MX23RW : Thursday, May 9 23:47:35| >> :120:17214:17214:

Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week

Sports Mole's picks out the 11 most impressive players from the third round of Premier League encounters.

Four became two as far as Premier League clubs that could boast a 100% winning record were concerned after the third round of matches this weekend.

Plenty of credit should go to Garry Monk, who has seen his Swansea City side win all three of their encounters - the latest of which saw them overcome West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium.

The other side with a full complement of wins, perhaps more predictably, is Chelsea, who were involved in an entertaining nine-goal encounter with Everton, which the Londoners won 6-3. That saw them capitalise on a slip from title rivals and champions Manchester City, with Stoke City running out 1-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium.

Elsewhere, Arsenal drew 1-1 with newly-promoted Leicester City, while their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur were comfortably beaten 3-0 at home by Liverpool.

Louis van Gaal is still waiting for his maiden win as manager of Manchester United after they could only draw 0-0 with Burnley. There was also a draw between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, albeit much more exciting as the two teams shared six goals evenly.

Taking all 10 encounters into consideration, Sports Mole has picked out the 11 players that made the biggest impression on us.

Rob Green (Queens Park Rangers)
The former England international may not have had too much to do against Sunderland, but his handling and distribution was spot on, while he also made two great stops to deny Steven Fletcher and Emanuele Giaccherini.

Alberto Moreno (Liverpool)
His debut against Man City will be remembered for the mistake that cost the first goal, but his performance on the whole was positive. The Spaniard looked even better against Spurs and scored a great goal.
Steven Caulker (Queens Park Rangers)
It's been a wobbly start for the summer signing from Cardiff City, but he showed his potential against Sunderland. His pace was a real asset and allowed him to cover his partner Rio Ferdinand on occasions.
Marc Wilson (Stoke City)
In fairness, any of the Stoke rearguard could have been included in this selection, but Wilson is given the nod. The centre-back read danger brilliantly and made countless vital clearances as Stoke kept the champions at bay.
Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)
The likes of Costa and Cesc Fabregas have hogged the headlines, but there is a real case for suggesting that Ivanovic has been Chelsea's best player this term. It was another top performance from the Serb, both defensively and offensively, topped off with another goal.

Nathan Dyer (Swansea City)
The calls for Dyer to be given a chance at international level will only grow after his two goals against West Brom. The first came from a tight angle, while the second saw the winger show great composure.
Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton)
Even if Schneiderlin does not want to be at Southampton, it didn't show against West Ham. The Frenchman equalised with a smart finish and then put the Saints in front.
Fabian Delph (Aston Villa)
There were a few raised eyebrows when Delph was named in the England squad by Roy Hodgson, but the Villa midfielder seemed to thrive on it against Hull. He perhaps should have scored early on, but that aside, it was a lively showing from the 24-year-old.
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool)
On current form, the England international is Liverpool's best player. He opened the scoring at White Hart Lane and was a constant threat to the Spurs defence. But for some lame finishing in the second half, he could have scored a goal of the season contender.

Leonardo Ulloa (Leicester City)
Having cost Leicester a hefty sum, there is pressure on the Argentine this season. He displayed no signs that it was hampering him, though, as he scored a good header against Arsenal and put in a big shift for his team.
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
Does this man ever miss? It doesn't seem so. The £32m signing was a doubt for the clash with Everton because of a hamstring strain, but he showed no ill effects by opening and concluding the scoring at Goodison Park.

Numpty of the week

Joe Hart: Granted, the defending in front of the Manchester City goalkeeper was not great as Mame Biram Diouf burst through from his own half, but the Stoke striker almost ran out of steam when he reached the penalty area. His shot suggested as much, but Hart still allowed the ball to creep inside his near post for the only goal of the game.

Goal of the week

Alberto Moreno – Tottenham Hotspur vs. (Liverpool): We handed the Spanish left-back our 'Numpty' award last week, but this time around he's included here for much more positive reasons. Having robbed Andros Townsend of possession inside his own half, Moreno carried the ball all the way into the Spurs penalty area, where he fired in Liverpool's third goal of the afternoon via the far upright.

ID:174343: cacheID:174343:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8306:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Charlie Austin of Queens Park Rangers celebrates scoring the opening goal for Queens Park Rangers during the Barclays Premier League match between Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland at Loftus Road on August 30, 2014
Read Next:
Match Analysis: QPR 1-0 Sunderland
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal36265588286083
2Manchester CityMan City35257387335482
3Liverpool36239481384378
4Aston Villa36207973532067
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs351861169581160
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle351751378562256
7Chelsea351591170591154
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd35166135255-354
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham361310135670-1449
10Bournemouth36139145263-1148
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton351211125357-447
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves36137164960-1146
13Fulham36128165155-444
14Crystal Palace361110154957-843
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3699185260-836
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3689194563-1829
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3659223974-3524
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd36372635100-6516


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!