Kelvin Davis (Southampton): The Saints’ fans could be forgiven for being nervous at the prospect of Davis playing in the absence of the injured regular stopper, Paulo Gazzinga. However, Davis pulled off a number of fine saves in his side’s crucial win over Reading, earning a clean sheet in the process.
Luke Shaw (Southampton): The 17-year-old delivered a performance that belied his tender years on Saturday, proving equally effective in defence and attack. More displays like this one and those Gareth Bale comparisons will start to seem credible.
Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal): Following an assured start to the season, Arsenal’s defence has started to encounter familiar problems in recent times. However, Vermaelen produced a solid display at the weekend to at least temporarily assuage his critics.
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Per Mertesacker (Arsenal): Like his defensive partner, Mertesacker was more or less flawless as Arsenal secured a much-needed 2-0 win over West Brom.
Michu (Swansea): The Spaniard continued his phenomenal goalscoring record, scoring twice in Swansea’s 4-3 loss to Norwich. Surely he’s due a move to a bigger club sooner rather than later on the basis of recent performances.
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal): Arteta has been disappointingly sub-par at times this season, but he stepped up to the plate on Saturday, scoring both penalties in an accomplished display, and showing great character in doing so, given that he missed a spot kick against Fulham recently.
James McCarthy (Wigan): McCarthy notched a rare brace to help his team draw 2-2 with QPR, ensuring Harry Redknapp’s side set a new record for the longest-ever winless streak at the start of a Premier League season.
Darron Gibson (Everton): Everton’s recent return to form has not coincidentally coincided with Gibson’s re-emergence from injury, with club captain Phil Jagielka admitting as much in a recent interview. On Sunday, he again emphasised his value with a Man of the Match display in which he set up the winner.
Wayne Rooney (Man United): Big games require big players to rise to the occasion, and Wayne Rooney did just that in the Manchester derby at the weekend, showing his finishing prowess twice to give United a two-goal advantage in the early stages.
Robin van Persie (Man United): Sunday may not have been the best game Van Persie has ever played, yet his vital goal amid the game’s climax could prove the difference between the two sides come the end of the season.
Fernando Torres (Chelsea): More likely to appear in the duds of the week nowadays, a Torres double helped Chelsea down Sunderland at the weekend, as he showed glimpses of the form that made the Londoners pay so much money for him in the first place.
Subs: Wojciech Szczęsny (Arsenal), Nathan Baker (Aston Villa), Juan Mata (Chelsea), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Djibril Cisse (QPR).
The Premier League team of the week
Kelvin Davis (Southampton): The Saints’ fans could be forgiven for being nervous at the prospect of Davis playing in the absence of the injured regular stopper, Paulo Gazzinga. However, Davis pulled off a number of fine saves in his side’s crucial win over Reading, earning a clean sheet in the process.
Luke Shaw (Southampton): The 17-year-old delivered a performance that belied his tender years on Saturday, proving equally effective in defence and attack. More displays like this one and those Gareth Bale comparisons will start to seem credible.
Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal): Following an assured start to the season, Arsenal’s defence has started to encounter familiar problems in recent times. However, Vermaelen produced a solid display at the weekend to at least temporarily assuage his critics.
Per Mertesacker (Arsenal): Like his defensive partner, Mertesacker was more or less flawless as Arsenal secured a much-needed 2-0 win over West Brom.
Michu (Swansea): The Spaniard continued his phenomenal goalscoring record, scoring twice in Swansea’s 4-3 loss to Norwich. Surely he’s due a move to a bigger club sooner rather than later on the basis of recent performances.
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal): Arteta has been disappointingly sub-par at times this season, but he stepped up to the plate on Saturday, scoring both penalties in an accomplished display, and showing great character in doing so, given that he missed a spot kick against Fulham recently.
Wayne Rooney (Man United): Big games require big players to rise to the occasion, and Wayne Rooney did just that in the Manchester derby at the weekend, showing his finishing prowess twice to give United a two-goal advantage in the early stages.
Robin van Persie (Man United): Sunday may not have been the best game Van Persie has ever played, yet his vital goal amid the game’s climax could prove the difference between the two sides come the end of the season.
Fernando Torres (Chelsea): More likely to appear in the duds of the week nowadays, a Torres double helped Chelsea down Sunderland at the weekend, as he showed glimpses of the form that made the Londoners pay so much money for him in the first place.
Subs: Wojciech Szczęsny (Arsenal), Nathan Baker (Aston Villa), Juan Mata (Chelsea), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Djibril Cisse (QPR).
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Darron Gibson Fernando Torres kelvin davis Luke Shaw Mikel Arteta Premier League Robin van Persie Stars Team of the Week Wayne Rooney