Former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur forward Garth Crooks has named two Arsenal stars in his team of the week following their North London derby triumph.
William Saliba and Granit Xhaka were the duo in question after both of them enjoyed a stellar afternoon's work when Spurs made the short trip to the Emirates. The former dealt with the threat of Harry Kane with relative ease despite his inexperience, while the latter continued his fine form with his second goal of the season.
Crooks waxed lyrical over Saliba for BBC Sport, justifying his selection choice by explaining: "William Saliba is looking better with every game. His composure in his first north London derby was nothing short of outstanding."
The young Frenchman has seemingly received plaudits from the moment he arrived at the Emirates, but the same cannot be said for Xhaka, who has enjoyed quite the redemption arc for Arsenal.
Crooks alluded to as much as he wrote: "It's not that long ago I was condemning Granit Xhaka for his lack of discipline, especially in the big games for Arsenal. Now I find myself congratulating him for his conduct and professionalism.
"I was particularly taken by the way he corralled his team-mates after Arsenal's first goal against their north London rivals, in an attempt to retain an element of composure in the red-hot atmosphere."
Crooks wasn't so kind on another midfielder though, as he issued a blunt take on Thiago Alcantara's performance for Liverpool during their 3-3 home draw against Brighton on Saturday.
The Spaniard didn't enjoy his best game against the Seagulls, but still managed to last 89 minutes before he was hauled off in place of Darwin Nunez as Jurgen Klopp's side searched desperately for a winner.
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"Liverpool fans keep telling me that Thiago Alcantara (when he's fit) is their main man," Crooks claimed. "He might be if he could run. The Spaniard has turned jogging into an art form. He can't get up the park and doesn't have the finishing instincts of [Roberto] Firmino."
Thiago has never been famed for his work-ethic or the ground he covers during games, with the midfielder long heralded for his ability to dictate the tempo of games with his technical prowess in the middle of the park.
As for finishing, since joining the Reds, he has just three goals across all competitions in more than 50 appearances - two coming in the Premier League, with his single Champions League effort a thunderous effort against against Porto. Though, goalscoring has never been a key part of his role.
Crooks' XI in full: Pickford; Thiago Silva, Saliba, Coady; Almiron, Xhaka, De Bruyne, Trossard; Foden, Haaland, Firmino
