Premier League: Team of the Week XXIV

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Right-Midfield: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United)

The Armenian just pips teammate Juan Mata to the fold in our Team of the Week after his instrumental individual performance at the King Power Stadium against Leicester. He took his first goal wonderfully to get the rout of the champions underway, before laying on another for Mata with a delightful one-two.

After his early-season struggles, the former Borussia Dortmund star seems to have finally gotten to grips with the pace, intensity and physical demands of the Premier League, with José Mourinho and Manchester United reaping the rewards.

Centre-Midfield: N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea)

N’Golo Kanté’s performance against Arsenal was typical of a midfielder that can help win a team titles, and it was clear for all to see that this is the sort of form that defending champions Leicester are currently missing, to their detriment.

He made four tackles against Arsenal, more than any of his teammates on the day, with his presence in front of the back-three key in making vital interceptions and breaking-up play when Arsenal threatened to come forward.

The Frenchman seems to have fully re-established the unsung hero reputation he had at Leicester for a bigger club, covering every blade of grass consistently for his side, and for his efforts, he may well become the first player to win the Premier League in consecutive seasons with different clubs. Precious few are worthy of such a feat, and this man is one of them.

Left-Midfield: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

The win over Arsenal was owed to a brilliant team performance from Chelsea, but the mercurial Eden Hazard was the bane of the Gunners’ afternoon on Sunday. He was a constant menace down the right, and having put the disappointment of last season behind him to help haul the Blues to the top of the table, he kept the Blues soaring with a sensational solo goal, perhaps the Belgian’s personal response to Diego Maradona’s famous strike against England way back in 1986.

To win a Premier League title, a team needs players that turn up for the big games. They’ve toiled at times against title rivals this season, but Hazard and Chelsea were in some mood for the visit of Arsenal, and when he and his teammates play like this, they rarely come off second best.