Defenders
Joel Ward
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It’s always a tough task to keep West Bromwich Albion from scoring at home but that’s exactly what Joel Ward accomplished on Saturday. The 27-year-old helped Crystal Palace win their first top-flight game at the Hawthorns since 1973 with a solid performance at the back. The right-back won five of his six aerial duels while making six interceptions and eight recoveries during the course of the match.
Aleksandar Kolarov
Sunderland weren’t quite a threat against Manchester City but that didn’t stop a returning Aleksandar Kolarov from doing a good job. While the Serbian had little defending to do, he made up for it by pushing forward and playing as a makeshift midfielder. He made some marauding runs forward and had a good game overall and has stats to prove it.
The 31-year-old won all four of his tackles and take-ons, 88% pass completion, made 12 recoveries and a couple of blocks. It was also City’s fifth successive clean sheet away from home.
Marcos Rojo
There was no clean sheet for the Argentine as Manchester United drew 1-1 with Bournemouth but he opened the scoring for the Red Devils at OId Trafford. Even though his goal did seem like a stroke of luck as he flicked the ball into the back of the net, it was Rojo’s first goal in the Premier League.
The 26-year-old attempted 69 passes against the Cherries with a 91% rate of accuracy in the final third and 98.6% overall - stats that will put Paul Pogba to shame.
Christian Fuchs
Christian Fuchs played a starring role against Hull City on Saturday. The Austrian full-back was a dynamic presence on the left flank and combined with Jamie Vardy to draw level with the Tigers in the first half.
The 30-year-old made an unchecked late run into the box to meet Vardy’s pass to score his side’s first of three goals. Crosses from the wing made him a constant threat to Hull City’s defence.
