Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton made hay while the sun shined at the top of the Premier League this weekend, while Hull City Tigers and Cardiff strengthened their hopes of staying in the league with important victories – not to mention West Brom’s momentous win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
On a quiet weekend for the art of goalkeeping, Tim Howard (3.5) just about gets the nod. The American assisted the Toffees’ third goal against Newcastle and caused carnage for the first, which nudges him ahead of his rivals, such as Hugo Lloris and Wojciech Szczesny, for a spot between the sticks.
Steven Caulker (4) went some way to repaying the £8 million fee that Cardiff splashed out on him this summer with a fine showing against Fulham. The England defender headed in the first goal and was a defensive lynchpin for his side.
Another impressive performer was Jonas Olsson (4), who was “absolutely heroic” as the Baggies saw off Manchester United. Completing the back three is Curtis Davies (4), who captained Hull to a narrow 1-0 victory against West Ham, being named Goal’s Top of the Match in the process.
Aaron Ramsey (4) continued his blistering form, scoring Arsenal’s second goal in the 2-1 victory against Swansea on Saturday evening. He is joined in midfield by young team-mate Serge Gnabry (4), who got the Gunners off and running.
Ross Barkley (4.0) put in another impressive showing for the Toffees, scoring his second goal of the season to give him his second appearance in our Team of the Week.
Completing the midfield four is Morgan Amalfitano (4.5), who makes our line-up for the second week running. The Frenchman scored an excellent opener against United as part of an “absolutely electric” showing.
Our front three this week would cause problems for any defence in the world. Liverpool duo Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez (both 4.5) tore Sunderland to shreds as the Reds moved second in the table, with the Uruguayan scoring twice, both supplied by Sturridge.
Romelu Lukaku (4.5) takes his place between those two, after he made a home debut to remember as Everton swept past Newcastle. The young striker scored twice and set up another in the first 45 minutes to give fans of Everton and Goal’s Premier League Team of the Week a taste of things to come.