Premier League Team of the Week: Cech, Aguero, Costa and Wijnaldum Star
After taking a short FA Cup break, all 20 Premier League teams returned to battle this weekend and served up a goalscoring treat for viewers.
A big win for Manchester City, in conjunction with Arsenal and Leicester City's failure to replicate, shook things up at the top, while in the basement, three of the bottom four all took pooks.
We've selected the best performers from the thrilling weekend and slotted them into a workable Team of the Week formation—on this occasion, a 4-4-2 diamond.
Disagree with our selections? Hit us up in the comments section below to start the conversation.
GK: Petr Cech, Arsenal
1 of 12Arsenal have traditionally struggled at the Britannia Stadium, and Sunday's trip was no different. Olivier Giroud may have contrived to waste several chances, creating the illusion that the Gunners were dominant, but the truth is, Petr Cech was the star of the show.
He received Sky Sports' broadcast Man of the Match and rightly so, coming to the rescue with three huge saves and one eye-catching double-stop. He has been one of Arsene Wenger's most consistent players this season and even when the defence has been struggling, he has usually come up with the goods.
There were some other very strong goalkeeping performances across the country this weekend, including David de Gea, Jack Butland and Mark Bunn, but Cech gets the nod.
RB: Daryl Janmaat, Newcastle United
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Daryl Janmaat was up and down the pitch on Saturday like a fiddler's elbow. His well-rounded skill set has endeared him to the St. James' faithful, and it was on full display once again.
Jonjo Shelvey will take the plaudits for the raking pass that set up Newcastle United's first goal, but it was Janmaat who took it down on the run perfectly and fizzed in the cross for Georginio Wijnaldum. His touch and poise in that move deserve praise.
He got stuck playing defensively when West Ham cranked up the pressure late, helping see out a vital win, and can be proud of an excellent individual showing.
CB: Mamadou Sakho, Liverpool
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Mamadou Sakho was arguably Liverpool's best player on Sunday, forming a one-man wall at times as Manchester United sought a way to Simon Mignolet's goal.
He hasn't been too convincing over the past few weeks, having recently returned from an injury, but he put on a clinic at Anfield against the Red Devils with all of his skills on show.
Aerially dominant, positionally very good and strong on the ball, he once again proved he's Liverpool's best centre-back and that the defence should be built around him.
CB: Ashley Williams, Swansea City
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Ashley Williams put in a massive performance as Swansea City beat Watford on Monday night, lifting his side out of the relegation places and into 17th in the table.
He scored a rare goal to give the Swans a precious lead and then defended like a demon to preserve it, heading every ball in clear and dealing extremely well with the Hornets' Troy Deeney-Odion Ighalo combination.
A captain's performance and a leader's intervention just when they needed it the most.
LB: Charlie Daniels, AFC Bournemouth
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Charlie Daniels had himself a complete day on Saturday as AFC Bournemouth beat Norwich City 3-0. Goal? Check. Assist? Check. Clean sheet? Check.
His penalty strike to make it 2-0 was positively thunderous; both his goals from the spot so far this season have gone in off the inside of the woodwork, leaving sprawling goalkeepers no chance of saving them. His ball for Benik Afobe's crowning strike also oozed quality.
Daniels has emerged as a leader this season for the Cherries and has been one of very few constants in the XI due to the number of injuries received. It could have been so different, too, as Tyrone Mings was probably purchased with a view to replacing the No. 11.
DM: Mousa Dembele, Tottenham Hotspur
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Mousa Dembele returned to the Tottenham Hotspur XI after missing three games with a groin strain and proceeded to run the show.
He scored an excellent goal to put Spurs ahead in the match for the first time, and throughout he was his general, irresistible self in possession, shrugging off markers and creating chances in tight spaces.
"He provided the spark and thrust from midfield that is often vital when it comes to unlocking the door against teams who pack 10 men behind the ball," Greg Lea of the National (UAE) surmised. His emergence as a key factor in the team has been one of the season's most surprising subplots.
CM: James Ward-Prowse, Southampton
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James Ward-Prowse is one of the most unlikely candidates to score a brace in any given match, so it will have surprised many a Southampton fan to see he managed it against West Bromwich Albion's defence on Saturday.
He's a high IQ footballer and a clever player but lacks the goalscoring tendency required to reach the top level. So many of his free-kicks flash just wide of the post, so it was delightful to see one pierce the top corner this weekend.
Fuelled with confidence following the goal, he converted a penalty to make it 2-0 and started launching lovely long-range passes about the park. The St. Mary's crowd was lapping it up.
CM: Fabian Delph, Manchester City
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Fabian Delph made our FA Cup Team of the Week last week and has built upon that showing, starring as Manchester City wiped the floor with Crystal Palace.
Fernandinho is absent so they've needed to find drive and determination from another source, and Delph has stepped into that role brilliantly, pushing forward with purpose and offering a goal threat too.
He oozes positivity when he runs, and he ups the tempo of City's play. One criticism levelled at him at Aston Villa was he doesn't score enough, but his left-footed piledriver from 25 yards to open the scoring proved he can be a threat when in the right position.
AM: Georginio Wijnaldum, Newcastle United
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Georginio Wijnaldum put in an undeniably magical performance as Newcastle United beat West Ham this weekend, scoring one, assisting one and running the show from central midfield.
The first goal the Magpies scored was genuinely brilliant; Jonjo Shelvey's long pass was taken in by Daryl Janmaat on the run, who then squared it for Wijnaldum to sweep home. A neat touch then set up Ayoze Perez for a second, but it was his tenacity and work rate in the middle of the park that impressed the St. James' Park crowd the most.
Steve McClaren was effusive in his praise for the Dutchman after the game: "He's everything that we thought he would be," he said via the Daily Mail.
ST: Diego Costa, Chelsea
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Diego Costa scored his fifth goal in five matches on Saturday as he swept home a lovely Cesc Fabregas pass against Everton. Minutes later he returned the favour, teeing his compatriot up to level the scores and turn the game on its head.
It was yet another excellent Costa performance overall; his revival under Guus Hiddink is rivalled only by Fabregas' own, and it's clear he's willing to run the hard yards for Chelsea's current manager.
The only concern? He went off with a knock and must be checked on ahead of a big game against Arsenal next weekend. "He is in the hospital, and they will check him with a scan. We don't know the result, yet but I hope it's not bad. [It was] on his shin. He was in a lot of pain," Hiddink told reporters after the game (h/t ESPNFC).
ST: Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
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Sergio Aguero was in a highly destructive mood on Saturday and put Crystal Palace to the sword in a 4-0 win. He earned Bleacher Report's Man of the Weekend award as a result.
He scored twice and set up David Silva for one, in the process oozing the poise and precision we've come to expect from him in a Manchester City shirt. Palace were pretty poor across the board, but the way Aguero sliced and diced the defence up...it was a thoroughly dominant performance.
He's up to 10 goals for the Premier League season, despite starting just 14 games, per WhoScored.com.
Bench
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GK: Mark Bunn, Aston Villa
CB: Nicolas Otamendi, Manchester City
LB: Leighton Baines, Everton
CM: Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
AM: Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur
Wing: Kevin Mirallas, Everton
ST: Jordan Ayew, Aston Villa
