Zlatan Ibrahimovic Narrowly Misses Team Of The Weekend

Goalkeeper: The days of Simon Mignolet playing second fiddle to Loris Karius at Liverpool seem long gone, even more so after his stunning performance against Stoke City. Liverpool were made to work hard to secure their 2-1 victory on Saturday, but without some fine saves from Mignolet, particularly to deny Saido Berahino, the visitors could have left the bet365 Stadium empty-handed. A special mention goes to Paul Mariner’s selection of Fraser Forster, but there’s no seeing past Mignolet for our goalkeeper — and as Steve Nicol puts it: “Mignolet shut up his critics perfectly.”

Right back: Kieran Trippier created a goal in Tottenham’s 4-0 thrashing of Watford on Saturday and was a menace down the home side’s right flank throughout — but still he has a reason to be unhappy. Were it not for his teammates’ profligacy in front of goal, the full-back might have had as many as six assists to his name, such was the frequency at which he was whipping in crosses at White Hart Lane. Both pundits are in agreement on Trippier, with Nicol raving about how “consistent he is,” and Mariner adding: “He had a wonderful game. Spurs did not miss Kyle Walker at all.”

Centre-back: Tottenham’s more attacking talent may take most of the plaudits after the stroll against Watford, but Jan Vertonghen at the back deserves his fair share of credit. On the rare occasions the visitors threatened, the Belgium international was as solid and dependable as ever in thwarting them — and after contributing to his side’s latest clean sheet, Spurs are now up to three in five games, while also having conceded just two goals in that time. “He was typically assured at the back with his no-frills defending, giving Watford no opportunities to get back into the game,” Mariner says, and Nicol adds: “Solid as a rock.”

Centre-back: He’s not always had it easy since joining Manchester City, but “top-drawer” is how Mariner sums up John Stones’ performance in the 3-1 win against Hull City on Saturday. Turning in a controlled display at the back, Stones played like the player Pep Guardiola hopes he will prove to be on a consistent basis. As Nicol says: “He’s maturing and heading in the right direction.”

Left-back: Completing our back four is Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso after his goal-scoring heroics in the win at Bournemouth. Diego Costa may have had a frustrating afternoon at the Vitality Stadium, but that was not down to a lack of trying on the part of Alonso, who did his utmost to get the striker’s name on the score sheet. Alonso’s goal from a free kick, meanwhile, was deadly, leaving Artur Boruc watching on helplessly. Mariner notes: “He’s continuing to prove his doubters wrong — he was defensively strong and a good option in attack.”

Right-wing: Manchester City were back to winning ways with victory over Hull after four games with no joy, and key to that success was Raheem Sterling. So often a terror to the Hull back line with his speed and movement, he was at the heart of nearly all that City did well going forward, including a slaloming run to set up Sergio Aguero and another starring role for Fabian Delph’s strike. “Simply brilliant service in attack — always a constant threat,” Mariner purrs, while Nicol adds: “He looked like a real footballer out there.”

Centre-midfield: Somewhat of a regular in this side, N’Golo Kante is back again after a typical display in Chelsea’s victory against Bournemouth. As energetic as ever across the pitch, Kante also produced the pass of the game, as he picked out Eden Hazard with a superb ball for Chelsea’s second. “All-action as usual,” Nicol says, with Mariner noting: “He seems to be a permanent fixture in Team of the Weekend.” Is the Player of the Year award already his?

Centre-midfield: Cheikhou Kouyate is the unanimous vote to line up in the centre alongside Kante after his match-winning heroics for West Ham against Swansea on Saturday. Besides a powerful display in the middle that saw him get forward whenever possible, Kouyate came up with the long-range fizzer that may well have put the Hammers on the road to survival. “A winner in a massive game for West Ham, and he worked hard in the engine room,” Mariner states.

Left-wing: As he has been so often this season, Eden Hazard was at the top of his game against Bournemouth. Constantly causing the opposition defence problems with the ball at his feet, the Belgium international scored a beauty of a goal as he glided past Boruc to finish into an empty net. Bournemouth had no answer for him. There’s room for more agreement from our pundits as Nicol talks up Hazard “being at his brilliant best,” with Mariner adding: “He scored and showed again why this season he is a difference-maker and one of the top players in Europe.”

Striker: The sun was out in full force as Tottenham swept aside Watford at White Hart Lane — and so too was Son Heung-Min. Two goals and an assist is not bad at all for an afternoon’s work and he could have ended up scoring four. “He gets the job done,” Nicol says, and Mariner notes: “He had an amazing game and should have had at least a hat trick.”

Striker: While Mariner may have opted for Zlatan Ibrahimovic after his heroics for Manchester United against Sunderland, Nicol’s pick of Romelu Lukaku gets the nod. The Belgium international netted his 22nd and 23rd Premier League goals of the season on Sunday — a glancing header and back post finish — as Everton got the better of Leicester in a barnstorming affair. Lukaku now sits four clear at the top of the leading scorers after that brace, and as Nicol says: “He just can’t stop scoring.”

Manager: With West Ham having gone into Saturday’s game against Swansea off the back of five straight defeats and seven games without a win, it was vital Slaven Bilic’s side got a victory to avoid being dragged into a real relegation scrap. Well, that they did, meaning the Hammers are now eight points clear of the drop zone rather than just a slender two. And for masterminding this turnabout in fortunes, Bilic gets the reward of managing our side. “He was under massive pressure and had to get the win — he prepared his team extremely well,” Mariner says, with Nicol adding: “He got the win just when it mattered most.”