Premier League September best XI: Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea feature

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) – 7.30 rating

 For the second month running, Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes the Premier League best XI having landed a WhoScored rating of 7.30 in September. The Frenchman may have made a colossal error in Spurs’ 2-1 win over Southampton at the weekend, but made 17 saves last month, the second most in the league, to help make the grade in this XI.

 Right-back: Ricardo Pereira (Leicester) – 7.75 rating

 Similarly, Ricardo Pereira also makes the Premier League best XI for the second month running as he continues to excel in a Leicester shirt. The right-back netted twice, including a crucial equaliser in the 2-1 win over Tottenham, and made a total of 13 tackles, that one of the better returns in the league in September. All in all, the Portuguese ace did more than enough to secure his spot in the side with a WhoScored rating of 7.75.

 Centre-back: Joel Matip (Liverpool) – 7.71 rating

Liverpool maintained their 100% start to the season with three impressive wins over Newcastle, Chelsea and Sheffield United in September. It marked another notable month for Joel Matip, who makes this XI with a WhoScored rating of 7.71. He reinforced a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘aerial duels’ as he won more headed battles (25) than any other Premier League defender to contribute towards his solid rating.

 Centre-back: Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea) – 7.61 rating

 The sole Chelsea representative in this XI, Fikayo Tomori has impressed when handed the opportunity to consolidate a starting spot for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea as his WhoScored rating of 7.61 for September suggests. His best performance came in the Blues’ 5-2 win at Wolves, where he bagged his first Premier League goal of his career, and made more interceptions (12) than any other player last month.

 Left-back: Diego Rico (Bournemouth) – 7.58 rating

 Rounding off the defence is Bournemouth’s Diego Rico with a WhoScored rating of 7.58. The Spanish left-back provided two assists in September, those coming in wins over Everton and Southampton, while no defender made more key passes than Rico (9). Having struggled to establish himself on the south coast in his debut season, he’s more than making up for lost time having excelled for the Cherries in September.

 Right midfield: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) – 8.47 rating

 The first of five Manchester City players to feature in the Premier League’s best XI for September, Riyad Mahrez earned a better WhoScored rating (8.47) than any other player last month. He scored two and assisted one for the defending champions and was one of four City players to earn a perfect 10 rating in their resounding 8-0 win over Watford. 10 key passes ranked among the top five for that category, while nine shots and five successful dribbles capped a fine month for the Algerian.

Central midfield: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 7.92 rating

 Only Gylfi Sigurdsson (15) created more goalscoring chances than Kevin De Bruyne (13) in the Premier League in September. That resulted in three assists, more than any other player, as the Belgian was again at his creative best last month. De Bruyne returned a WhoScored rating of 7.92 to make the cut in the best XI as he dominated midfields in England’s top tier.

 Central midfield: Rodri (Manchester City) – 8.15 rating

 Partnering De Bruyne in the middle of the park is summer arrival Rodri, who enjoyed an unassuming month in the Manchester City midfield. The Spaniard netted his first league goal of his City career in September, while his pass success rate dropped below 90% just the once last month. Off the ball, he chipped in with eight tackles and interceptions combined to help land a WhoScored rating of 8.15.

 Left midfield: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) – 8.09 rating

Completing an all Manchester City midfield is Bernardo Silva, who was named our man of the match from the 8-0 win over Watford. In that victory, Silva bagged a hat-trick, becoming just the third Portuguese player in Premier League history to score three times in one match. The Portugal international had a direct hand in four goals in September, while seven dribbles, seven tackles and four key passes contributed to a WhoScored rating of 8.09.

 Striker: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) – 7.95 rating

 The fifth and final Manchester City player to feature in this side, striker Sergio Aguero scored two and assisted one for Pep Guardiola’s side in September. Only Nicolas Pepe (15) had more shots than the Argentine (14) last month and, additionally, completed eight dribbles and created four goalscoring opportunities as Aguero did enough to gain a WhoScored rating of 7.95 to feature in this side.

 Striker: Son Heung-Min (Tottenham) – 7.81 rating 

Son Heung-Min is the second Tottenham player to make the grade in the Premier League best XI for September having had a direct hand in four league goals in September, netting twice. His brace came in a man of the match performance against Crystal Palace, while the South Korean was on hand to provide assists for Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele against Leicester and Southampton, respectively. Seven key passes and six successful dribbles was enough to Son to partner Aguero in this side as he gained a WhoScored rating of 7.81.