The Premier League returned over the weekend with several top performances, meaning it's time for Betopick's first Team of the Week for the 2025/26 season.
Arsenal's defence stood strong once again in a 1-0 win away to Manchester United, and champions Liverpool enjoyed an opening day 4-2 victory against Bournemouth.
Both Manchester City and Tottenham also came out on top in their respective clashes, while Sunderland and Leeds secured unlikely wins on their Premier League return.
Here's Betopick's Team of the Week, based on our player ratings system.
Premier League Team of the WeekBetopickGoalkeeperDavid Raya (Arsenal) - 8.
1Arsenal's resolute defence showed no signs of any decline for the season ahead during their 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, with two-time Golden Glove winner Raya excelling again.
The Spaniard made seven saves to keep Arsenal in the game and earn their first clean sheet of the season with a Player of the Match performance.
DefenceRico Lewis (Manchester City) - 8.
3Manchester City got their campaign off to a perfect start by beating Wolves 4-0 at Molineux, with academy graduate Lewis grabbing an assist and playing his part in keeping a clean sheet.
The Englishman set up Erling Haaland's opening goal with a perfect ball across the penalty area and managed to complete nine of his 12 attempted passes in the final third - highlighting a strong creative influence from right-back.
Dan Ballard (Sunderland) - 9.
5Sunderland enjoyed a strong start to life back in the Premier League by beating West Ham 3-0, with Ballard excellent throughout.
The defender was dominant in both boxes, having a match-high four shots and even scoring with an exceptional header while also winning 10 duels and making nine clearances.
Ballard's 9.
5 Betopick rating was the highest recorded by any player over the weekend - making him our Premier League Player of the Week.
Ballard v West HamOwen Humphreys, PA Images / Alamy / Profimedia / Opta by StatsPerformVirgil van Dijk (Liverpool) - 8.
1Van Dijk stood out in Liverpool's 4-2 win against Bournemouth with a dominant defensive showing, making 17 clearances on top of winning 12 out of 13 aerial duels.
The Dutchman also maintained a strong influence on the ball, completing 63 passes and making five into the final third.
Rayan Ait-Nouri (Manchester City) - 8.
1Ait-Nouri enjoyed a successful return to his former club Wolves over the weekend with a solid defensive performance.
City's new left-back made four tackles, six clearances and three interceptions to help nullify his former team's attacking threat.
Ait-Nouri pass map v WolvesČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Manjit Narotra / Opta by StatsPerformMidfieldMohammed Kudus (Tottenham) - 8.
2Spurs enjoyed a winning start to their season by thrashing Burnley 3-0, with debutant Kudus grabbing two assists.
The Ghanian twice set up Richarlison after some excellent creative work and provided a constant threat down the right-hand side - delivering five accurate crosses from 10 attempted, two of which resulted in goals.
Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham) - 8.
2Spurs' Sarr grabbed an assist in their win over Burnley after winning the ball in midfield and playing a superb pass into Brennan Johnson.
Those moves were a feature of his performance on Saturday, making 16 passes into the final third on top of winning 10 duels in a solid all-round display from the Senegal international.
Sarr heat map v BurnleyJohn Patrick Fletcher / Action P / Actionplus / Profimedia / Opta by StatsPerformBernardo Silva (Manchester City) - 8.
3Another top performer for City was Silva, who ran the show from midfield and was unlucky not to register an assist after creating two big chances.
Silva put in a typically reliable showing and maintained a pass accuracy of 97 per cent, influencing the win from both centrally and out wide after making five crosses and five passes into the final third.
Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) - 8.
5With all eyes on Liverpool's new recruits, it was Gakpo who stood out for the Reds in their win over Bournemouth.
The winger earned a match-high rating of 8.
5 after a dominant attacking display, finding the net after ghosting past several opposition players and curling a pinpoint effort into the bottom corner.
ForwardsHugo Ekitike (Liverpool) - 8.
1Ekitike was one of four players making their Premier League debut for Liverpool at the weekend and marked it in style with a goal and an assist.
The Frenchman opened the scoring after driving through the middle of the pitch and placing his shot past goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, before turning provider for Gakpo's strike in the second half.
Richarlison (Tottenham) - 8.
6Richarlison excelled for Spurs on the opening day of the season despite speculation during the summer over a possible transfer elsewhere.
The Brazilian netted twice in the win against Burnley, first with a clever finish into the far corner before striking again with an outrageous bicycle kick midway through the second half.
Richarlison v BurnleyČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Izzy Poles/News Images / Opta by Stats Perform
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