Defenders
Patrick van Aanholt
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The former Sunderland defender’s solitary goal gave Crystal Palace hope of remaining in the top flight of English football. van Aanholt’s first goal for the Eagles proved crucial against fellow strugglers Middlesbrough as his shot crept in past Victor Valdes in the bottom-right corner. The Dutch full-back also did well to sustain the bursts of pressure from Boro and ended the game with all three points in the bag.
Gareth McAuley
Gareth McAuley may have lost his clean sheet early in the game but he was the saviour for Tony Pulis’s side as his goal proved to be the winner for his team. The centre-back took full advantage of some questionable keeping from Artur Boruc after his failed attempt to clear the ball gave McAuley the opportunity to give West Brom the lead. His tap-in from close range in the 21st minute was enough to see the Baggies through to a victory.
Jan Vertonghen
Jan Vertonghen was back in the thick of Premier League action as Spurs ran away with a victory against Stoke City. The Belgian never really allowed any room for the Potters to threaten Spurs’ goal and helped the team to a clean sheet. The 29-year-old was a strong adversary and won four of his five aerial duels with the opposition.
Seamus Coleman
Seamus Coleman dealt with the bursts of attack from the Sunderland players quite well and kept the threat of Fabio Borini under wraps for much of the night. He provided the assist for Gueye’s finish and held on to a clean sheet to further his side’s unbeaten run to nine games in the Premier League.
