Team of Week 30: Haaland outscores Chelsea, Olise, Ayew, Ramsdale star

Round 30 of the 2022/23 Premier League season produced drama as Manchester City closed the gap to Arsenal in the title race after the Gunners dropped points against Liverpool and Frank Lampard's second coming ended in defeat for Chelsea.

But beyond the general storylines, here are the top-performing individuals of matchday 30 in the Premier League.

Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Arsenal dropped two points at Anfield in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool but their title aspirations could have suffered significantly more damage had Aaron Ramsdale not been in superb form.

The English goalkeeper made four saves in the game, two of which are genuine contenders for save of the season in the second half to stop the Liverpool onslaught and earn the visitors a point.

Reece James (Chelsea)

Frank Lampard’s return to Chelsea as interim manager did not go as planned as the team fell to another defeat, this time 1-0 away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But right fullback Reece James was probably the only Chelsea player who could hold his head high, with a game-high 103 touches, three clearances and tackles while winning eight out of 12 ground duels and 100% aerial duels.

Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)

Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi was pivotal to the 5-1 thrashing of Leeds United by scoring the equalising goal on the stroke of half-time.

The 22-year-old also had a commanding defensive display with 98 touches, five clearances, two interceptions and a tackle.

Chris Mepham (Bournemouth)

Bournemouth’s win away at Leicester City was one of the surprise results of the weekend, even more so because they kept a clean sheet while at it thanks in large portions to the efforts of Chris Mepham.

The central defender led Bournemouth to a 1-0 win at the King Power Stadium with nine clearances, one block, two passes and even a key pass to seal the Cherries’ eighth win and sixth clean sheet of the season.

Aaron Cresswell (West Ham)

West Ham inflicted a fifth consecutive defeat on Fulham this weekend with a 1-0 away win at Craven Cottage attributed to a solid team performance.

The defence did its job and Aaron Cresswell’s individual solidity contributed to the win with four clearances, two interceptions and a block.

Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Wolves secured a home win against Chelsea thanks to a stunning match-winner by Matheus Nunes who fired an absolute rocket as the only goal of the game.

The Portuguese midfielder’s 31st-minute volley was not his only contribution to the game as he also won 10 out of 18 ground duels, completed his three dribble attempts and played one key pass.

Scott McTominay (Manchester United)

Speaking of midfielders opening the scoring with fierce strikes, Scott McTominay did it first in the early kickoff on Saturday to put Manchester United 1-0 up at home to Everton after 36 minutes of play with a powerful effort from a tight angle inside the box.

McTominay played the full game and had 71 touches, completing 88% of his passes including 100% accuracy on four long balls while also playing four key passes in a solid midfield display.

Philip Billing (Bournemouth)

Phillip Billing’s reinvention as a potent attacking threat for Bournemouth continued with his seventh Premier League goal of the season which also proved to be the match-winner and only goal against Leicester City.

The midfielder cum support striker was the beneficiary of an uncanny error by James Maddison as he latched on to a poor back pass to score the only goal of the game in the 40th minute.

Michael Olise (Crystal Palace)

Michael Olise was the magician behind Crystal Palace’s 5-1 thrashing of Leeds United on Sunday as the 21-year-old recorded a hat-trick of assists.

All three of Olise’s assists were from open play, setting up Jordan Ayew, Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard for Palace’s second, third and fourth goals.

Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace)

Another Crystal Palace man in the team which is only normal for a team that scored five of which Jordan Ayew was responsible for two.

His first goal was a sharp header from an Olise cross in the 53rd minute to put the visitors 2-1 up and then he rounded off the scoring at 5-1 with a simple finish past the helpless Meslier in the Leeds United.

Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Of course, the half-man half-robot leads the team with yet another productive game week for him, this time a brace in Manchester City’s 4-1 win away at Southampton.

His first-half header and the second-half acrobatic strike took his season tally to 44 across all competitions, 30 in 27 Premier League games, one more than Chelsea Football Club’s total league goal tally of 29 goals in 30 games.