The Premier League this week was filled with late winners and a decent amount of controversy, so who makes it to the team this time? The big win from Manchester United scores them a couple of spots, but otherwise there are players from nine teams taking the remaining positions. Due to the extra match between Sunderland and Reading the team was delayed, albeit none of those players quite edging themselves into here anyway, but let’s get started already!
David De Gea (Manchester United)
Seems to be getting more and more assured each time he plays, and against City he was huge. For a large part of the match, City were on the front foot, and more than a few times De Gea came to the rescue (seven saves in fact). The first goal conceded he did his best to keep out but after five or six attempts from City and the pass back from Tevez there wasn’t much he could do, and the second rocket from Zabaleta was unstoppable. He may have been a bit lucky with David Silva’s shot that deflected off his shoulder, but otherwise, very impressive.
Glen Johnson (Liverpool)
Without Suarez, Liverpool looked like a team that may really struggle to find the back of the net, but Glen Johnson stepped up big time, providing top quality support for the attackers. His goal was brilliant, his passing was efficient as was his dribbling. He didn’t have the strongest defensive game but overall he was really vital for Liverpool in their win.
Brede Hangeland (Fulham)
Not only was he solid against Newcastle, he seems to make such a difference to Fulham in general. Although that red card against Sunderland a few weeks back was costly for his team, the fact that their form while he was suspended was generally poor perhaps speaks about his value to the team. Of course I’m not saying he’s their sole match winner, but his 3 tackles and strong aerial presence against Newcastle was big, and I’m sure his team are relieved to have him in the lineup again.
Nathan Baker (Aston Villa)
Probably seems like a bit of a random choice, and although generally Shawcross and Huth would presumably be the defenders of choice from this match, Baker was absolutely great for Villa. He was a rock at the back, making two big tackles, some important clearances, and passing very cleanly, something which the Stoke boys sometimes lack. At only 21, he looks like a potentially promising prospect for both Villa and the English squad.
Leighton Baines (Everton)
Not a dominant game from Everton but Baines was still his consistent and hard working self. He made five tackles, kept Lennon fairly quiet, was good going forward, and was fairly efficient with the ball throughout the match.
Jason Puncheon (Southampton)
Solid display from the Saints and a very solid display from Puncheon. He scored the decisive and only goal of the match, but also took five shots and even tracked back nicely to help defend and link up with Clyne, made a few tackles and passed well too.
James McCarthy (Wigan)
For a little while now he’s looked like a player who could really develop into a top Premier League midfielder, and this match was a display to add to the convincing list. He was in top form against QPR, and aside from scoring the two goals, he made nine tackles, passed very well, and dictated the play for fairly large chunks of the game.
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
I tossed back and forth constantly between him and Wilshere for this spot in the team, and even if they were controversial, he did put away both penalties and lead Arsenal to a desperately needed win. He had a better pass completion rate than Wilshere and made six tackles as well as kept the flow of Arsenal’s plays going. It may have been another poor performance in the final third for the Gunners, but at least it was a more impressive showing in the other two thirds.
Robert Snodgrass (Norwich)
It was an inspiring display from Norwich and equally so for Snodgrass. He scored a goal for the Canaries and nabbed two assists, putting in a truly classy and near perfect performance. He really was doing it all last weekend and it will be interesting to see if him and Norwich can keep up that level of play on a more consistent basis.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Scoring a brace against City is always going to put you up there for team of the week, and the fact that it not only made him the youngest player to reach 150 Premier League goals, and the 6th all time scorer in the EPL, makes him a deserved choice. He was his usual hard working self, and although his pass accuracy was a bit off at times, generally he was very clever with the ball, and also got back to help out defensively a few times.
Fernando Torres (Chelsea)
He’s baaaaaack. Or is he? We’ve seen this from him a few times, starting to look like the old Torres again but no one really knows how long it will last for. The main thing for him and Chelsea is that he not only scored twice, but they got a win and looked much more convincing than they have in the league the last few weeks. He’s actually now Chelsea’s top scorer despite those 12 and a half hours without a goal, which doesn’t exactly reflect greatly on their recent form or squad depth, but that’s not really news anymore…
The Spot Kick 