Tottenham's Jermain Defoe (left) glances a header across goal and past Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross (centre) and Stoke City's goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/Press Association Images
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The Premier League team of the week
Check out who made the cut in our pick of England’s finest footballers over the past few days.
Asmir Begovic (Stoke): Stoke have one of the best defences in Europe, so Begovic is fortunate in that respect, but he’s still had to pull off the odd fantastic save over the course of the season, such as the one he made from Sigurdsson’s header late on during Saturday’s game.
Pablo Zabaleta (Man City): Produced another battling and consistent display against Reading, Roberto Mancini will wish his side could have ten more players with the attitude of Zabaleta.
John O’Shea (Sunderland): The Irish defender was in imperious form as Sunderland beat Southampton, barely allowing his opponents to get a shot on target.
David Luiz (Chelsea): Admittedly, he didn’t have too much to do in defence against Villa, but his inclusion is merited for the fine free kick he scored alone.
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Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea): Another Chelsea defender who took his goal well and barely put a foot wrong in general against Villa.
Leon Osman (Everton): At 31, the tricky winger shows no sign of losing his appetite for the game, playing an integral role in Everton’s win over West Ham, and setting up the winner to boot.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool): Rumours of Gerrard’s decline are exaggerated on the basis of Saturday’s performance, as his play spearheaded Liverpool’s comprehensive victory over Fulham.
(Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard celebrates with team-mate Luis Suarez after scoring his side’s second goal of the game - Nick Potts/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Juan Mata (Chelsea): Is there a more skilful and influential attacking midfielder in the Premier League right now? On the basis of yesterday’s performance against Aston Villa, in which Mata thrived, surely the answer is “no”.
Ramires (Chelsea): Not known especially as a goalscoring midfielder, Ramires was still the only player to score more than once as Chelsea thrashed Villa, despite only making a substitute appearance.
Steven Fletcher (Sunderland): Sunderland fans presumably shudder to think about what life would be like without Fletcher in the side. Surely they’d be struggling to keep up with Reading if that were the case. And he showed his worth again by scoring the winner against Southampton at the weekend.
Romelu Lukaku (West Brom): The big striker has proven to be a big hit since his arrival at West Brom, and emphasised his importance by scoring the winner for his club against Norwich on Saturday to round off an accomplished all-round performance.
Substitutes: Simon Mignolet (Sunderland), Danny Rose (Sunderland), Kemy Agustien (Swansea), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Fernando Torres (Chelsea).
Who have we forgotten? Let us know in comments section below.
The Premier League team of the week
Asmir Begovic (Stoke): Stoke have one of the best defences in Europe, so Begovic is fortunate in that respect, but he’s still had to pull off the odd fantastic save over the course of the season, such as the one he made from Sigurdsson’s header late on during Saturday’s game.
Pablo Zabaleta (Man City): Produced another battling and consistent display against Reading, Roberto Mancini will wish his side could have ten more players with the attitude of Zabaleta.
John O’Shea (Sunderland): The Irish defender was in imperious form as Sunderland beat Southampton, barely allowing his opponents to get a shot on target.
David Luiz (Chelsea): Admittedly, he didn’t have too much to do in defence against Villa, but his inclusion is merited for the fine free kick he scored alone.
Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea): Another Chelsea defender who took his goal well and barely put a foot wrong in general against Villa.
Leon Osman (Everton): At 31, the tricky winger shows no sign of losing his appetite for the game, playing an integral role in Everton’s win over West Ham, and setting up the winner to boot.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool): Rumours of Gerrard’s decline are exaggerated on the basis of Saturday’s performance, as his play spearheaded Liverpool’s comprehensive victory over Fulham.
Juan Mata (Chelsea): Is there a more skilful and influential attacking midfielder in the Premier League right now? On the basis of yesterday’s performance against Aston Villa, in which Mata thrived, surely the answer is “no”.
Ramires (Chelsea): Not known especially as a goalscoring midfielder, Ramires was still the only player to score more than once as Chelsea thrashed Villa, despite only making a substitute appearance.
Steven Fletcher (Sunderland): Sunderland fans presumably shudder to think about what life would be like without Fletcher in the side. Surely they’d be struggling to keep up with Reading if that were the case. And he showed his worth again by scoring the winner against Southampton at the weekend.
Romelu Lukaku (West Brom): The big striker has proven to be a big hit since his arrival at West Brom, and emphasised his importance by scoring the winner for his club against Norwich on Saturday to round off an accomplished all-round performance.
Substitutes: Simon Mignolet (Sunderland), Danny Rose (Sunderland), Kemy Agustien (Swansea), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Fernando Torres (Chelsea).
Who have we forgotten? Let us know in comments section below.
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Asmir Begovic Chelsea Everton John O'Shea Leon Osman Liverpool Stars Steven Gerrard