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Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week

Sports Mole picks out the 11 most impressive players from the 12th round of Premier League encounters.

Twelve games in and Chelsea are still unbeaten, with their latest triumph coming at the expense of West Bromwich Albion.

The Blues actually extended their lead at the top of the table this weekend to six points, with Southampton only being able to claim a 1-1 draw from their trip to Aston Villa.

Elsewhere, there were victories for both Manchester clubs, but there were contrasting fortunes for the two Merseyside outfits. Everton defeated in-form West Ham United 2-1 at Goodison Park, but Liverpool slipped up 3-1 at Crystal Palace.

Newcastle United continued their recent positive run courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers, while Burnley nabbed a second win of the campaign away at Stoke City.

At the KC Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to win 2-1 away at 10-man Hull City, but there was nothing to separate Leicester City and Sunderland.

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

Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion)
He may have been on the losing side, but West Brom goalkeeper Foster kept the scoreline respectable at Stamford Bridge with a string of highly impressive saves.

Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle United)
Another positive display from the Dutch full-back, who didn't need any invitation to get forward. He almost broke the deadlock just before the break with a good effort.
Paul Dummet (Newcastle United)
Normally a full-back, youngster Dummet was required to play in the heart of the defence. He didn't look uncomfortable, though, as he helped the Magpies to keep a clean sheet.
Chris Smalling (Manchester United)
Often a figure of ridicule - even among his own supporters - Smalling did well at the heart of a largely inexperienced three-man defence. At 2-0 to United, he made a host of crucial clearances.
Joel Ward (Crystal Palace)
'Ward for England'. That was the cry from the Palace faithful following another impressive showing from the left-back. He kept Raheem Sterling quiet and also got forward well.

Michael Kightly (Burnley)
There have been occasions when Kightly has seemed more of a Championship player, but he showed real Premier League quality with a host of dangerous crosses into the Stoke box, one of which resulted in a goal.
Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace)
The Australian is arguably Palace's best player and he proved as much against Liverpool. He controlled the midfield battle for large parts and went on to score a stunning third goal.
Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur)
For a long while Spurs looked clueless at the KC Stadium, but Eriksen was always their most dangerous player. The Dane rounded off his display by scoring a late winner.
Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace)
Palace boss Neil Warnock summed Bolasie up perfectly after the game: "He doesn't know what he's going to do next, so how can the full-back?" Liverpool certainly couldn't handle the winger, who twisted one way and then the other when in possession.

Danny Ings (Burnley)
If Burnley are to survive in the Premier League, they will need plenty more performances like this one from Ings. He showed his predatory instincts by scoring twice.
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
The Spaniard will be disappointed not to have scored a hat-trick, but his movement off the ball and tenacity was rewarded with one goal - his 11th of the campaign.

Numpty of the week

Arsene Wenger and Arsenal: The Gunners went into the clash against United having won just one of the previous 14 meetings between the two sides. Well, considering the away side's indifferent form this term and large injury list, they wouldn't get a better chance to get a second win on the board.

Granted, United had to ride their luck early on, but once they'd weathered the storm, they found Arsenal easy to pick off - just like many other sides have done this term. Once again there was no Plan B from Wenger, who watched on from the sidelines as his side lost another encounter against a rival. We picked the French boss for this honour in the last round of matches and he finds himself here again. When will he learn?

Goal of the week

Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace) vs. Liverpool: Not necessarily known for his ability to score goals, the Palace midfielder fired in one to remember to seal victory for his side. Thirty yards from goal, the Aussie sent a curling effort into the top corner of Simon Mignolet's net.

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Mile Jedinak of Crystal Palace celebrates scoring his team's third goal with team mates during the Barclays Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Selhurst Park on November 23, 2014
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Match Analysis: Crystal Palace 3-1 Liverpool
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Today's games header
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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