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The second game week will be remembered for the somewhat one-sided big-two clash between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad stadium, where the home side ran away comfortable 3-0 winners. There were interesting winners and performers all around the Premier League, in a week which saw the introduction of Friday night football.The only other home sides to win were Swansea, who beat Newcastle, and Liverpool, who beat newly promoted AFC Bournemouth with a controversial Benteke goal in an evenly-matched contest. Elsewhere, there were comfortable victories for Everton and Manchester United, who continued their winning ways with another 1-0 victory over Aston Villa, with Januzaj scoring the crucial goal. Here is the team of the week for game week 2 of the Premier League.
#1 Goalkeeper
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Boaz Myhill – West Bromwich Albion
In a week where Manchester United goalkeeper Romero kept another clean sheet, Jack Butland stepped up for Stoke, as their previous keeper conceded three for Chelsea, it was the performance of West Brom’s Boaz Myhill that deserved a spot in the Team of the Week.
The Welsh international commanded his back line well for the Baggies and dealt with everything that came his way with ease. After conceding 3 goals in the season opener against Manchester City, Myhill redeemed himself by keeping a clean sheet, even as the home side, Watford, dominated proceedings with 13 shots at Myhill’s goal and a massive 64% of the possession.
The 32-year-old will have to play a crucial role throughout the season if Tony Pulis’ well-drilled side is to improve on last season’s 13th position in the Premier League.
#2 Defence
Seamus Coleman – Everton
Coleman, Everton’s first choice right-back, has been one of the best-attacking full-backs in the Premier League over the last couple of seasons. In this game, against a strong Southampton attack which boasted of an in-form Pelle, the defender didn’t venture forward too often, but still managed to grab an assist late in the game.
Defensively, Coleman made six clearances, being part of an exceptional defensive unit and keeping a clean sheet.
Daley Blind – Manchester United
A man of the match performance for Blind with 11 clearances, 3 interceptions and 95% pass accuracy sees him become a part of the Team of the Week. While Manchester United kept a second clean sheet, the performance must be a relief for the versatile player, who has received a lot of criticism in recent times for not being good enough as a centre back.
With a UEFA Champions League qualification round against Club Brugge up next, another good performance at the back may help him win over the Manchester United faithful.
Vincent Kompany – Manchester City
Two matches, two goals, two clean sheets and two appearances on this list for Vincent Kompany, whose side, Manchester City, sit atop the Premier League. While his defensive talents came under scrutiny last season, Kompany’s partnership with Mangala gave prolific Chelsea striker Diego Costa no chance of helping his team snatch even a single point from the game.
Aleksandar Kolarov – Manchester City
While his captain, Kompany, scored the goal and commanded the defence, the Serbian left-back made 5 clearances during the game. The 29-year-old ran and up down the wings with pace, crossing the ball a phenomenal 10 times during the match.
Kolarov has been competing with Gael Clichy for a spot in the team but such performances could make him indispensable for the Citizens.
#3 Midfield
Riyad Mahrez – Leicester City
Mahrez has scored 50% of Leicester’s goals in the first two games of the season and has been one of the most exciting players in the league, leading the EA Sports Player Performance Index as well. His understanding of the team, especially with Marc Albrighton, has been a joy to watch – the two combining for Mahrez’s goal in this game as well.
Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri was full of praise for the Algerian national after the game as the team looks forward to more victories and such performances.
David Silva – Manchester City
Leading the commanding attacking presence of the entire Manchester City team against Chelsea was David Silva. The Spanish midfielder, who has been one of the club’s most iconic players over the last few seasons, performed incredibly, providing assists to the second and third goal, and he was responsible for destroying the formidable Chelsea defensive line throughout the game.
Wes Hoolahan – Norwich City
Unfortunately, with Sunderland’s problems compounding, Hoolahan and Norwich’s solid performance got pushed aside. Nathan Redmond and Steven Whittaker were the players to benefit from Hoolahan’s two assists during the game, and the midfielder’s overall performances will be one of the features of Norwich City’s return to the Premier League.
If such performances from the team continue throughout the season, the club will get over the safety line with ease, come May.
Jefferson Montero – Swansea City
Another very assured performance from Montero, who finds himself as one of three players to feature for the second time on the list in as many weeks. The winger was once again part of a superior attacking performance by Swansea against a hapless Newcastle.
The 25-year-old crossed the ball into the box 5 times during the game, one of them assisting Andre Ayew for his goal.
#4 Attack
Sergio Aguero – Manchester City
Manchester City frontman Aguero, has scored 79 Premier League goals, more than any other player in the league since his debut. The 79th and most recent of his goals came against defending champions Chelsea when he scored in the 3-0 victory for City with a fantastic solo goal.
The Argentine has scored 10 goals in his last 9 appearances for the title chasers, and could have have had one early in the game but missed out on a easy chance, making up for it with a sublime goal at the half-hour mark. His club will hope that 27-year-old remains injury-free and has a season full of goals.
With support from the likes of Yaya Toure and David Silva, it will be surprising if Aguero isn’t yet again the front runner for the Golden Boot at the end of the season.
Romelu Lukaku – Everton
Belgian striker Lukaku entered the stadium where he scored an own-goal last season and had a disastrous warm-up when his wayward shot struck a female fan, prompting the striker to head into the stands to apologise.
The question of whether this incident had had any impact on Lukaku’s performance was quickly answered as Everton took a 2-0 lead going into half-time, both goals scored by the 22-year-old striker, who had a 100% shot-to-goal ratio during the game.
The youngster came to Everton from Chelsea on the back of a huge transfer-fee and such performances are one way of paying back the club for their faith in the youngster.
Substitutes: Sergio Romero (Manchester United), Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City), John Stones (Everton), Matteo Darmian (Manchester United), Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Ross Barkley (Everton), Nathan Redmond (Norwich City)
