EPL Team of the Week

The great Dane was not called into action often by Sunderland but was always alert to the danger exactly when it did happen.

Although beaten once by a superb Sunderland move, the keeper made sure his team did not concede more, fending away efforts from Frazier Campbell, Cena, Bent and McCartney. The Burnley man also made sure he was at the end of any Sunderland crosses. Frustrating their efforts even further.

Ben says:
Once again the ‘beast’ has proved he will play a huge role in Burnley doing well this year. The team look good going forward, but will always be a bit vulnerable at the back due to the rise in calibre they face this year, but with a keeper as reliable as Jensen, they may not have to be too worried.

Made some important saves and is constantly building on the reputation he built up in his teams great league cup run last year.

Ashley Cole is the footballer everyone loves to hate. But he knows just how to shut us up and grudgingly extract a tiny bit of silent respect at the same time. The industry of the English left-back cannot be doubted and was on display once again on Sunday.

Cole seems to have been unleashed ever since he became roving wing back, absolutely ruling the left, box-to-box and his recent taste for goals along with clean sheets has only gone to cement that fact.

Ashley has long been hailed as the greatest left back in the Premiership but more amazing than this is his consistency, I have yet to see a poor game from the Chelsea man this season and this is the third team of the week he has found himself in.

Ben says:
May not be the most popular, but he is certainly the best left back in the country at the moment, maybe even the best in the world when at his very best.

Has been sensational this season and the spurs game was no different, getting up and down the touchline with ease, and making moves into the area, resulting in his goal, which he took very well.

'You only need to score one more than the other team' and 'the best defence is a strong offence.'

The Arsenal sound bites seem to already be drilled into the Belgian's head. However, Thomas Vermaelen not only managed to give a stalwart performance defending his own goal but found Wigan's twice, both with finishes the premiership's best would be proud of.

Vermaelen is fast becoming the answer to all Arsenal fans' prayers. He seems to have the same desire as Rooney, yet a maturity far beyond his youthful 23 years. A future club favourite.

Ben says:
Arsenal needed a new centre back to help stop goals going into their goal. But he has proved to be more than useful at the other end as well.

Against Wigan, Arsenals forwards could have got a lot more in what was a seriously one sided match, but it was their new Belgian centre back that grabbed two for himself, and was solid at the back, too.

Everton's defensive form against the superpower of Blackburn wouldn't normally be lauded but on the back of a poor run of form in the premiership, which was on the verge of destroying team morale, David Moyes knew that a good performance was needed.

Joseph Yobo stepped up to the Lescott-shaped hole in the middle of the toffee's defence to ensure his team's clean sheet. Then he stepped up to the Lescott-shaped hole which acted as another goal outlet for Everton last season and poached himself onto the scoresheet.

From my point of view this was just the icing on the cake. Solid performance from the Nigerian International just when his team needed it.

Ben says:
Everton’s defence has not been all that solid so far this season, although it is still early. Joseph Yobo looked comfortable at the back though against Blackburn, and chipped in with a goal to boot.

Definitely the man of the match on Saturday. The winger was a handful for Portsmouth all afternoon and they failed to handle him. Milner contributed to his team's victory with one goal and one assist.

The youngster is probably one of the most underrated players in the premiership, a hard worker, he is often overlooked for the flair of Young or Agbonlahor's explosiveness. But the young man from Leeds would be a welcome addition to any top side and is continuing to develop.

Ben says:
A very talented player, in a potentially very talented team. Portsmouth gave a good performance for the first half hour or so, but then Villa got ahead and after that it was their game, and Pompey’s misery continued.

Milner had a hand in both goals, scoring the penalty and providing a flick-on for Agbonlahor’s goal. Milner ended the match with a goal and an assist earning him his place in the team of the week.

Twice the Scotsman put his team ahead in a thrilling Manchester Derby. The Manchester United man is improving week on week and is fast tightening his grip onto an indisputable first team spot.

Fletcher may not be the most technical man on the pitch but he makes up or it with his drive. I mean this as no insult, the last person this was said about was United legend Roy Keane.

Fletcher's hard work on the football pitch is inspiring and although he may not yet have the tough tackling of his predecessor, his two goals in the closest contested Manchester derby would have done nothing but endeared him to every Manchester United fan.

