After each round of Premier League fixtures, ESPN FC brings you its Team of the Weekend. Our panel of experts carefully selects 11 star performers, along with a manager.
Do you agree or disagree? You can have your say on those picked or overlooked in the comments section at the foot of the article or on Twitter using the hashtag #TOTW.
Goalkeeper: Stoke had Jack Butland to thank for keeping a clean sheet at Southampton as they were held to yet another draw, their fourth in five Premier League outings. The England goalkeeper impressed with a string of saves to make up for his mistake against Leicester the week before, with both Paul Mariner and Gabriele Marcotti highlighting his role in securing a point. "Every little helps," says Marcotti as Stoke and Butland look to climb out of the bottom three.
Defender: What a performance from Burnley's Matt Lowton as Sean Dyche's side came from behind against Everton to record their first win in 13 matches. The right-back almost created a goal for Ashley Barnes with a fine cross in the first half before finding the striker with a pinpoint pass after the interval to tie the score at 1-1. Lowton almost repeated his trick with another searching ball for Barnes before Chris Wood headed in a late winner. "He was up and down the flank all day," says Mariner, while Marcotti notes that Lowton "provided plenty of quality down the right."
Defender: Newcastle barely had a sniff of goal in their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool thanks largely to the influence of Virgil van Dijk. The centre-back has been in imperious form of late, helping the Reds to three clean sheets in his last four appearances. "It was a commanding performance at the back," Mariner says. With Van Dijk beginning to justify his club-record £75 million fee, Liverpool look well-equipped to challenge Manchester United for second place ahead of their trip to Old Trafford next weekend.
Defender: Huddersfield had won back-to-back Premier League matches before they travelled to Wembley Stadium on Saturday, but Jan Vertonghen was in no mood to afford the Terriers an opportunity to extend that run. The centre-back was an imposing presence once again in the absence of Toby Alderweireld. "It was double duty with no Alderweireld alongside him, but he kept Huddersfield at bay," Marcotti says. Mariner was even more effusive in his praise of Vertonghen: "For me the premier defender in the league gets better and better."
Defender: It has been a fine start for Javi Gracia at Watford as the Spaniard watched his team win their third straight home game on Saturday to climb to ninth place. Jose Holebas played a key role in the 1-0 victory over West Brom, powering up the left wing to support the attack. "They're sneaking up the table again, and his width down the left is a big part of it," notes Marcotti, as Watford look to maintain their form away to Arsenal and Liverpool in their next two outings.
Midfield: David Silva was central to another Manchester City victory as the Premier League leaders moved 18 points clear at the top with a 1-0 win over Chelsea. City made the reigning champions look ordinary thanks to the speed at which they moved the ball. It was Silva who found the vital pass once again, however, crossing for his namesake Bernardo to steer home. "In a game where City are denied space, he creates it out of thin air," Marcotti says. Mariner adds that Silva "was at the heart of everything good for City."
Midfield: Swansea jumped from the relegation zone all the way up to 13th place thanks to a thumping 4-1 win over West Ham that left David Moyes "embarrassed" by his team's abject display. Ki Sung-yueng delivered an all-action performance in midfield for the Swans, opening the scoring after just eight minutes and then setting up Mike van der Hoorn to make it 2-0 before half-time. The South Korea international made it into everyone's team of the weekend, with Marcotti saying: "He is as much the leader of Carlos Carvalhal's Swansea resurgence as the Ayews."
Midfield: He wasn't on the score sheet in Tottenham's 2-0 win over Huddersfield, but Christian Eriksen continues to make his team tick, with seven goals and seven assists in the Premier League this season. The playmaker helped set the tempo for Mauricio Pochettino's side Saturday, earning the praise of Mariner in the process. "A joy to watch," Mariner says. "When he plays well, Spurs play well."
Attack: Who else could join Eriksen in Team of the Weekend but his Spurs teammate Son Heung-min? The forward followed up his brace against Rochdale in the FA Cup with another two goals in a match-winning display at Wembley. "His seasonal total is now at 14," Marcotti notes. "It shows why some call him the South Korean Thomas Mueller." Spurs will be hoping Son can keep up his hot streak as they prepare to host Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Attack: Mohamed Salah maintained his remarkable form by overtaking Luis Suarez's highest number of goals in a single season for Liverpool (31) with his 32nd of the campaign in all competitions. The Egypt international's first-half strike set Jurgen Klopp's side on the way to a routine 2-0 win over Newcastle as they moved back into second place before Manchester United's trip to Crystal Palace on Monday. "He scored the opener and kept going after missing a few," Mariner says. "That's the sign of a top player."
Attack: It's now five goals in five games for Glenn Murray as the striker scored the winner for Brighton in their 2-1 triumph over Arsenal. "The pride of the Wilmington Hammerheads scores again," Marcotti hails. "You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him." Murray also made it into Mariner's team of the weekend after consigning Arsenal to a fourth successive defeat. It's the first time the Gunners have lost four games in a row in all competitions since October 2002.
Manager: Congratulations to Chris Hughton for a huge three points against Arsenal and a third top-flight victory in the last four fixtures. Brighton are growing stronger as their first season in the Premier League progresses, remaining unbeaten in the last five matches and climbing to 10th place on Sunday. "He got his team organised and outworked Arsenal," says Mariner after another impressive display.