Garth Crooks Team of the Week: Robertson, Fernandes, Rodriguez, Vardy, Rashford

It was another high-scoring weekend in the Premier League, with Leicester beating Manchester City 5-2.

Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-1 in the final match of the weekend, while the biggest win saw West Ham beat Wolves 4-0.

Aston Villa easily beat Fulham 3-0, with Everton winning 3-1 at Crystal Palace and Leeds beating Sheffield United 1-0 in a Yorkshire derby.

Southampton beat Burnley 1-0 and Tottenham drew 1-1 with Newcastle.

Goalkeeper – Illan Meslier (Leeds)

I have to be honest, I didn’t know much about Illan Meslier, but at the end of the game I knew everything I needed to know. The Leeds goalkeeper made two notable saves by John Lundstram and another by George Baldock in a committed first half on both sides. The more I saw it, the better it got. I haven’t seen a Leeds goalkeeper with this kind of promise since I first saw a young Mervyn Day 40 years ago.

Did you know Meslier is the sixth goalkeeper under the age of 21 to keep a clean sheet in the top flight for Leeds, after Stan Moore, Gary Sprake, David Harvey, John Lukic and Paul Robinson.

Defenders: Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Robin Koch (Leeds), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Jan Bednarek: Southampton’s first points of the season and their first win. After all, they were arguably the best team on Turf Moor. This was an upbeat performance from the Saints who defended brilliantly. Jan Bednarek attracted attention on several occasions. What I found most disappointing, however, was Burnley’s Chris Wood who fell to the ground after feeling Bednarek’s hand on his back. The wood is 6 ft 2 inches and 14 stones and fell like Bambi on ice. Bednarek was not impressed.

Did you know No Saints player made more punts (13) or interceptions (three) against Burnley than Bednarek.

Robin Koch: Oh how I wish fans could get into this game. The Yorkshire derby between Sheffield United and Leeds was a brilliant watch. This was a game only for the fully committed and Leeds center-back Robin Koch was at the heart of the battle. There is something not quite right with Leeds returning to the Premier League and not hearing their anthem ‘Marching on Together’ sung loud and proud by their fans. They would have shaken Bramall Lane at the way his team performed. A cracking game and a shame someone had to lose in the end.

Did you know Koch made more punts than any other Leeds player (three), while also completing 87% of his passes against Sheffield United.

Tyrone Mings: Last week it was Tyrone Mings who was creating opportunities for his teammates to score. This week he himself is among the scorers. What Mings and Villa will value from their win over Fulham is their second clean sheet in a row. The defender has come a long way since his days at Ipswich and Bournemouth, and his signing is proving to be an inspired decision.

Did you know Half of Mings’ goals in the Premier League – six in total in 52 games – have come in his last four appearances (one goal, two assists).

Andy Robertson: It’s not often that you see Andy Robertson making mistakes behind the back and giving away opportunities for opponents to score. A rare mistake by the young Scotsman. However, I was impressed by how the Liverpool defender never allowed the mistake to affect his game and used it to inspire the rest of his performance. The Reds are starting to crush their opponents, especially at Anfield. Even Arsenal, who I hope will finish in the top six this season with Mikel Arteta, were no match for the champions.

Did you know Robertson has scored (two) or assisted (five) a goal in seven of his last eight Premier League games for Liverpool, failing only against Chelsea in this streak.

Midfielders: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), James Rodríguez (Everton), Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd), Jack Harrison (Leeds)

Jack Grealish: Jack is back. I said at the end of last season, when Villa achieved what at one time seemed impossible and remain in the Premier League, that he must move on. Well, he ignored my advice and stayed at his childhood club doing what he does best: helping his team win games. The English international was instrumental in Villa’s victory over a Fulham devoid of defensive skills. The Cottagers can’t survive in this league if they continue to defend like this. Most worryingly, neither can Fulham boss Scotty Parker.

Did you know Since the start of last season, Grealish has been involved in 15 Premier League goals (nine goals, six assists), five more than any other Villa player in that time.

