Team of the Week: Arsenal, Chelsea & Manchester United star men shine through

By Benjamin Wills.

This week’s standout performers from the Arsenal side that dismantled Liverpool and the Everton team that kept out Southampton, plus star men from Chelsea, Manchester United and Swansea.

Goalkeeper: Adrian (West Ham United)

West Ham conceded two goals, and lost, against bottom-of-the-table Leicester City on Saturday, but the result could have been a lot more embarrassing had it not been for Adrian.

The Spanish stopper saved David Nugent’s spot-kick, a point-blank Jamie Vardy effort late on, and two other attempts to keep the difference between the two sides to just one.

Right-back: Hector Bellerin (Arsenal)

Pre-match talk all swirled around Raheem Sterling turning down a bumper contract at Liverpool, but Bellerin kept the want-away winger silent for 90 minutes with a solid defensive performance.

He was just as effective at the other end, too, notching his second senior goal to make it 1-0 after 37 minutes, and kick off an eight-minute demolition job by the hosts, who ran out convincing winners.

Centre-back: Phil Jagielka (Everton)

Everton’s 1-0 win over Europa League-chasing Southampton stretched their winning run to three. They have turned their bad run around, with Phil Jagielka to thank for the latest victory.

The defender netted his fifth goal of the season when he slotted in a 16th-minute goal and helped his side keep a clean sheet too as the Toffees rose to 11th.

Centre-back: Michael Duff (Burnley)

Burnley’s 0-0 draw with Tottenham on Sunday could not be described as a classic, or even vaguely entertaining, and you can blame Michael Duff for that.

Captain and Player of the Year contender, Harry Kane, was kept quiet for the whole 90 minutes – as was every other Spurs player – as they had 12 shots on goal but only mustered two on target against a resolute Burnley, who also denied Manchester City and Chelsea earlier in the season.

Left-back: Leighton Baines (Everton)

Baines’ role in the final third of the opposition’s half is as crucial, if not more so, to his game than his defensive duties.

But his performances have been under par in both roles as Everton have struggled this season, but an assist from a corner and a clean sheet goes a small way towards Baines returning to form.

Right-midfield: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)

Arsenal’s 4-1 demolition of Liverpool was the standout result of the weekend – and the Gunners’ star man lit up the game as he has done so many times before.

Sanchez sealed the three points with a sumptuous, powerful, long-range curler in first-half stoppage time for Arsenal’s third goal in eight minutes, and provided the assist for Olivier Giroud’s goal in the second half.

Centre-midfield: Ander Herrera (Manchester United)

Never much of a goalscorer at Athletic Club (just seven in 94 games), Herrera has added another dimension to his game since arriving at Old Trafford. Two goals in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa brings his tally to five in just this season; just one less than the more attack-minded Raheem Sterling, who wants to move on to bigger things away from Liverpool.

Herrera drilled his shot low from just inside the box to open the scoring, then netted his second with an incredibly Spanish shot: a nonchalant side-foot sweep into the bottom corner to finish things off as United moved up to third, ahead of rivals City.

Centre-midfield: Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester City)

Cambiasso’s class shone through in the Foxes’ win over West Ham at the weekend, as Leicester revived some survival hopes. The awesome Argentine proved that while his best years are behind him, he still possesses the prowess that has forged a glittering career.

While Leicester’s relegation worries are a world away from Cambiasso’s Champions League triumph with Inter Milan in 2010 and his breathtaking goal against Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup, the 34-year old can still roll back the years when required.

Left-midfield: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Tipped by most to win the Player of the Year award come the end of the season, Eden Hazard again showed why he is considered one of the finest in the Premier League.

He ran the show from start to finish against Stoke; setting up Loic Remy’s winner and scoring a penalty either side of Charlie Adam’s outrageous goal from his own half.

Striker: Charlie Austin (QPR)

Perhaps unfairly overlooked for the recent England squad, Charlie Austin played like he had a point to prove in what was only QPR’s second away win of the season.

Austin assisted Eduardo Vargas’ goal to set Rangers on their way to a 4-1 win at the Hawthorns, then scored himself with a diving header at the near post from a corner.

Striker: Bafetimbi Gomis (Swansea City)

Emerging from Wilfried Bony’s shadow has not been an easy one for Bafe Gomis, but two accomplished finishes against Hull will do him no trouble.

An overhead kick was the source of goal number one, and a delicate dink over goalkeeper Allan McGregor was Gomis’ second and Swansea’s third as Hull’s relegation worries deepened.

Who would be in your team of the week?

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