Premier League team of the week dominated by Aston Villa, Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle United - gallery

The Premier League returned with a bang after the international break with 29 goals in nine matches over the weekend of April 1-2. Results up and down the division caused chaos as clubs shifted multiple positions and managers were relieved of their duties.

Manchester City and Liverpool kicked off the weekend with a 4-1 thriller at the Etihad Stadium as Pep Guardiola’s side applied pressure on Arsenal in the title race. The Gunners were able to respond well with a 4-1 win of their own, however, as they thrashed Leeds United on home soil.

Newcastle United soared into third position as they leapfrogged Manchester United with a 2-0 win against The Red Devils at St James’ Park. Both Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford slipped further away as they dropped points against each other, but it was a game filled with action, ending 3-3.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa recorded a famous 2-0 win away at Chelsea to move into the top half for the first time under Unai Emery and Crystal Palace were victorious for the first since in 2023 as they came from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1.

Those particular results were the final calls for head coach pair Graham Potter and Brendan Rodgers as they lost their jobs, leaving both Chelsea and Leicester managerless ahead of fixtures midweek. Tottenham Hotspur are still in a similar position following Antonio Conte’s departure.

Elsewhere in the division, Wolverhampton Wanderers fought back to draw 1-1 at Nottingham Forest, West Ham United earned a vital 1-0 victory over fellow relegation battlers Southampton, and AFC Bournemouth soared out of the bottom three with a 2-1 win over Fulham.

So many players impressed this weekend just gone that it would be difficult to select just 11 to form a team of the week but, rather thankfully, WhoScored’s rating system makes things a lot easier. With that in mind, here are the best-performing stars based on WhoScored ratings. See below.