Squarefootball's Team of the Week - Week Two
Well what another exciting week that was in the Premier League. The champions Manchester City had to come from behind twice to salvage a point at Anfield, Manchester United were also forced to work for their points at home to Fulham while Chelsea, Everton and Swansea continued their unbeaten start to the season.
Sunderland's game with Reading was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch so we have only nine fixtures to choose our Team of the Week from this week, so let's get cracking.
Team of the Week
GK: Al Habsi (Wigan)
The Wigan shot stopper pulled off some blinding saves to keep Southampton at bay on Saturday - most notably that fierce long range effort from Lallana, which he tipped on to the bar. Swansea's Michel Vorm also deserves a mention for keeping West Ham out and for recording back-to-back clean sheets.
CB: Phil Jagielka (Everton)
Unfortunate to miss out on a place in our team last weekend, Jagielka was on top form again against Aston Villa. To be fair, the whole Everton team were superb against Villa but defensively Jagielka just edged it for me.
CB: Angel Rangel (Swansea)
Not only does Angel Rangel have one of the best names in the Premier League he is also a great defender. The Spaniard scored the opener against West Ham on Saturday and helped his side keep a clean sheet to boot.
CB: Rafael (Manchester United)
The young Brazilian was full of energy and endeavour against Fulham and was a constant threat going forward. He got on the scoresheet and had another one ruled out for offside. Maybe Rafael is the man to fill Gary Neville's boots after all.
CM: Steven Pienaar (Everton)
Pienaar has returned to Goodison Park and I bet he wishes he had never left. He scored against Aston Villa within three minutes to set up a comfortable win for the Toffees and played a vital role in keeping Everton ticking.
CM: Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)
Sir Alex Ferguson raised a few eyebrows when he signed Kagawa in the summer but the creative playmaker was at the heart of everything against Fulham. He also scored his first goal for the club.
CM: Joe Allen (Liverpool)
The former Swansea midfielder was making his Anfield debut against the champions and controlled the midfield. Always looking for the ball and finding his man with a crisp pass, Allen kept Liverpool moving forward. Some people baulked at his transfer fee but he will be worth double that soon with performances like this.
CM: Dembele (Fulham)
The Belgian international was a force to be reckoned with at Old Trafford on Saturday. The 25-year-old, who Martin Jol will be hoping remains at the Cottage once the transfer window closes, demonstrated his raw strength, pace, power and passing. He should count himself unlucky to have been on the losing side.
CM: Hazard (Chelsea)
The former Lille man is living up to expectations at the Bridge. With Lampard on the bench, the Belgian international showed that he can deputise for the England midfielder from the spot. With one goal and six assists to his name already for the Blues, Hazard could pose a real threat to Manchester City's title hopes.
FW: Torres (Chelsea)
The Spaniard is relishing playing with the creative genius of Hazard and scored his second of the season against Newcastle. And what a fantastic finish it was too. It looks as though Torres is revelling in playing without Drogba on the scene.
FW: Nathan Dyer (Swansea)
The tricky winger may not have scored against West Ham but he was terrorising the Hammers' backline all game. His quick feet and defence splitting passes had West Ham all over the shop. Sinclair may be moving to pastures new but Dyer will continue to carve open defences for months to come under Laudrup. Dyer is the only player from last week's Team of the Week to retain his place.
Weekend Wonders
Game of the Week: Manchester United 3 Fulham 2
Full marks to Martin Jol's side for this. Before the weekend Fulham hadn't scored at Old Trafford in five previous visits. Thanks to Damien Duff, they were one up within three minutes. That sparked the game into life and set up a pulsating encounter. Robin Van Persie got his United career off to a flyer with a sensational equaliser, followed by Kagawa's first in a United shirt and Rafael made it 3-1 before the break. But Fulham weren't done. They kept coming back at United and pulled one back through an own goal by Vidic. The visitors pressed and pressed but just couldn't find a way past De Gea again.
Manager of the week: David Moyes (Everton)
After beating Manchester United in their opener the Toffees headed down the M6 to face an Aston Villa side who had frustrated them for the majority of the past six years. However, an early goal from Steven Pienaar calmed their nerves and the visitors bossed the game with Fellaini and Jelavic finding the back of the net. Everton are one of only three teams to have won every game so far this season and Moyes's men have a real spirit about them. This could be a great year for the Toffees.
Goal of the Week: Robin Van Persie (Manchester United)
Sir Alex Ferguson spent an awful lot of money for the 29-year-old but he repaid some of that with his stunning equaliser against Fulham. The strike was perfectly executed and left Schwarzer with no chance. Special mentions must also go to Torres for his bullet against Tim Krul and Luis Suarez for his perfectly placed free-kick against Manchester City.
Save of the week: De Gea (Manchester United)
The Spaniard may have been beaten twice at Old Trafford on Saturday but he stopped a certain goal thanks to his quick reflexes. Damien Duff was unmarked in the box and let fly with his right foot. De Gea parried it away but in to the path of Petric. The two-goal hero on the opening day struck low and hard but De Gea got a stud on to it, forcing it up on to the bar. Brian Ruiz was following in but blazed over the bar. Wigan Al Habsi pulled off a top save from Lallana but I think De Gea, at an important time in the game, deserves to just nicked this accolade.
Howler of the Week: James Collins (West Ham)
Liverpool's Martin Skrtel could have won this but West Ham's James Collins just edged it. It was a simple pass back to the keeper but the former Villa man made a meal of it allowing the impressive Michu in to slot home Swansea's second. At least Skrtel actually did something positive in his game against Manchester City by scoring the opener and looking like a defender. Collins? He wasn't even worthy of a place on the bench.
Mitch's moment: Wayne Rooney's gash
Now Scottish people have been saying Wayne Rooney is gash for years, but on Saturday the United striker suffered a nasty looking gash to his leg. The former Everton man was hoping mad after the incident and it looks as though the frontman will be out for almost two months. No blame can be attributed to Hugo Rodallega - it was a total accident - but could it be a costly one for Sir Alex?
Calling all football fans: Do you agree or disagree? We'd love to hear from you.

