The 2025-26 Premier League returned from the November international break with an action-packed Gameweek 12.
Arsenal cruised to success in the north London derby, beating rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1. Liverpool’s sorry title defence took another hit as they were beaten 3-0 at home by Nottingham Forest, while Manchester City also lost to Newcastle United.
It’s a very red Team of the Week with Forest and Arsenal alone combining for four players. Crystal Palace also have two, based on the Squawka Score for Gameweek 12.
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: Jordan Pickford (Everton)
- Squawka Score: 83%
What a performance Jordan Pickford put in for Everton against Manchester United. The Englishman was made to work hard for his clean sheet at Old Trafford, preventing 2.05 goals with six saves. There were a few world-class stops too. Pickford was his usual best on the ball too, completing 17 long passes, with 45.95% accuracy. For a goalkeeper, that’s excellent.
Honourable mention: Matz Sels (83%)
Matz Sels kept a clean sheet for Nottingham Forest at Anfield, though he wasn’t too busy. The Belgian only had to make three saves, preventing 0.39 goals. But Sels did command his box well, with two crosses caught and one punched clearance. Sels also completed eight long passes.
RB: Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace)
- Squawka Score: 72%
Daniel Munoz scored Crystal Palace’s opening goal in their win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. But he doesn’t just make the team for that. The Colombian helped keep the Palace defence secure with eight clearances, the second-most of any full-back across the weekend. At the other end of the pitch, as well as his goal, Munoz had four touches in the opposition bo and completed two passes into the penalty area.
Honourable mention: Matty Cash (70%)
Matty Cash was a key part of Aston Villa’s win over Leeds United, completing 66.67% of his open-play crosses. He also created one big chance.
CB: Murillo (Nottingham Forest)
- Squawka Score: 73%
Murillo is our first main Nottingham Forest representative, and he’s very deserving of his spot in the defence. The Brazilian made an incredible 13 clearances at the weekend, with no centre-back making more. Murillo also won two tackles, made two blocks and won possession three times in the middle third. Oh, and he scored the opening goal.
Honourable mention: Marc Guehi (69%)
Marc Guehi was a solid part of Palace’s defence against Wolves. The Englishman won 100% of his aerial duels and made one interception in his own box.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt (Man Utd)
- Squawka Score: 72%
Matthijs de Ligt won’t care that he performed well as Man Utd were beaten at home by Everton. But he did. The Dutchman was part of a defence that faced just 0.2 non-penalty Expected Goals, making four clearances. He won five aerial duels, made two interceptions retaining possession and won 100% of his ground duels.
Honourable mention: Joachim Andersen (69%)
Joachim Andersen made 13 clearances for Fulham in their win over Sunderland, with no centre-back making more. He also won 100% of his aerial duels.
LB: Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest)
- Squawka Score: 69%
Neco Williams played a big part in helping Forest beat his former side, recording an intentional assist. But his defensive performance was even better. The Welshman won six tackles and made three interceptions retaining possessions, seriously restricting Liverpool’s attack. Williams also completed two take-ons and made four clearances.
Honourable mention: Riccardo Calafiori (67%)
Riccardo Calafiori put in a solid defensive display in the north London derby. The Italian won three tackles, three aerial duels and was part of a defence that faced just two shots on target while he was on the pitch.
DM: Sander Berge (Fulham)
- Squawka Score: 79%
Sander Berge proved himself tough to beat in Fulham’s midfield against Sunderland. The Norwegian won 100% of his aerial duels and 75% of his ground battles, as well as winning possession three times in the defensive third. It was extremely hard for Sunderland to get past him. But Berge was also decent on the ball too, creating one big chance and completing 14 forward passes.
Honourable mention: Andrey Santos (74%)
Andrey Santos won a lot of plaudits for his performance in Chelsea’s win over Burnley. The Brazilian made five interceptions retaining possession and won two tackles.
DM: Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
- Squawka Score: 75%
Adam Wharton was very attack-minded for Palace at the weekend. He completed 11 passes into the final third and 17 forward passes in total. There’s no way his passing is a weakness. Wharton also provided one intentional assist, setting up Palace’s second. Defensively, the Englishman won possession four times in the middle third, won five duels and won two fouls.
Honourable mention: Enzo Fernandez (73%)
Enzo Fernandez impressed alongside his midfield partner Santos. He scored Chelsea’s second and won 100% of his ground duels.
RW: Yankuba Minteh (Brighton)
- Squawka Score: 76%
Yankuba Minteh provided an intentional assist in Brighton and Hove Albion’s win over Brentford, creating one big chance. He was a constant menace on the right, completing three of his five attempted take-ons, having seven touches in the opposition box and completing two crosses. Minteh also created four chances overall, with one being a big chance.
Honourable mention: Pedro Neto (72%)
Pedro Neto scored Chelsea’s first against Burnley and didn’t stop running. He had two shots on target in total, with 0.76 non-penalty post-shot xG.
No.10: Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
- Squawka Score: 76%
The north London derby hat-trick hero. It could only be Eberechi Eze, scoring against the club he looked set to join in the summer. The Arsenal man scored his hat-trick from three four shots on target and 1.9 non-penalty post-shot xG. He completed all three of his attempted take-ons, created one big chance and had seven touches in the opposition box.
Key stats vs Tottenham:
| Stat | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal rank |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 6 | 1st |
| Shots on target | 4 | 1st |
| Touches in the opposition box | 7 | =1st |
| Duels won | 7 | 2nd |
| Take-ons completed | 3 | 1st |
Honourable mention: Jeremy Doku (72%)
Jeremy Doku may have been on the losing team for Man City against Newcastle, but he performed well. The Belgian completed three take-ons and created four chances during his time on the pitch.
LW: Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)
- Squawka Score: 84%
Leandro Trossard got Arsenal up and running in their 4-1 win over Tottenham, scoring the opening goal. But he also set up Eze’s third goal to round off the victory. The Belgian created two chances in total and had seven touches in the opposition box, proving to be a threat. He also completed 100% of his open-play crosses and posted 0.96 non-penalty post-shot xG.
Honourable mention: Yeremy Pino (80%)
Yeremy Pino scored in Crystal Palace’s win over Wolves, capping off a strong performance. He also created four chances, one of which was a big chance, and completed 14 final third passes.
ST: Callum Wilson (West Ham)
- Squawka Score: 78%
Callum Wilson scored twice for West Ham in their draw with Bournemouth, putting his former team to the sword. The English striker had three shots in total, two of which hit the target — naturally, both of his goals — and posted 0.55 xG in total. But he upped that to 0.99 non-penalty post-shot xG, providing a clinic in finishing.
Honourable mention: Danny Welbeck (74%)
Danny Welbeck was another of this weekend’s goalscorers, netting for Brighton in their win over Brentford. The Englishman had four shots in total, with 0.73 xG.