A midfield master class from Fabian Delph was critical in Aston Villa’s victory over Everton. It was a set back for the Toffees, who had started to put together an excellent run of form. A top-ten finish, though, is still well within their sights.  

 

Since arriving at Goodison Park in 2009, Seamus Coleman has been tipped for great things, with his marauding runs down the flank becoming a central asset in the Toffees’ attacking play. Coleman was showcasing his offensive skillset again against Villa, as he completed an impressive 22 passes in the opposition half – which was more than any other Everton player. 

 

Ross Barkley may not have been on the pitch for long against the Villains, but in the short time he was, he made a sizeable contribution. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he completed a pass in the opposition half at a rate of a pass every 1.3 minutes. 888sport.com have Barkley at 17/5 to score at any time this weekend. 

 

James McCarthy wasn’t cheap when Everton bought him from Wigan for a fee of £14 million, but in the time he has been at Goodison Park, he has certainly gone some way to justifying his price tag. His work rate has always been a key asset of his and his enthusiasm to work hard for the sake of the team was evident against Villa, as he covered an impressive 11.2km – the second most in the Toffees squad. 

 

Two penalties from Jordi Gomez helped guide Sunderland to victory over high-flyers Southampton, in a result that gives them genuine hope of staying in the division. 

 

Sunderland will need more performances of the sort that Lee Cattermole produced if they are to stay in the division. The central midfielder was trying his hardest to stifle out attacks from the opposition, protecting his back four to great effect. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index demonstrates this, as it shows that he completed seven interceptions – which was the second most in the league during the last round of fixtures. 

 

Jordi Gomez may have hit the headlines with his goalscoring exploits at the weekend, but to ignore his excellent passing would be doing him a disservice. The Spanish midfielder has always been comfortable with the ball at his feet and he was spraying the ball about with ease at the weekend, completing 22 passes in the opposition half (which was more than any of his teammates). 888sport.com have Gomez at 13/2 to score at any time. 

 

Part of Chelsea’s recent recruitment strategy has been to buy players young, before loaning them out to other clubs to help them improve their game – in the hope that they’ll be ready for the first team in seasons to come. One of the players who has benefitted from this is left back Patrick Van Aanholt. The Dutchman has been one of Sunderland’s most consistent performers this term, operating to great effect at both ends of the pitch. His ability to contribute in attack was evident at the weekend as he made a total of 21 attacking contributions (based on shots on target, passes in the opposition half, dribbles and crosses).