Chelsea And Tottenham Stars Feature In EPL Team Of The Week (7-8 February)

Speroni – The Crystal Palace legend has been at the club for a number of years and he showed that he is still one of the best shot stoppers in the league at the weekend. He made five saves this weekend, including a brilliant stop to prevent Riyad Mahrez. He isn’t the tallest of keepers, but he is hard to beat and he provides Palace with a strong base. His kicking was also impressive this weekend and modern keepers will know that is a huge part of their game now.

Bardsley – Stoke only managed to get a point on Tyneside, but their right back shone as he was very solid defensively. Newcastle were trying to play down the flanks, using their full backs as attacking outlets, but Bardsley was rarely beaten, making a number of key challenges throughout the game. An injury to Marc Wilson meant that the former Sunderland man had to change sides during the game, but he still looked assured in an unfamiliar position of left back.

Bruce – Hull came very close to causing an upset at the Etihad against Manchester City and a big part of that was their defensive display, which was a lot more assured than they have shown for a long time in the league. Alex Bruce was key to that as he was good in the air, and read the game well, making key interceptions to stop City attacks. He was facing some of the best attacking talent in the league, not least David Silva and Sergio Aguero, yet Bruce gave one of his best performances for the club.

Sakho – Liverpool were poor defensively at the beginning of the campaign, however since Sakho returned they have gradually improved. The former PSG man was brilliant at the weekend, with his reading of the play exceptional, while his pace and strength make him a difficult player to get the better of for attackers. He did make a couple of errors, but he had the pace and know how to deal with the problems that he created.

Cresswell – Aaron Cresswell has been one of the signings of the season for West Ham United and he continued to show why he is so highly rated this weekend as he outshone Luke Shaw at Upton Park. Both are two up and coming English left backs, Shaw was sent off this weekend, while Cresswell showed his determination and hard-working style of play, getting up and down the touchline. He was difficult to beat on the wing against some of the best players in the world, and he contributed going forward, showing his ability to put dangerous crosses into the area.

Mason – The Spurs midfielder was everywhere on Saturday, with his work rate and determination really showing. After a number of years out of favour at White Hart Lane, the midfielder has taken his chance in the first team and is proving himself to be a solid player at this level. He got stuck in on Saturday without looking like he would lose his cool in a high pressured game like a derby. Mason also looked good when he had possession and made good decisions going forward, often picking the right pass.

Bentaleb – Tottenham were the top performers of the weekend and Nabil Bentaleb did a superb job sitting in front of the back four, winning back possession and setting his side up to attack. He was more rigid in position than Mason, but this was key to Spurs’ victory as he was there to defend every time Arsenal went on the counter, and more often than not he won the ball back. His return was a huge boost.

Ledley – Joe Ledley gave an excellent box to box midfield display against Leicester. Alan Pardew wants his players to work hard for the side when the team doesn’t have the ball, but he demands his players to be comfortable in possession when they do have it. Ledley is the perfect midfielder for Pardew as he gets up and down the pitch, with the ability to win the ball back in his own half and score crucial goals in the final third. His winner on Saturday has moved Palace further away from the drop zone and Pardew has really transformed their fortunes.

Hazard – The Chelsea midfielder showed his class again this weekend as he scored the opening goal at Villa Park and was a threat throughout for the home defence. He is one of the most talented dribblers in the world, and that was on show on Saturday as he managed to move past defenders with ease, time and time again. Chelsea are starting to build a comfortable lead at the top of the Premier League and the performances of the Belgian have been a big reason why they have been so impressive.

Kane – Harry Kane is having a superb season and is without doubt the most in form striker in the league at the moment. His two goals on Saturday were taken well, with his second in particular being a fantastic bit of centre forward play. It was a goal that very few strikers would be capable of taking. His performance is even more impressive when you consider that he was playing in a high pressure game against Spurs’ local rivals Arsenal. Kane needs to be in the England squad as he has shown consistency and an ability to show up in the big games.

Ings – His future is up in the air and after a poor performance against Sunderland last weekend, many were worried about the striker’s mental state. However, the shutting of the transfer window has helped Ings get back in the right frame of mind to help Burnley survive in the Premier League. He was exceptional against West Brom and showed that he has a long term future in the top flight even if Burnley do not. He scored a wonderful header from a George Boyd cross to put his side two goals up. Ings also assisted the other goal for his striker partner Barnes. Burnley have a tough run of fixtures now, but with Ings in this form, they have a chance.