Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on Vincent Kompany after the Manchester City skipper bagged a goal on his return to the side against Southampton.

Kompany headed in David Silva’s corner 10 minutes after the break as Manchester City produced a slick and commanding display on their way to a 3-0 win.

Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero grabbed the other goals as City leapfrogged Liverpool into third place in the Premier League.

Kompany excelled at both ends of the pitch, and Guardiola was quick to hail his talismanic captain as being more than just a defender in his side.

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“Vincent is top quality,” said the Spaniard. “Anyone can discuss his quality.

“The problem has been his injuries but finally he is back and can stay fit for us. That is what we want – not just for Vincent – but all our players.

“He is a real central defender in his passing but he is more than just a central defender – he has a great passion, vision and he is dangerous in set-pieces.

“It was a set-piece that opened the game [against Southampton]. Vincent is very dangerous.

“He wins duels, finds the space to play the ball through and hopefully, he can stay fit for us for the remainder of the season.

“The problem is the past two or three years where he has missed a lot of football.”

Eddie Howe admits he is aiming to get his Bournemouth side to the level that Tottenham are currently at.

The Cherries were unable to halt Tottenham’s charge at White Hart Lane on Saturday, the home side winning 4-0 to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea.

In fact, Bournemouth managed just one shot on target all afternoon as they went a fourth game without winning and remain seven points above the drop zone.

On the other hand, Tottenham are now just four points behind Chelsea – who play Manchester United on Sunday – and Howe wants his players to one day emulate what Spurs are capable of.

“I think Tottenham are so good because they keep the ball so well, they’re a team that create chances,” Howe said.

“The most impressive thing, I think, is when you have possession they make it very difficult for you to build momentum and play yourselves. So it’s a nice mix they have.

“I think they would be the team that we aspire to be in possession and out of possession. They’re certainly a level above us at the moment. But that’s the aim.”

The Chinese Super League may be tempting players of increasing quality with huge amounts of money, but Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is adamant it still can’t compare to the Premier League.

Players such as Oscar, Carlos Tevez, Jackson Martinez and Axel Witsel have all headed to China for huge transfer fees and even more exorbitant wage packets.

Arsenal midfielders Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez – whose contracts run out at the end of next season – have both been linked with big-money moves to Asia, prompting Wenger to be asked about the upstart league’s influence.

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But with huge financial rewards already on offer in England, in addition to a higher standard of football, the Frenchman knows which he thinks is better for players.

“I think every club and every player has to make decisions,” said Wenger. “Where are your priorities, where do you want to play?

“I think the first priority for top players is play to best football with the best players in the best league.

“You go to China because you earn big money, but you make big money in England as well.

“So the best combination of playing at the top and earning big money is in England at the moment. So China for me is not a debate.”

Former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas believes Spurs have the best starting XI in the Premier League.

Tottenham made it seven top-flight wins in succession for the first time since 1967 with a 4-0 victory over Bournemouth at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

And with league leaders Chelsea not playing until Sunday, Spurs have kept the pressure up on the Blues, with the gap narrowing to just four points.

Chelsea might have been leading the way for the majority of this Premier League season but Jenas, who signed for Tottenham for £7million in August 2005, insists their squad can’t match that at Mauricio Pochettino’s disposal at Spurs.

“Everybody is enjoying the way they [Tottenham] play, the way they can be so flexible with four at the back or three at the back,” Jenas said.

“The goals are flying in and I have said for a long time that I don’t see a better 11.

“I know Chelsea are going to win the league but I don’t think there is a better 11 in the Premier League.

“Would you have [Marcos] Alonso over Danny Rose? Would you have [Victor] Moses over Kyle Walker? For me I wouldn’t and I would have that whole back line of Spurs as well.

“He’s [Pochettino’s] got a fantastic team and they’re playing well and mentally I think he will be absolutely delighted with how they are dealing with this situation at this stage of the season.”

Paul Pogba admits he will have a battle on his hands to outshine N’Golo Kante at Old Trafford as Manchester United prepare to meet Chelsea.

Pogba, the world’s most expensive player at £89 million, has come off second best against Kante so far this season as Chelsea have won both of their meetings against the Red Devils.

Kante scored in both games – whereas fellow France international Pogba has come under criticism in some quarters for failing to turn up in games against elite opposition.

United desperately need a win to keep their top-four ambitions alive and Pogba admits it is imperative to find a way past his compatriot in order to breach Chelsea’s defences.

“Everybody knows that N’Golo Kante can run for 11 players – that’s his best quality,” he said. “He gets the ball and plays simple. When the manager tells him something, he will do it and he will do it perfectly.