Ben says:
Never the best player to watch on the field, Darren Fletcher does not worry about style when going about his job. He does what he has to do to help his team win, and in recent weeks he has done it perfectly.

His Man of the Match performance against fierce rivals Manchester City was everything Sir Alex asked of him I’m sure, and his two goals were invaluable to the success of the red side of Manchester.

Is there anything the man can't do? Retire, it seems.

Fletcher may have got the man of the match award on Sunday but in my eyes, it should belong to Giggs. Kanye West agrees too. The Welshman was the difference between the two halves of Manchester, providing three invaluable assists.

The maturity of the man means that he rarely ever makes a mistake anymore. Giggs knows exactly when to pass and when not to and can still rely on majestic dribbles, crosses and through-balls when he needs them.

Manchester City simply had no answer to United's biggest creative force, no way of containing him and in the end fell prey to it.

Ben says:
The veteran red devil may be closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but he is playing like he’s 10 years younger at the moment.

In matches like the Manchester derby, it’s often the experienced players that can make the difference, and Giggs was definitely one of the best players on the pitch this weekend.

He was going past players with ease, and putting in great deliveries, both from open play and set pieces, which is why he ended with three assists. Still an invaluable member of the team.

Pundits have taken some of the shine away from Bellamy's performance by laying the blame squarely at the door of United's shoddy defending and perhaps they're right there.

However, it takes a player of real persistence to exploit that, something which Bellamy has in bucketloads. No matter where he was on the pitch, the Welshman was always harassing United players for the ball, so it's not surprising that he scored the two goals which came from their errors.

Let this take nothing away from either of the finishes either. It takes a player of real class to score from 25 yards out, or to run almost half the pitch and score from an incredibly acute angle.

It's a real pity his unnecessary behaviour with an already restrained fan will overshadow all his hard work.

Ben says:
I don’t think even Man City fans can like Craig Bellamy, there is just very little to like about him as a person, and the incident with the fan against Man Utd did nothing to help his reputation.

But aside from those completely unnecessary antics, he did impress with his football, grabbing two very good goals, the second was an especially impressive solo goal. It is a shame he is such a disagreeable person off the pitch, because there is so much to like about what he does on it.

King Louis was on top form to help stop his team's poor run of form in the Premiership with two great goals against a stubborn Blackburn defence.

David Moyes always knows he can rely on the Frenchman's class to find a way past the most dogged of defences and was proved right once again on Sunday. A real match-winners performance when Everton needed it.

Ben says:
Everton need to kick start their season, and a comfortable victory over Blackburn will have helped. Always a solid team, Blackburn are not always easy to score against, but Louis Saha managed to get two, the first a smart volley and the second a marvelous header. Has every reason to be pleased with his performance this weekend.

Torres' claim to the best striker in the Premiership came under fire this season after a relatively underwhelming start.

The Spaniard silenced all his critics on Saturday with one of his best performances in a Liverpool shirt. He was his unplayable best, scoring from positions one would think impossible. At one point finding a way past five West Ham players straight to the net.

He was in another league to the Hammers' defence and proved the difference in a game which the East Londoners' could have easily won at the other end.

Ben says:
It is Fernando Torres’ job to score the goals for his side, and he does it week in, week out. Without him they always look far less threatening, and had he not been there against West Ham, they may well have dropped even more points on their title rivals.

But Torres was there for them, and scored twice to just about get his team over the finish line. His first was particularly superb, taking on a defender before somehow putting it past the keeper from an acute angle.

David Nugent's début could not have gone better and Portsmouth fans must be wondering what exactly he was missing on the south coast. He probably just left his scoring boots in the north-west.

Nugent put in a classic centre forward's performance, ensuring he was at the end of anything that came into the box.

The new Burnley man scored with a strong header, rising far above Sunderland's defence and once again, beating one defender and curling the ball past the keeper into the top right of the goal.

Let's hope this wasn't a one-off, he could yet be the difference between the Premiership and Championship.

Ben says:
Never had much luck in front of goal during his spell at Pompey, managing only three goals in 33 premiership appearances. Now he is at Burnley, and he has got two in two.

Coming on as a second half sub against Sunderland, he managed to put the clarets ahead, and then put the game out of Sunderland’s reach with his second of the game not long after.

The first was a fantastic header, the second a great finish after turning supremely. Perhaps he can find his scoring form again, and be another important factor in Burnley staying up this season.