Team of the Week & Performances of the Week

The Premier League Team of the Week

Gk – Pepe Reina (Liverpool) – The Liverpool man has now achieved 4 consecutive clean sheets in a row. He wasn’t really questioned much by Chelsea. But when Florent Malouda did question him, Reina was equal to it and made a great save to maintain Liverpool’s lead.

Runners up- Joe Hart (Manchester City), third place- Wayne Hennessey (Wolves),

RB – Kyle Walker – The exciting right back has shown how impressive he is in the last few weeks. Against Fulham he continued to show his competence going forward. Providing effective support for his side going forward. He capped of a brilliant attacking performance with a fantastic long range goal. His brilliant performances have also seen him gain his first England call up this week.

Runners up – Martin Kelly (Liverpool), Third place – Stephen Carr (Birmingham)

CB – Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) – This was Jamie Carragher’s first game for Liverpool after being out for 2 months with an injury. On his return he gave a brilliant and fully committed performance. Carragher kept the Liverpool’s back line organised and disciplined against the threat of Chelsea. Jamie Carragher’s made a crucial last ditch save to stop Fernando Torres having a debut to remember.

CB – Daniel Agger (Liverpool) – Agger had a tidy game in the Liverpool defence against Chelsea. He has helped Pepe Reina gain his 4^th consecutive clean sheet. Agger played a crucial role in reducing the threat of Drogba, Anelka and Torres. The Liverpool fans showed great appreciation towards Agger for his tough challenge on Fernando Torres.

LB – Leighton Baines (Everton) – This guy had a fantastic game against Blackpool. Throughout the whole season Baines has been something of a creative force. And this weekend was no different. Baines set up three of Everton’s goals. Taking his assist tally to 9 for the season. A great contribution from Baines.

Runner up – Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Third place – Alexander Kolarov (Man City)

DMC – Lucas Levia – Lucas this season has been regarded as a definite first team player for Liverpool. His performances for Liverpool are far more consistent and much more expansive than when he first joined the club. Against Chelsea, Lucas was magnificent in protecting the defence, intercepting passes and winning tackles. Furthermore, he was fantastic with his ball usage. In 45 passes 40 of those passes were successful. A brilliant pass completion rate from the Brazilian.

Runner up – Joey Barton (Newcastle), Third place – James McCarthy

CM – Raul Meireles (Liverpool) – Under Kenny Dalglish, Meireles has found his form and has shown the Liverpool fans his true quality. In his last 5 games he has scored 4 goals. A tidy return from the midfielder. His willingness and drive to get into the Chelsea box often unsettled the Chelsea defence. And his good all round preformance also saw him grab another Liverpool goal. His brilliance is pushing Gerrard into a more central mmidfield role.

Runner up – Stuart Downing (Aston Villa), Third place – Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham)

AMR- Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) – All this guy knows is how to score goals. And Tevez proved that with a hatrick on Saturday. Yes, two of his goals were penalties, but his tenacity and brilliant dribbling skills made him a nightmare for the West Brom defence. His second goal was pure class. He showed his magical feet and clincal finishing.

Runner up – Andy Johnson (Fulham, Third place – Leon Best (Newcastle)

AML- Robin Van Persie (Arsenal) – The flying dutch man showed his brilliance with a well taken first goal and thumping header.

Runner up – Kevin Doyle (Wolves) Third place – Hugo Rodallega (Wigan)

St – Louis Saha (Everton) – Saha was the difference for Everton. He simply was unstopable. His confidence and class shone through for Everton. Once this guy is in form, he is one of the best in the Premier League.

Game of the week – Newcastle 4 – 4 Arsenal – This was one of the greatest comebacks in Premier League history. Simple as. Within 10 minutes, Newcastle were 3 goals down. By the 30^th minute, they were four down. Newcastle were a pathetic joke in the first half. They had embarrassed their own fans at home. They didn’t get anywhere near Arsenal. But come the second half Newcastle United played them off the park. The dismissal of Diaby arguably stemmed Newcastle’s revival. They showed a fantastic drive to get back into the game. Arsenal should be deadly embarrassed by their performance in the second half. No team, especially a title contender should let a 4 goal lead slip through their hands. But the revival showed the strong sense of unity and character in the Newcastle squad. It’s clear that this Newcastle team still has a lot of talented players even after the sale of Andy Carroll. But no one could have scripted this game, it turned out to be a fairytale for Newcastle and a living nightmare for Arsenal.

Shock result of the week – Chelsea 0 -1 Liverpool – Before this game, all the talk was about Fernando Torres’ record move £50 million to Chelsea. The irony of the transfer was that Torres debut was to be against the team he signed from. Liverpool gate crashed the Chelsea and Torres party. Liverpool played far better than Chelsea who simply looked out of sorts. The blues simply couldn’t break down the Liverpool defence. But Liverpool, a revived team under Kenny Dalglish showed there was life after Torres with a driven performance.

Performance of the week – Wolves 2-1 Man Utd –Wolves showed their quality with a hard fought victory against Man United. They managed to be the first team to defeat Manchester United this season in the League. They achieved this even after the set back of Manchester United scoring first. But Wolves showed their character and refused to let United to run away with it. Wolves responding quickly with a goal. Making it 1-1 by the 11^th minute. But Wolves took advantage of Man United’s wobbly defence and took the lead thanks to Kevin Doyle. The performance and result by Wolves shows that there seriously going to give a strong fight to stay in this league.

Player of the week – Louis Saha (Everton) – Everyone forgets about how seriously good this guy is. On his day he is unplayable. Just ask Blackpool. Saha scored 4 goals this weekend against Blackpool. He showed his true class. When fit and confident Saha can match any striker. And if he can stay fit for Everton expect them to quickly move upwards in the league.

Flop of the week – Fernando Torres – (Chelsea) – The British record signing didn’t show any reason to why he is worth £50 million on Sunday. He was very poor. There was a big expectancy from football fans and the Chelsea fan’s in particular to see Torres attempting to fire on all cylinders now he has got the move he demanded. But he only had 29 touches during his 66 minutes on the pitch. Not inspiring stuff.

Goal of the week – James McCarthy – This is just a sensational goal. He shows his brilliant ball control and agility to leave the Blackburn defenders with no chance. People forget this lad is only 20 years of age. This guy will only get even better with time. Watch the goal here;