Premier League Team of the Week

In terms of the title race, there was no bigger game in England over the weekend than Manchester United's trip to Stamford Bridge to face leaders Chelsea.

The game was marred by controversy as United edged the nine-men of Chelsea 3-2 but this did not take away from the quality attacking football on display.

Elsewhere, Liverpool made the short trip to Goodinson Park to play Everton in the Merseyside derby. A very entertaining game which finished 2-2 was punctuated by a simply scintillating Luis Suarez.

We've gone with a 4-3-3 formation this week.

GK: Julio Cesar (QPR)

QPR may count themselves a little unlucky in their narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, but in reality they could have lost by a lot more. They only remained in contention to grab a point up until Mikel Arteta's late winner because of goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

The Brazilian was afforded little protection by his defenders and in all faced 22 shots (9 on target) during the course of the match. For my money, he made at least 5 top drawer saves and easily nails down the goalkeeping spot in my Team of the Week this time round.

RB: Angel Rangel (Swansea)

It has been a difficult second season in the Barclays Premier League with Swansea for Angel Rangel, but on Saturday against Manchester City the full-back was impressive. He was part of a solid Swansea back-line which frustrated the champions for much of the game - they only went down to a stunning solitary strike from Carlos Tevez. Rangel also provided a much needed attacking outlet for Swansea down the right.

LB: Leighton Baines (Everton)

Everton full-back Leighton Baines was ‘unlucky' to get on the score sheet for Merseyside rivals Liverpool in Sunday's 2-2 derby draw. However, Baines did not let this disappointment affect his game badly and he went on to enjoy a very solid afternoon. He was a threat and created a few good chances for his team-mates.

CB: Martin Skrtel (Liverpool)

Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel had to bring his A-game to Goodinson Park with Everton goal-machine Nikica Jelavic lining up against him. The Reds defender duly obliged with a commanding performance which included blocked shots, defensive clearances, and plenty of aerial duels won.

CB: Ivan Ramis (Wigan)

The players from ‘smaller' teams often don't get the credit or coverage they deserve so I am happy to include Wigan's Ivan Ramis in the Team of the Week this time. If you thought Gary Cahill's strike for Chelsea against Tottenham over a week ago was good, then you need to have a look at the volley by Ramis in Saturday's game against West Ham. Wigan went on to win 2-1 after Ramis's opening goal.

R/CM: Leon Osman (Everton)

I am not quite sure how Everton midfielder Leon Osman has managed to go his entire career so far without a single senior cap for England. He is a quality midfielder and showed it against Liverpool (up against a world class player like Steven Gerrard no less). Forget his goal, which by the way was very well-taken, because his tip-top passing was what really allowed Everton to get back into the game at 2-0 down to the Reds.

L/CM: Juan Mata (Chelsea)

Special games like Chelsea vs Manchester United provide the perfect setting for special players like Juan Mata to showcase their ability. The Spaniard did not disappoint - bending a terrific free-kick around the United wall and past goalkeeper David de Gea, who had an excellent night too.

CM: Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

I was stunned to read that Jack Wilshere had not started for Arsenal for 17 months prior to Saturday's 1-0 win over QPR. Equally shocking was his performance. Wilshere was understandably not as fit as he once was but generally looked every bit the Gunner who impressed during his breakout season in 2010/11 - quite an achievement considering his lengthy layoff and injury woes.

ST: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez hit all the right notes for me during Sunday's 2-2 draw with rivals Everton. His forceful shot early in the game was deflected by Leighton Baines for an own-goal and I absolutely loved his celebration afterwards - he ran towards David Moyes and ‘dived' in front of the Everton manager in reference to pre-match criticism of the Uruguayan's tendency to go to ground too easily. Soon after, Suarez scored a second goal for Liverpool and should have bagged a third but for the incorrect offside call from the officials.

ST: Dimitar Berbatov (Fulham)

Dimitar Berbatov, even at 31-years of age, is still more than capable of producing the type of display which earned him the £30million move from Tottenham to Manchester United many years ago. Now plying his trade with Fulham, the Bulgarian sparkled in the club's 3-3 draw at Reading. He was heavily involved in Fulham's build-up play - no signs of laziness there - and his goal was class. Not bad for someone who played with a cracked rib.

ST: Robin van Persie (Manchester United)

Ahead of Sunday's mouth-watering clash between Chelsea and Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson singled out striker Robin van Persie for praise. The Dutchman duly delivered for his manager and his influence could be found in all of United's goals during the 3-2 win at Chelsea.

You can follow Marcus on his Twitter account @MarcusChhan for more insights from the world of sport.