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Premier League Team of the Week XXVII feat. Manchester United and West Ham stars
Heurelho Gomes: Gomes’ unorthodox methods were on display once more but they were undeniably effective against Bournemouth, as they have been for the vast majority of the Premier League season to date. Max Gradel; making his return from a ligament injury, was the Cherries player who suffered most from Gomes’ efforts as he could well have grabbed the winner on a couple of occasions but for the Brazilian between the sticks. Coming to the rescue of Flores’ side on more than one occasion, Gomes demonstrated his importance to the side that is only emphasised when Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney fail to get on the score-sheet.
Sam Byram: Sam Byram has been thrust into Premier League action since his arrival from Leeds United and with West Ham’s current lack of options in the right-back slot, he can expect to see an awful lot of game-time in the coming months as Slaven Bilic looks to take his side to glory in the FA Cup and a successful run-in in the Premier League. With six interceptions and three successful clearances to his name, Byram clearly more than played his part in The Hammers holding out for a 1-0 victory against Sunderland. He looks to be an energetic player who can provide equal amounts in both halves of the pitch. He coped well with the threat of Wahbi Khazri when the January signing occupied Byram’s flank and Dame N’Doye was all but anonymous.
Branislav Ivanovic: After a decidedly rocky start to the season, the veteran Serb has really started to come into his own in recent weeks. Shifted away from his usual position at right-back due to injuries suffered by Kurt Zouma and John Terry, Ivanovic has been solid at the heart of Chelsea’s back-line both on the domestic and European stages. Southampton’s work ethic and intelligent team selection caused Hiddink’s men quite a few problems and after initially going into the lead, Ivanovic did a solid job in preventing further damage. He made six clearances and came out on top in just as many aerial duels. The stand-in captain; seemingly not content with only keeping The Saints out, was on hand to snatch The Blues’ winner with only a minute left to play. He headed home from a Willian corner, helping to continue Guus Hiddink’s strong run at the helm at Chelsea and allowing the former Russia national team coach to get one over on his international counterpart Ronald Koeman.
Daley Blind: The Dutchman completely stifled Theo Walcott in the first half; despite the vastly superior pace advantage that the Arsenal man has over Blind, and resumed this dominance in the second period even when the challenge altered to Olivier Giroud. As the only regular senior member of Manchester United’s injury-hit back four, his presence at the heart of it was crucial. Regular stand-in club-captain Chris Smalling was missing but Blind stepped up to the plate, clearing the ball from danger on four occasions. Varela has only played a handful of times for The Red Devils, Michael Carrick is hardly a natural centre-half, Marcos Rojo is only just returning from injury, and Fosu-Mensah came on in the second period to make his debut. As one of the most versatile players in the league, Blind showed his value to Manchester United and Van Gaal, and with the team’s form seemingly on an upward curve, Champions League qualification is a real possibility.
Aaron Cresswell: West Ham United’s ever-present figure at left-back ran all day against Sunderland, frequently being his side’s sole member on that flank. Aaron Cresswell provided the width on the left hand side that would not otherwise always be forthcoming, given the penchant of both Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet to come inside and affect the play from central areas. Not only was he a great asset in attack, Cresswell was also typically solid in defensive aspects, making three interceptions.