Premier League Team of the Week XXIII feat. Chelsea and Spurs stars

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Lukasz Fabianski: Primarily down to the efforts of Ashley Williams in front of him, Lukasz Fabianski was not called upon too many times to make save after save against Everton, but he dominated his penalty area and helped to take some of the pressure off his defenders. The home side applied the pressure as the second half wore on; urged on by the Goodison Park crowd, and it was often the case that the away side had all 11 men behind the ball. The former Arsenal stopper came for crosses and shouted instructions to Williams and Fernandez in front of him which is exceptionally comforting for defenders. When required, he was able to prevent a decent goal-bound effort by Romelu Lukaku from finding the back of the net.

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Branislav Ivanovic: Chelsea’s long-serving defender has recently signed a one-year extension to his contract and the news was not greeted with complete delight by the Stamford Bridge faithful. Branislav Ivanovic has taken a great deal of stick so far this season; rightly so in the most part, but he answered some of his critics with a fantastic performance against Arsenal. After The Gunners had just seen Per Mertesacker sent off with Gabriel coming on to plug the gap at Olivier Giroud’s expense, the Serbian whipped in a great ball to the near post area that Diego Costa thumped home. But for Nacho Monreal’s positioning when defending the post from a corner, Ivanovic would have had a goal to his name too as the first half drew to a close. He looked far more assured than has usually been the case this season, even when Arsenal were throwing everyone forward in the hope of grabbing a goal. He has been suspect to searing pace and opponents with a penchant for direct dribbling in recent times, but neither Theo Walcott nor the returning Alexis Sanchez were able to expose him.

Kurt Zouma: Still relatively young and in the early stages of an exceptionally promising career at the highest level, Kurt Zouma barely put a foot wrong against Arsenal on Sunday. Yet again, his speed across the ground proved vital when combatting the rapid Theo Walcott and later on, Alexis Sanchez too. The Frenchman only misplaced two of his passes and; as would be expected given the fact that Olivier Giroud spent much of the game off the field, was dominant in the air too. He was victorious in every aerial duel and blocked a goal-bound effort from close in. Chelsea will need Kurt Zouma to be at his very best for the remainder of the campaign but a sustained run in the team may well spell trouble for Gary Cahill’s international desires during the summer.

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Ashley Williams: Everton’s attacking play has been heralded this season and were it not for their leaky defence, it is probable that the Merseysiders would be putting up a strong challenge for a Champions League place. Nevertheless, they failed to break down Swansea for the vast majority of the game and much of this was down to Ashley Williams at the heart of their back-line. He marshalled Romelu Lukaku exceptionally well, and made several crucial challenges on Barkley, Deulofeu and the big striker throughout the ninety minutes. In contrast to John Stones’ style, the Welshman’s no-nonsense approach was exactly what was required to keep Everton at bay rather than overplaying in dangerous areas. Williams anticipated danger and ensured that he was there to either block the shot or nip in to dispossess the attacker. The skipper made the near post area his own and nothing made it past him, whether man or ball, and without his interventions, you have to imagine that Everton would have gone on to at least salvage a point from the game.

Christian Fuchs: Leicester City’s Austrian full-back has been rock solid this season after his transfer from Schalke in the summer. Christian Fuchs’ displays have gone under the radar for the most part but against Stoke City, he was impressive yet again. Two deliveries from the left boot of Christian Fuchs created chances for team-mates, while in defensive areas, he made three interceptions, three clearances and four tackles.As such, Fuchs played animportant role in helping Leicester City to keep only their fourth clean sheet at the KP Stadium all season.