The first midweek round of fixtures of the 2025-26 Premier League has been and gone with Gameweek 14.
Arsenal remain five points clear at the top of the table after their win over Brentford. Chelsea fell away from the title race after a shock defeat to relegation-battling Leeds United.
Manchester City remain Arsenal’s closest challengers after their 5-4 win over Fulham. And the Citizens have two players in our Squawka Score Team of the Week. But Crystal Palace have the most, with three representatives from their win over Burnley.
The Squawka Score is our proprietary performance rating, combining multiple Opta stats into a single percentage. It benchmarks players against their positional peers, allowing quick comparisons. Learn more about how it works here: https://www.squawka.com/en/news/squawka-score-explained/
Read the Squawka Score 2025-26 Premier League Team of the Week for Gameweek 28 here.
GK: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)
- Squawka Score: 77%
There were only four clean sheets in Gameweek 14 of the 2025-26 Premier League and Dean Henderson kept one of them. Henderson made three saves in Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win over Burnley, all of which came from shots inside the box. He caught one cross but, most importantly, prevented 0.41 goals.
Honourable mention: David Raya (77%)
David Raya was another to keep a clean sheet. But the Spaniard only had to make one save, with 0.28 goals prevented.
RB: Ben White (Arsenal)
- Squawka Score: 75%
Ben White made a rare start for Arsenal in their win over Brentford, but he was integral to it. The Englishman sset up Mikel Merino’s opening goal, his one big chance created. White was exceptional defensively too, winning four tackles, making six clearances and winning three aerial duels. Only one full-back won more tackles than White across Gameweek 14.
Honourable mention: Daniel Munoz (72%)
Daniel Munoz was Crystal Palace’s matchwinner against Burnley, scoring their only goal. He also made six clearances and won possession four times in the defensive third.
CB: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)
- Squawka Score: 79%
Marc Guehi made a whopping 10 clearances for Palace in their win over Burnley, helping to keep Henderson as untroubled as he could. The Englishman was exceptional in the duels, winning 100% of his battles including all nine in the air. Guehi also won possession four times in both the defensive third and middle third. And he set up Munoz’s winning goal, just to top off the performance.
Key stats vs Burnley:
| Stat | Marc Guehi | Crystal Palace rank |
|---|---|---|
| Clearances | 10 | 2nd |
| Duels won | 10 | 1st |
| Possessions won | 8 | 2nd |
| Touches | 83 | 1st |
| Passes completed | 66 | 1st |
Honourable mention: Hjalmar Ekdal (71%)
Burnley may have lost to Palace, but their defence was strong too. Hjalmar Ekdal made one interception in his own box, won three tackles and 12 clearances.
CB: Maxime Esteve (Burnley)
- Squawka Score: 73%
Maxime Esteve was the better of the Burnley centre-backs, just edging out his teammate Ekdal. There wasn’t much beating Esteve. He made 13 clearances, more than any other centre-back in the Premier League this week. Esteve also led centre-backs for interceptions with five, while also winning six aerial duels. The Frenchman was reliable on the ball too, boasting a retention rate of 95.33%.
Honourable mention: Piero Hincapie (69%)
Piero Hincapie made five clearances in Arsenal’s win over Brentford, as well as three interceptions retaining possession.
LB: Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa)
- Squawka Score: 69%
Ian Maatsen was heavily involved in what was a thrilling game between Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion. In attack, the Dutchman was constantly looking to get up the pitch, completing five take-ons and having five touches in the opposition box. But Maatsen also did what he could at the back, winning possession three times in the defensive third alongside four clearances and three tackles won.
Honourable mention: Diogo Dalot (69%)
Diogo Dalot scored for Manchester United in their draw with West Ham United, but his performance wasn’t just about that. The Portuguese wing-back made two interceptions retaining possession, won two aerial duels and won possession twice in the defensive third.
RW: Phil Foden (Man City)
- Squawka Score: 78%
Phil Foden continued his fine form with two more goals in Manchester City’s win over Fulham. It was an extremely efficient performance from Foden, who scored with both of his shots on target. His 0.36 non-penalty Expected Goals increased to 0.56 non-penalty post-shot xG, showing how good his shot placement was. But Foden wasn’t just about the goals. He created two chances, including one big chance, with 12 final third passes completed.
Honourable mention: Mohammed Kudus (73%)
Mohammed Kudus set up Cristian Romero’s first goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Newcastle United, from two chances created. He also completed three crosses and made seven ball recoveries.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
- Squawka Score: 78%
Ryan Gravenberch was once again a big part of Liverpool’s midfield even if the team stuttered against Sunderland. The Dutchman won two tackles and won possession eight times in the middle third, with no midfielder managing more of the latter. He also made eight ball recoveries. Gravenberch was reliable on the ball too, with a retention rate of 90.79% and 91.04% open-play passing accuracy.
Honourable mention: Tim Iroegbunam (74%)
Tim Iroegbunam won five tackles in the midfield for Everton as they beat Bournemouth. He also won possession four times in the defensive third.
DM: Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace)
- Squawka Score: 77%
Our third Crystal Palace representative, Jefferson Lerma was part of the Eagles’ strong defensive shield. He made three interceptions retaining possession and won two tackles in the Palace midfield, while also making nine ball recoveries. Lerma won possession five times in the middle third and four times in the defensive third. He also won eight duels.
Honourable mention: Martin Zubimendi (72%)
Another Arsenal player to make the honourable mentions, Martin Zubimendi boasted a retention rate of 93.24% and won 100% of his ground duels.
LW: Jack Grealish (Everton)
- Squawka Score: 74%
Jack Grealish scored the only goal for Everton in their win over Bournemouth. It was a fantastic finish too, from outside the box, with 0.08 xG increasing massively to 0.68 non-penalty xG. He completed 14 passes in the final third and created one chance. Grealish also made six ball recoveries and completed one high turnover, helping to pressure the Bournemouth back line.
Honourable mention: Alex Iwobi (71%)
Alex Iwobi scored in Fulham’s defeat to Man City, another goal from outside the box. He also completed 16 final third passes.
ST: Erling Haaland (Man City)
- Squawka Score: 81%
Erling Haaland was directly involved in two of Man City’s five goals against Fulham. The Norwegian opened the scoring with his 100th Premier League goal, becoming the fastest player to reach that milestone. Haaland had five shots in total with 1.24 xG, though only one hit the target and 0.73 non-penalty post-shot xG. The Man City striker also flexed his creative muscles, creating two big chances, while also completing three lay off passes.
Honourable mention: Mikel Merino (75%)
Mikel Merino continues to thrive as Arsenal’s striker. The Spaniard was directly involved in both of Arsenal’s goals against Brentford, scoring the first and assisting the second.
ST: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
- Squawka Score: 77%
Ollie Watkins scored twice in Aston Villa’s win against Brighton, his favourite opponent. The Englishman was on top form, hitting the target with three of his four shots, posting 0.82 xG. That increased to 1.09 non-penalty post-shot xG too, showing how well Watkins was finishing. He also had seven touches in the opposition box, created one big chance and completed two lay of passes.
Honourable mention: Igor Jesus (75%)
Igor Jesus scored the only goal for Nottingham Forest in their win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. He posted 0.25 xG, increasing to 0.4 non-penalty post-shot xG.