Garth Crooks' Team of the Week: Who's playing the football of his life?

At the end of every Premier League weekend BBC football pundit Garth Crooks will be on hand to give you his Team of the Week.

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Garth Crooks' team of the week

Alisson (Liverpool)

How refreshing it is to see a goalkeeper catch a ball in mid-air for a change?

Most of them parry or punch but it was imperative on two occasions in the win at Tottenham that Alisson did neither but instead caught the ball with both hands as he descended to the ground.

Anything less could have cost Liverpool the match. I rank the Brazilian among my top three keepers in the country and my top five in the world. Playing Spurs away was a tricky game for Liverpool but when you've got a keeper like Alisson between the sticks it makes life much easier. A top-class keeper if ever there was one.

Kieran Trippier (Newcastle)

The interception by Trippier followed by the pass for Joe Willock to score Newcastle's third goal in their win at Southampton rather typified why the right-back must be a serious consideration for Gareth Southgate's England squad.

Apart from anything else he's playing the football of his life and taking Newcastle places not seen since the days Kevin Keegan was in charge.

Saints should have got something out of this game but didn't because of poor finishing and their choices in front of goal. Che Evans needs a senior partner next to him to share the load. Southampton haven't been able to replace Danny Ings since his departure to Villa Park.

William Saliba (Arsenal)

There was only one team winning this London derby and it was Arsenal. If anyone is in any doubt about how seriously the Gunners are taking their Premier League title challenge then you only have to take a good look at the way they celebrated their victory after the game away at Chelsea.

This was a statement if ever there was one. Saliba, Gabriel and Ben White looked as solid as a rock with Saliba looking the pick of the bunch. This kid is a must for France's World Cup squad.

Chelsea meanwhile looked tired and lacked ideas. They might be doing fine in the Champions League but finishing outside the top four isn't a good look for Chelsea. A worrying time for Graham Potter.

Lucas Digne (Aston Villa)

It had to be some free-kick from Frenchman Digne to beat David de Gea from 25 yards. On the face of it Manchester United should never have lost this game at Villa Park when you compare the players of both teams but Villa were by far the better side on the day.

However the arrival of Unai Emery as the new manager clearly boosted Aston Villa's performance but the question is for how long. They seem to get these spikes every time a new manager arrives on the scene but then they fizzle out.

Digne is a good player and the type that just might appeal to Emery. I'll be very interested to see where Villa finish the season under Emery - who stays and who goes.

Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

Last week, De Bruyne salvaged three points for Manchester City against Leicester City after a tricky midweek Champions League fixture against Borussia Dortmund.

This weekend the Belgium international did the same again, having dispatched Sevilla in midweek and was just as brilliant against Fulham, who failed to come to terms with De Bruyne or a City side with 10 men.

Pep Guardiola's side continue to pick up valuable points in the Premier League having impressed in midweek European games.

If City can get past Chelsea, in the EFL Cup, and Brentford, in the Premier League, at home prior to the start of the World Cup in Qatar it will be very difficult for any team to stop them doing something quite extraordinary in the second half of the season with a fit and rested Erling Haaland.

James Maddison (Leicester)

Leicester City fans were starting to show signs of panic during their team's performances at one stage this season and even booed their manager Brendan Rodgers after some games. They are not doing that now.

Their performance against Everton, who couldn't compete with Leicester's quality in midfield, was quite brilliant if not in the end emphatic. Maddison was outstanding and is starting to display the sort of game England could benefit from in Qatar.

Adam Lallana (Brighton)

His goal was beautifully executed while his assist for Kaoru Mitoma was just fabulous. Lallana is playing the sort of football he produced at Southampton.

I felt he never played the kind of football he was capable of at Anfield. He always worked hard while at Liverpool but failed to reproduce the artistry we saw from him at St Mary's.

At Brighton he seems to have recaptured that touch of class again and the Seagulls are playing the best football I've seen them play while in the top flight.

Wolves meanwhile are all over the place. No manager, no established centre forward available due to injury and suspensions and dropping points like they're going out of fashion. New manager Julen Lopetegui, who starts work on 15 November when the league breaks for the World Cup, has plenty of work to do to turn things around.

Crysencio Summerville (Leeds)

Bournemouth should have put this game to bed when they were 3-1 up at Elland Road but were not ruthless enough. The moment Leeds got the equaliser there was only one winner.

Jesse Marsch must take some credit for this exciting comeback. The Leeds manager made important changes to a side that was struggling and those changes worked especially Wilfred Gnonto - who looks like the strongest 19-year-old I've ever seen.

The star of the show was once again Summerville, who last week put Liverpool to the sword. The young Dutchman remained a constant threat to the Cherries and in the end cost them the match.

Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)

He played his part in the dismantling of Chelsea last week but Mitoma's performance against Wolves was very impressive. The Japan international has all the ingredients of a top-class player.

Mitoma has a very similar game to Tottenham's Son Heung-min. He is not afraid to take people on, can see the pass and wants to score goals. What sort of shape he'll be in after the World Cup is anyone's guess but, make no mistake, Brighton have a player here.

Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)

Is it me or is Zaha's finishing getting better? He took his goal in the win against West Ham brilliantly. I've seen Zaha play in a centre forward's role before and while he's no Haaland in that position, he does look a threat.

For such an immensely talented player I've always thought that Zaha should be scoring more goals and after seeing him perform against the Hammers, playing him as an out-and-out striker might provide the player with more goalscoring opportunities. Certainly worth considering.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

If you are going to head the ball surely you do it away from your own goal and not behind you, especially when you haven't a clue what position your goalkeeper has taken. Eric Dier, for some inexplicable reason, decided to do just that and Spurs never recovered.

Tottenham took far too long to get going in this match and looked a shadow of the team that beat Marseille in the Champions League a few days ago. Liverpool have been widely inconsistent this season but fortunately for them they have Salah bang in form.

The Crooks of the Matter

Last week, I made the point that if Australia felt so aggrieved about the World Cup being held in Qatar then they shouldn't go. This week Fifa has written to all 32 teams competing in the tournament telling them to "now focus on the football" following a controversial build-up. Meanwhile, one sponsor has removed their name from a team's jerseys so not to be associated with the tournament. French authorities refuse to have fan parks in their cities to show games and team captains are being asked to wear solidarity armbands in support of human right issues.

Fifa may have the power to organise the best football competition in the world but they can't stop people from voicing their opinions. Which, in the final analysis, may prove to be hugely embarrassing for Fifa and even more so for their hosts.

The letter, signed by Fifa president Gianni Infantino insists that players should "not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists". Which is quite hilarious when you consider that the world governing body did just that the moment they awarded Qatar the World Cup