MX23RW : Friday, April 19 20:06:19| >> :60:511:511:

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week

Sports Mole selects a Team of the Week from the ninth round of Premier League matches.

Twice Chelsea have travelled to Manchester this season and on both occasions they have been denied a victory by late goals.

On Sunday, Robin van Persie struck deep into stoppage time at Old Trafford to salvage a point for Manchester United at the expense of Jose Mourinho's title favourites.

Manchester City, though, were unable to take advantage of that favour from their neighbours as they went down 2-1 away at West Ham United, while Southampton continued their good start to the new campaign by beating Stoke City 1-0.

Arsenal piled more misery onto Sunderland thanks to a 2-0 triumph at the Stadium of Light, with the same scoreline also seeing Swansea City overcome Leicester City at the Liberty Stadium.

There were also away wins for Newcastle United and Everton, with draws being played out at Anfield and The Hawthorns.

Here, Sports Mole has picked out the 11 Premier League players that made the biggest impression on us over the course of the weekend.

Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea)
The young Belgian had more to do against United than in recent weeks, but he responded well by making a weekend-high six saves.

Leighton Baines (Everton)
Another outing for Baines and yet another assist to go with his solid defensive display. There are few better left-backs in the Premier League.
James Collins (West Ham United)
While West Ham were good value for their victory in an attacking sense, Collins made a host of crucial clearances and tackles at the other end.
Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United)
Sometimes a figure of ridicule, the frizzy-haired Argentine was back to his best as Newcastle battled back to claim all three points at White Hart Lane.
Carl Jenkinson (West Ham United)
With all the defensive injuries at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger may be ruing the decision to loan out Jenkinson. Playing at right-back, the England Under-21 international performed well in both halves of the pitch.

Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City)
It seems that the Icelander only deals in assists. Two more against Leicester ensured that it was a creative display from the playmaker.
Alex Song (West Ham United)
The Barcelona loanee arguably put in the performance of the weekend at Upton Park. He was energetic, tenacious and clever in possession to help West Ham claim all three points.
Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United)
The £28m man look destined for the Old Trafford exit door in the summer, but he is starting to make the most of what must be his last chance to impress. In the first half, Chelsea couldn't handle his clever runs into space and he also played a key role in the equaliser.
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Both of the Chilean's goals may have been gifted to him by Sunderland, but it was a lively showing from the wideman.

Samuel Eto'o (Everton)
However old he is, Eto'o rolled back the years with a great brace at Burnley. His first goal was a powerful header, while the second from distance left Tom Heaton no chance.
Wilfried Bony (Swansea City)
The Ivorian had struggled for goals this season, but his double against Leicester suggested that he is close to regaining his best form.

Numpty of the week

Vito Mannone: It seems a little cruel to give Mannone this dubious honour, largely because he looked distraught when he came off the pitch. Having conceded eight at Southampton a week earlier, the Italian would have been desperate for a quiet afternoon. Sadly for him, it was anything but that.

Arsenal's first goal was mainly Wes Brown's fault, although Mannone did go down early, which made Sanchez's mind up for him. It was in the 90th minute, though, where the Sunderland goalkeeper would have wanted the ground to swallow him up. Having had the ball passed back to him unexpectedly by Will Buckley, Mannone seemed to panic and instead of clearing the ball, he laid a chance on a plate for Sanchez to score a second goal.

Goal of the week

Samuel Eto'o - Burnley vs. (Everton): His header was a good one, but it was Eto'o's second goal of the afternoon that had his fans reminiscing of his days at Barcelona. It was a swerving effort from 25 yards that left Heaton in the Burnley net grasping at thin air.

ID:185095: cacheID:185095:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7200:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Steven Fletcher of Sunderland celebrates scoring the second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Stoke City at Stadium of Light on October 4, 2014
Read Next:
Premier League Team of the Week
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!