“He’s one of the biggest players for Chelsea, he makes the difference because, to be honest, when you see when they lose the ball he will lose the ball three times and win the ball back four times! He’s everywhere! He’s a big player.

“We haven’t scored a goal yet against Chelsea so, hopefully this weekend, we will score and we have to.”

Tony Pulis admits he is grateful for the competitive streak among his defenders when it comes to scoring goals – something West Brom have struggled with of late.

The Baggies boss revealed that defenders Gareth McAuley, Craig Dawson and Jonny Evans are having their own mini golden boot competition between them this season.

And as things stand there is going to be a clear winner with McAuley sat on seven goals in all competitions, with Dawson on three and Evans with just the one.

Those seven goals actually make centre-back McAuley West Brom’s joint top-scorer alongside Salomon Rondon, the striker having failed to find the net in 2017.

In fact, no-one in a West Brom shirt has scored in their last three games and Pulis is eager to find more firepower.

“I think they [defenders] are competitive between themselves,” said Pulis. “I think Evans is behind at the moment and is eager to catch those two up.

“The three of them are more competitive with themselves than anything else.

“We’ve needed them. If you have a look at the goals, they have been shared round the team.

“One of the big objectives next season is to get more fire power to the football club if we can.”

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is adamant the Reds must repeat the mettle on display against Stoke City last weekend when they travel to West Brom on Sunday.

A resilient performance at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday saw Jurgen Klopp’s men take all three points with a 2-1 victory, despite being behind at half-time.

They head to the Midlands this weekend third in the Premier League table, five points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in second, but with a place in the top four far from secure.

But while Mignolet insists Liverpool are only too aware of the challenge the Baggies will pose, he is confident his side have what it takes to make the contest their own.

(Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“I think we can use the performance, especially in the second half, against Stoke going forward to show how you have to deal with it,” he said.

“But that doesn’t mean it will always be the same – every game of football is completely different.

“We just have to use the confidence we got in that second half and use the structure of how we played in that second half.

“Then, again, we’ll have to do it again on Sunday against West Brom, and we’ll have to prepare ourselves for that.

“We’ll have had a whole week to work and train on it and that can only help us.

“In the last few weeks, with the midweek game and the international break, there wasn’t much time to prepare but now, until the end of the season, we’ve got a week’s time to prepare every individual game and if you can do that we can be at our best.”

Michael Keane is in impressive company as a PFA Young Player of the Year nominee, but Burnley manager Sean Dyche believes his defender is more than deserving of the honour.

The 24-year-old is joined on the shortlist by Dele Alli, Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane, Leroy Sane and Jordan Pickford – a quintet that have enjoyed stellar seasons for their particular clubs.

But Keane is far from the odd one out, himself a key part of Burnley’s impressive campaign which has so far avoided the threat of relegation.

An England debut also came the way of the centre-half this term, with Dyche delighted of his development having made promises to a man who left Manchester United to take up the chance at Turf Moor.

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“He’s in good company, that’s for sure, and I think he deserves to be in that company,” said Dyche.

“I think he’s having a very strong season. He has developed well over the past two-and-a-half seasons and I’m pleased, because part of my sales pitch to get him here was that he is in a group that will develop and he will be a big part of that.

“So I’m pleased from our point of view that’s rung true for him.”

“He deserves a lot of credit. Team is the most important thing but there are still individuals within it who have to perform and have to perform well, and he has certainly done that.

“He knows he’s in a group that helps him enhance himself and I know he respects that.

“Well done to him. He’s performed very well this season, and last season, and he’s gradually been growing and improving all the time.”

Chelsea’s trophy cabinet looks set for at least one more addition before this season is out, with the Blues sitting pretty atop the Premier League and in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

But manager Antonio Conte will also be interested to see which, if any, of his players scoop the league’s prizes for individual players, after N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard were both nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

They joined Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez on the shortlist this week, after topping the vote carried out by their peers.

And Conte insists no-one is more deserving of the recognition than his two star performers, although he would not like to be the one to have to choose between them.

“It’s great for them,” he said. “It’s a great achievement to receive this nomination.

“I hope for them to be the best player of the year, and also above all to win the league. These awards are very important but the most important thing is to match these combinations.

“I don’t like to make a choice between two of my players. They deserve the best because they having a good season.

“With N’Golo and Eden I think all my players are having a great season and they deserve the best.

“I’m pleased because it’s a fight between two of my players and also four other players from other teams. I want to see who is the winner.”