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Arsenal And Manchester United Stars Feature In EPL Team Of The Week (21-22 March)

David Ospina – Ospina has been under criticism from some Arsenal fans since he became Arsenal number one, but he was key to their victory as Newcastle were all over Arsenal in the second half. He was a rock in goal and made a number of key saves to prevent Newcastle from getting back on level terms. Saves from Remy Cabella and Ayoze Perez were particularly important to the result. It’s often been said that having a good keeper can win you points in a season and Ospina was certainly a huge reason for his side leaving Tyneside with all three points.

Seamus Coleman – Seamus Coleman has struggled to live up to his performances in recent seasons as his form has followed that of his side. On Sunday, he looked back to his best as he was getting up and down the touchline, causing the QPR defence problems, while continuing to do his defensive work when required. His attacking quality showed as he scored the opening goal on Sunday with an excellent finish.

James Collins – West Ham finally got back to winning ways thanks to a late goal from Diafra Sakho to increase the pressure on Sunderland. A key part to their victory was the strength of their defence as Sunderland were restricted to only a few chances. The visitors only managed to get 3 shots on target and Collins was excellent throughout as he continued to stop attacks. He was dominant aerially, while he also made a few tackles in crucial areas.

Toby Alderweireld – Southampton got another three points at the weekend with their defence again shining on the South Coast. They suffered a set back as Fraser Forster went off with an injury, but the defence stayed strong and managed to keep a clean sheet against a scrappy Burnley side. The on loan Belgian defender was excellent and made a few key interceptions to prevent Burnley from scoring. Southampton need to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer as he is the perfect partner for Jose Fonte.

Daley Blind – The Dutch international has been used in midfield for the majority of his Manchester United career so far, but he was used at left back against Liverpool and he played really well. He showed he could get forward and could beat players on the wing and was a threat with his excellent passing and crossing abilities. Blind also looked comfortable when defending and gave a real balance to the back four.

Fernando – Manchester City recorded a comfortable win over West Brom thanks to an early sending off for the Baggies. As expected City dominated with ten men and managed to score three times. Fernando scored the club’s 1000th Premier League goal with a fortuitous strike after some poor defending directly from a corner. The Brazilian was excellent in the middle of the park and managed to win the ball back on several different occasions to set up City attacks.

Jake Livermore – Hull were excellent against Chelsea after a poor opening ten minutes, and deserved to get something out of the game. Jake Livermore was really good throughout as he broke down the play well and made a number of key tackles and interceptions. In the first half, he had a 100% tackle success rate, which shows how good he was in the middle of the park. He was up against one of the best midfields in the league, if not Europe and he showed that he could compete against the best.

Juan Mata – Manchester United have struggled to create chances in recent weeks with Marouane Felliani being key to their approach. However they looked a lot more fluid on Sunday and Juan Mata was central to that. He was brilliant in possession, while his movement ahead of Wayne Rooney from midfield caused a lot of problems for the Liverpool defence. He scored two wonderful goals, with the second being an acrobatic effort that you wouldn’t normally associate with the Spaniard.

Harry Kane – Harry Kane has been the breakout star of this season’s Premier League and he is in the running for a number of individual awards at the end of the season, including top scorer as he has now joined level with Diego Costa. He managed to bag a hat-trick at the weekend as Tottenham ran out winners against a resilient Leicester side who kept coming back into the match. He has continued to show maturity in his game, with his movement and finishing being the key reasons for his success.

Olivier Giroud – Arsenal are still outside contenders for the title according to some people and they will need Olivier Giroud to be on top form if they are to claw back Chelsea. They will need to be near perfect if they are to get back into the title race, but Giroud has the quality to score the goals to get them there if they get the service. He scored twice against Newcastle and looked a threat throughout, especially in the air. He also made a contribution defensively as he held up the ball towards the end and won a crucial free kick in stoppage time when Arsenal were clinging on to their lead.

Glenn Murray – It is an excellent sight to see Glenn Murray performing consistently in the Premier League and it is one of the best moves from Pardew since taking the helm at Palace to bring Murray back into the fold. He has shown in the past that he is a natural goalscorer and he has more to his game, as he showed for his assist for Wilfried Zaha. He also scored a goal to get his side back into the game as he showed his cool from the penalty spot. If he continues in this form, Palace could end up in the top half which would be a great achievement.