Bruno Fernandes: This player has nerves of steel and once again proved his worth. The forceful way Bruno Fernandes sealed United’s victory tells you everything you need to know about the Portuguese star. Why Neal Maupay panicked in the final seconds of the game and took a penalty was pointless, but neither did the protests from the Brighton players after the game. Why Adam Lallana felt the need to try to confront the referee regarding his decision was just as perplexing. What did Lallana expect? That Chris Kavanagh shouldn’t have given the penalty? As for the Brighton manager, Graham Potter, questioning the time added by the official as a sincere argument, are you serious?

Did you know Bruno Fernandes has been involved in 17 goals in his 16 Premier League appearances (nine goals, eight assists).

James Rodriguez: For the third consecutive game, James Rodríguez is my team of the week. Their inclusion is as much a reflection of Everton’s rise to the top of the Premier League table after three games as it is of their outstanding performances. The Colombia international made the afternoon quite miserable for Crystal Palace after providing assists for both Everton goals. However, the decision to award Everton a penalty when Joel Ward was judged to have handled the ball was nothing short of scandalous. I have more to say about this incident in Thieves of Matter below.

Did you know Rodriguez has created more scoring opportunities for Everton in the Premier League this season than any other player (10), setting up three more on the weekend.

Jack Harrison: The cross was magnificent. In fact, the ball was so good from Jack Harrison that he raised both hands up to signal that a goal was imminent. Meanwhile, agony was etched on Aaron Ramsdale’s face in Sheffield United’s goal, as he knew there was nothing he could do about the quality of the ball. All Patrick Bamford had to do was keep his eyes on the ball, keep his nerves and head towards the back of the net. Game over. Every now and then the cross is better than the goal itself and this was one of those moments.

Did you know No Leeds player created more scoring opportunities against Sheffield United than Harrison (five), who assisted the only goal of the game.

Forwards: Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)

Marcus Rashford: This was a match that Manchester United did not deserve to win, but they did. Their loss to Crystal Palace in their first game of the season was well below what a United team expected. Thank goodness for Marcus Rashford because Brighton deserved at least one point and should have had one if it weren’t for Maupay’s hand in the last minute of the match. The England forward scored his goal brilliantly after throwing Ben White on his back and crushing the ball at Mat Ryan with his left foot. Leandro Trossard of Brighton hit the wood three times. Someone must tell you that you get nothing for hitting the wood.

Did you know Since the start of last season, Rashford has scored more Premier League goals than any other Manchester United player (18).

Jamie Vardy: He had two away goals at West Brom and an impressive hat-trick on the road against a rather flat Manchester City on Sunday. Jamie Vardy looks as good as ever. In an interesting Brendan Rogers formation, the former England striker scored two penalties and the boldest goal to give the Foxes the lead. Meanwhile, it appears that City have not solved the problem they had last season: defenders who do not know when to challenge in the penalty area and when not.

Did you know Vardy is the only player to have scored two Premier League hat-tricks against teams led by Pep Guardiola in all competitions, while he is also the only player to have scored two Premier League hat-tricks against Manchester City overall.

Thieves of matter

Players, coaches and coaches, please put an end to this nonsense. I said last week on The Crooks of the Matter that this ridiculous new handball rule He was in danger of destroying the enjoyment of our national sport and he is doing it precisely. The way the new rule is being administered by the referees means that each defender entering his own penalty area could also show his attacker the goal and invite him to score. It’s crazy.

The decision to award Everton a penalty after Joel Ward was judged to have handled the ball made me laugh.

The head of the palace, Roy Hodgson, is very much appreciated and that he publicly state that he cannot understand how we have allowed these rules to come into play is an indictment for those who have allowed this to happen. In the past, certain changes to the rules have caused a terrible controversy, but nothing like this. Remember the four-step rule for goalkeepers and then the backward pass restrictions? Some of you may have even noticed that no one takes more free throws, which is pretty embarrassing in my opinion. However, nothing has caused the participants of the game as much offense as this new fiasco in handball.

The question is what should be done about it? Well, I think the Palace manager gave us the answer in his post-match interview. The management and the players have to put an end to this outrage. If Hodgson is being so affected by this new rule change, so are others, and if they don’t stop him quickly, then Covid may be the least of the game’s concerns.