It was another enthralling week of Premier League football as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City continued to maintain their hundred percent record.
It took Manchester United a 92nd minute winner to get the job done against Hull City, while Sterling inspired their cross-town rivals City to a comfortable victory over West Ham.
Eden Hazard put up a spirited performance to see Chelsea win 3-1, and Alexis Sanchez starred in Arsenal’s first win of the season. Elsewhere, Tottenham and Liverpool played out an exciting 1-1 draw.
Following is the Hard Tackle’s team of the week:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Artur Boruc; Antonio Valencia, Rob Holding, Curtis Davies, James Milner; Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante; Raheem Sterling, Mesut Ozil, Eden Hazard; Alexis Sanchez.
Artur Boruc (Bournemouth)
Bournemouth stopper Artur Boruc was exceptional all evening against Crystal and managed to win a point for his side. In fact, Palace had a total of 24 attempts but managed to find the back of the net just once.
Boruc pulled off a number of miraculous saves, including a well-hit penalty from Yohan Cabaye. It seems the stopper has developed a habit of saving spot kicks as he looked extremely composed while saving the Frenchman’s strike.
The Bournemouth number one also pulled off an incredible save from Andros Townsend’s strike which shadowed the penalty save. Eddie Howe must be extremely impressed with Boruc’s performance.
Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)
While a game against Hull City should not have been too much of an ask for Manchester United, it seemed the Tigers really played to their strengths and almost managed to get something out of the game.
United struggled for creativity through the middle, but on the right flank, Antonio Valencia kept galloping forward and played in a number of crosses. He kept overlapping Juan Mata on the right and gave the Hull defenders a torrid time.
He was resolute at the back and dealt with everything that came his way. The makeshift right-back has seemed to make the spot his own, keeping out Matteo Darmian.
Rob Holding (Arsenal)
Arsenal’s summer signing Rob Holding struggled during his first game for the club as he was part of the side that shipped in four goals on the opening day against Liverpool. But in the following game against Leicester, the defender put up a stellar performance.
Even in Saturday’s game against Watford, Holding kept strikers Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo in check and gave them absolutely no room to work things around the box. He was incisive with his passes and also made a few vital challenges to keep out the opposition.
Curtis Davies (Hull City)
Hull centre-back Curtis Davies has made a name for himself already as he as featured in all three editions of our Team of the Week series. Against Manchester United, the defender was absolutely infallible and almost guided his side to a stalemate.
Davies made the most clearances (18), the most interceptions (5) and blocked the most number of shots (5) in the game, and was by far the best performer on the day. His presence at the heart of the defence has been pivotal in the Tigers’ impressive start to the season.
James Milner (Liverpool)
Due to Liverpool’s ongoing dilemmas at left-back, manager Jurgen Klopp has been deploying midfielder James Milner to serve as a makeshift in that part of the defence. With only three games into the season, Milner seems to have improved defensively and now has done enough to justify himself as an out-and-out left-back.
Against Spurs, Milner looked solid on both ends of the field and was a composed figure on the ball. He made a number of key passes and was constantly running up and down the left flank for Liverpool. The former Manchester City player scored from the penalty spot to give the Reds the ascendancy, but was unlucky to not come out of the game with all three points.
Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City)
The English midfielder put up a rock-solid performance for Leicester City against Swansea. He shielded the back four with prowess and was influential in guiding the Foxes to their first win of the season.
His passing was seamless and he looked intent on winning back the ball every time he lost it. Despite being a holding midfielder, Drinkwater kept surging upfront and aided Jamie Vardy in the final third.
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Kante has been an exceptional summer signing for Chelsea and his performances showcased exactly why Antonio Conte paid £30.4 million for his services.
Against Burnley, the Frenchman read the game efficiently and dictated terms from a deeper position. He was clean and tidy with his challenges and also was proficient in breaking up the opposition moves.
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Raheem Sterling’s meteoric rise in form pretty much sums up Pep Guardiola’s impact at Manchester City. The England international looked like a maligned figure under Manuel Pellegrini last season, but it seems the new man in charge has brought the best out of him.
The 21-year-old was exceptional on the right wing for Manchester City as he fit perfectly into Pep’s style of play. A number of give-and-goes with David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, followed by countless runs into the penalty area – Sterling did it all.
The Manchester City wide man looked threatening whenever he had the ball at his feet and managed to score a brace. Man of the Match without a doubt.
Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
Making his first start of the season, Mesut Ozil showed Arsenal what they have been missing for the past two games. He was on his toes for the entire game and was omnipresent in the game against Watford.
His movement was second to none and his passes were equally astounding. It was due to his long ball that Arsenal earned the penalty for their first goal, and also found the back of the net himself to score the third for his side. Fine showing from the German.
Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
The Belgian winger’s performances have drastically improved under new manager Antonio Conte, and Hazard is back to being at his proficient best for Chelsea. He seems to have regained the confidence he had during the 2014/15 season, and looks to be the most in-form player for his side.
He looked tireless against Burnley and was a constant threat down the left for Chelsea. He grabbed a goal for himself and looked poised to score a couple more. His understanding with Diego Costa seems to be at a new high and it is music to the ears of Chelsea fans.
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Starting ahead of Olivier Giroud, Sanchez impressed as a striker against Watford. He played a part in all three goals as he scored one and was involved in the other two. He won the penalty that saw Santi Cazorla open the account for Arsenal before he grabbed a goal for himself a few minutes later.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, he made an assist for Mesut Ozil’s goal. He may have automatically selected himself as a striker for the Gunners’ next game despite the arrival of Lucas Perez.
