Squarefootball's Team of the Week - Week Three
Arsenal picked up their first goals and win of the season as Liverpool's woes continued. West Brom ensured both Merseyside sides had a weekend to forget, Andy Carroll got off to a flyer at West Ham while Norwich held Spurs at White Hart Lane.
There were plenty of goals and a lot of top performers over the past weekend, but who will make it into our Team of the Week? Well, here it is.
GK: Brad Friedel (Tottenham Hostspur)
The American is not fazed by the arrival of French number one Hugo Lloris. The former Blackburn man was in fine form against Norwich. Three top drawer saves ensured AVB's men clinched a share of the points.
CB: Winston Reid (West Ham)
The defender didn't have much to do against a lacklustre Fulham attack but he stayed switched on and dealt with everything comfortably. He also put the Hammers two up with a bullet header from a Matt Taylor corner.
CB: Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa)
Clark was another defender who got himself on the scoresheet this week. He headed home from close range to put the Villa one up. The 22-year-old was impressive against Ba and Cisse and only the brilliance of Ben Arfa denied him victory and a clean sheet.
CB: Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich Albion)
Another impressive defensive display from Olsson has made Steve Clarke even more determined to keep him at the Hawthorns. Well positioned and a great leader of men, Olsson is a rock for the Baggies.
RM: Shaun Maloney (Wigan Athletic)
The former Celtic winger was pulling all the strings for the Latics against Stoke and got the home side off to a flyer with a cooly converted penalty.
CM: Abou Diaby (Arsenal)
Alex who? That's what the Arsenal fans will have been saying after a dominant performance from Diaby. He was here, there and everywhere, putting in strong challenges, breaking up play and showing off his skills. Is he the new Vieira?
CM: Youssouf Mulumbu (West Bromwich Albion)
Mulumbu was the star man in the Baggies midfield, keeping Everton at bay and starting a number of counter attacks.
LM: Santi Cazorla (Arsenal)
Arsenal have found a new hero in Santi Cazorla. The creative Spaniard carved open the Liverpool defence to let Podolski score and then got on the scoresheet himself.
RF: Ricardo Vaz Te (West Ham)
On-loan Liverpool striker Andy Carroll may have stolen all the headlines but Vaz Te was a constant thorn in Fulham's side on Saturday. Supplied the lay-off for Nolan to score the opener.
CF: Steven Fletcher (Sunderland)
Martin O'Neill was desperate to bring Fletcher to the Stadium of Light. £12 million seemed a bit steep for the Scot but a brace on his debut against Swansea City has helped repaid a huge slice of that.
LF: Robin Van Persie (Manchester United)
He may have boobed with his penalty but RVP's hat-trick at St Mary's gave United their first away win of the season. I think that was £24 million well spent Fergie.
Weekend Wonders
Game of the Weekend: Southampton 2 – Manchester United 3
Once again, the Saints nearly beat a top Manchester side in a thrilling fixture. Nigel Atkins will be hoping his boys will be able to turn these nearly wins into three points in the near future. Yet a RVP hat-trick stole the points away from Southampton, providing entertainment for all (except saints fans – sorry!).
Save of the Weekend: Al Habsi (Wigan)Another week, another great save from the Wigan keeper. This time the former Bolton shot-stopper denied Charlie Adam a goal on his Stoke debut with an amazing reaction save. Adam's free-kick struck Cauldwell and looked like wrong footing the keeper, but Al Habsi somehow swung a right arm at it to claw the ball away from harm. Quite simply sublime.
Allardyce’s West Ham side played to its strengths and got the ball to new main man Andy Carroll, who in turn was able to lead the side to a convincing 3-0 victory over Fulham. Special mention also goes to Steve Clarke for West Brom’s 2-0 victory over Everton, maintaining their unbeaten start to the season.
Goal of the Weekend: Hatem Ben Afra (Newcastle v Aston Villa)A bullet of an effort from Ben Afra’s right foot gave Newcastle a point against Aston Villa. The strike is an early Goal of the Season contender. Other notable efforts include Shane Long finishing off a fantastic counter attack by West Brom against Everton.
Mitch’s Moment: Fergie’s 1000th game1,000 games, 599 wins. And apparently one coat … Sir Alex Ferguson has broken more records now and is still going. Congratulations Fergie, now how many minutes would you like for injury time?
Do you agree with my team? Whatever your views, we'd love to hear from you.
Squarefootball's Team of the Week - Week Two
Squarefootball's Team of the Week - Week One
