Premier League Team of Midweek: Chelsea and Man City Increase Lead at the Top
Midweek it might have been but with no European action clogging the fixture list and the Premier League ready to hit overdrive throughout December, Gameweek 14 meant a full 10 matches were played throughout Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
The two title favourites, Chelsea and Manchester City, have really started to exert their dominance over the English top flight and now have a gap of four points from second to third, with Jose Mourinho's side six points clear at the top as they rolled on in their unbeaten season.
Here is our team of the (mid)week featuring, as you might expect, a handful of players from both of those two sides.
GK: Fraser Forster, SOU
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We'll start with a losing goalkeeper, Southampton's Fraser Forster.
The England No. 2 was almost unbeatable against Arsenal on Wednesday night, saving everything that came his way, including two fantastic stops late on in the match. It was only late in the game, the final minute in fact, when he was finally beaten from close range by Alexis Sanchez.
The goal came after Saints had gone down to 10 men through injury, having no subs left, and Arsenal finally managed to open them up. Forster was superb on the night and unlucky not to keep a clean sheet.
DF: Alan Hutton, AST
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Alan Hutton has managed to turn his Aston Villa career around, from outcast on loan and unused reserve to first-choice right-back once more this season.
He was strong and impressive once more this week as Villa picked up a vital three points away to Crystal Palace, keeping a clean sheet and winning 1-0.
The Scottish defender kept things tight at the back, was quick to get to his man and prevent Palace's danger men out wide get too much freedom. Rapid to make tackles and supporting from deeper, Hutton's consistency helped Villa rise to 12th.
DF: James Tomkins, WHU
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West Ham United got back to winning ways with a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion, coming from behind to turn things around before the break—then defending solidly against the Baggies' attempted comeback.
James Tomkins scored what turned out to be the winner with a thumping downward header off a corner, but it was his solid and reliable work at the other end which really helped West Ham to the three points. As West Brom sent a series of balls into the box, it was Tomkins who was on hand to clear the danger time and time again—he made a whopping 24 clearances by himself during the 90 minutes, per WhoScored.com.
West Ham's back-to-back wins move them into fifth.
DF: Jores Okore, AST
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Aston Villa's rock-solid defence was aided by Hutton, but it was led by Jores Okore.
The young centre-back had been sidelined through injury and then not being first-choice, but a spate of injuries in Villa's back line has given him the chance again of late—and he has most certainly taken it, performing magnificently in the past two games.
The monstrous defender has great pace, strength and resilience, and held off the direct challenge of Palace's attack to guide his team to victory.
DF: Toby Alderweireld, SOU
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Southampton's Toby Alderweireld was one of the best players on the pitch in their defeat to Arsenal—but suffered an injury shortly before full-time, leaving his team to hold on with 10 men, which they couldn't quite manage.
He was strong and showed his reading of the game in defence before moving into midfield and being an aggressive presence there, winning the ball, distributing it with quality and never letting Arsenal settle into a rhythm of playing through the centre.
The Belgian was a big miss in the final minutes as Arsenal pushed on, and Saints will hope he is not out for long.
MD: Nemanja Matic, CHE
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Our four-man midfield is made up from two teams, the top two teams in fact.
Nemanja Matic bullied and overran Tottenham Hotspur's midfield with his usual mix of aggression, tenacity and technique. Any time Spurs looked to break forward through the centre, Matic was alert and aware to stop moves with his impressive positioning and mobility.
His passing was as reliable as ever, whether short or long, and he looked to keep his team on the front foot and was the platform for another 3-0 win.
MD: Yaya Toure, MNC
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Centrally in midfield, Manchester City looked as strong and talented as they have all season long in their thumping 4-1 win at Sunderland.
Yaya Toure and his partner completely dominated the game, stopping any hopes of breaking forward that the home team had with a rounded, consistent 90 minutes of winning the ball and forcing their own side forward.
Ivorian Toure was of course the slightly more inventive, pushing on to help free attackers into the penalty area with a few penetrative balls without neglecting his need to get back into position centrally. Toure had a massive 134 touches of the ball in the one-sided game, per WhoScored.com, which was bettered by only one player.
MD: Fernandinho, MNC
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That player was, of course, his midfield partner Fernandinho, who looked somewhere back to his best form of last season as he was involved throughout, racking up a huge 143 touches.
The Brazilian was far more involved in destroying play when Sunderland tried to break forward, intercepting play as Jack Rodwell and Co. looked to attack, and made more passes than anyone on the field, too.
Individually, both Toure and Fernandinho were hugely impressive, but as with Chelsea's midfield duo of Matic and Cesc Fabregas most of the time this season, it is their complementary nature as a pairing which makes the team stand out as the real winner.
MD: Oscar, CHE
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Another Chelsea man makes up our midfield quartet, though it's Oscar, not Cesc.
The Brazilian playmaker was at his instrumental best both on and off the ball in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Spurs, finding spaces to operate in and using his great technique in possession to find team-mates in shooting positions, open up gaps in the Tottenham defence and generally cause mayhem throughout the game.
Oscar claimed an assist with an inch-perfect through ball for Didier Drogba and was as hard-working defensively as ever, too.
FW: Wilfried Bony, SWA
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Just nudging ahead of the likes of Drogba and Christian Benteke for the first striker's position is Swansea City's Wilfried Bony.
He didn't get on the scoresheet this time but was instrumental in his team's 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers, leading the line and totally dominating the away side's defence as he linked play, found space and tested the keeper numerous times.
Bony hit the woodwork once and, though he should perhaps have scored with one of several attempts, he did set up the Swans' opener and put in a complete display.
FW: Sergio Aguero, MNC
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The final spot on the team goes to the Premier League's most in-form player, Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero.
The Argentinian continues to rattle goals past any defence put in front of him, nailing two more against Sunderland and claiming an assist, too, in the 4-1 win—that means he's top scorer with 14 goals in 14 games this term.
Aguero's movement, skill and power got his first, while it was composure and technique that claimed the second and moved City into second in the league.
