’s hands and the Belgian’s move to a more central role was partly due to the Northern Irishman’s performance. The right-back also played a role in the Black Cats’ late equaliser.

Centre-back: Michael Keane – Everton

Michael Keane’s form for Everton has cushioned Jarrad Branthwaite’s injury issues.

Keane has fought his way back to his best and again showed his attacking endeavour by grabbing a goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Fulham, marking his 350th career appearance in style.

Centre-back Dan Ballard – Sunderland

Dan Ballard came through the ranks at Arsenal and looked inspired on Saturday, opening the scoring and then providing the assist for Brian Brobbey’s equaliser.

He then capped an all-action display by denying Mikel Merino a winner for the Gunners with a brilliant block.

Left-back: Nico O’Reilly – Manchester City

Again selected for the England squad, Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly showed why with his excellent marshalling of Mohamed Salah in his team’s 3-0 win over Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola may insist O’Reilly’s future is in midfield, but the quality and energy he supplies from left-back suggest the Spaniard may want to rethink his plans for the 20-year-old’s development.

Midfield: Emi Buendia – Aston Villa

Emi Buendia’s Aston Villa career looked over when he was sent on loan to Bayer Leverkusen last January, but he appears to have returned to Birmingham with renewed focus and again excelled against Bournemouth.

Buendia may not dominate games but he is developing a knack for making the most of his time with the ball.

His stunning free-kick opened the scoring on Sunday and he has now registered three goals and two assists in four Premier League starts in 2025-26.

Midfielder: Nico Gonzalez – Manchester City

Was Sunday the day that Nico Gonzalez showed everyone at City that they can afford to give Rodri the time he needs to get fully fit and no longer need to continually rush him back? 

Developed at Barcelona and honed at FC Porto, he’s not as silky as you’d expect, but has become increasingly effective since signing last January. He scored against Liverpool, plugged gaps and moved the ball smartly… remind you of anyone?

Midfielder: Matheus Fernandes – West Ham

West Ham made it two consecutive victories by beating Burnley 3-2 and at the heart of both performances has been summer signing Matheus Fernandes.

The Portuguese created three chances and made 11 defensive contributions. An old-school box-to-box midfielder, Fernandes’ energy will be huge if the Hammers are to avoid the drop.

Forward: Alejandro Garnacho – Chelsea 

After goals against Sunderland and Qarabag, Alejandro Garnacho again showed why Chelsea were prepared to take a chance on him with two assists in the 3-0 win over Wolves.

Frozen out at Manchester United, Garnacho’s recent run of games is bringing the best out of him and his performances are proving the Red Devils wrong.

Forward: Igor Thiago – Brentford

Injuries meant Brentford fans had to wait to truly see what Igor Thiago could do, but he is repaying the Bees’ faith in him.

The Brazilian scored twice in his team’s 3-1 win over Newcastle United and is now the Premier League’s second-top scorer behind Erling Haaland with eight in 11 appearances.

Forward: Jeremy Doku – Manchester City

Behind Haaland, Jeremy Doku is arguably Manchester City’s most important attacking player and scored a stunning solo goal in the win over Liverpool.

Doku has clearly worked hard to improve his incredible dribbling ability, producing five shot-creating actions on Sunday, while also showed his defensive discipline by helping O’Reilly keep Salah quiet.