Premier League Team of the Week

The north London derby may have been have the marquee match-up at the weekend, but it does not dominate our Team of the Week.

Tottenham took home the bragging rights from the Sunday's north London derby with a 2-1 win over Arsenal. However, only one player from the game - Michael Dawson - has made it into our Team of the Week.

This is a direct result of some brilliant performances from Liverpool and Manchester United who both registered 4-0 wins at the weekend.

Both Luis Suarez and Shinji Kagawa helped themselves to a hat-trick in those games to book their place in our first XI here.

Elsewhere, Manchester City, Chelsea and Everton also recorded wins and this has been reflected in our selection.

We've gone with a 4-3-3 formation with Kagawa in-behind the two strikers.

GK: Pepe Reina (Liverpool)

It has been a long time coming but Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina finally ended months of mediocrity with a sterling display in the Reds' 4-0 win over Wigan on Saturday. Even though the Latics were defeated heavily in the end, they actually created plenty of scoring chances - they had 14 attempts at goal to Liverpool's eight - during the game and would have scored a couple had it not been for the Spanish custodian.

Emerson Boyce, Franco Di Santo, Jean Beausejour and Shaun Maloney were among the Wigan players who tried and failed to beat Reina on Saturday.

RB: Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City)

Last season there were a few contenders for the tag of Mr. Reliable at Manchester City but this season there's only one: Pablo Zabaleta. He was excellent again for City as they kept a crucial clean sheet in a vital 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Monday which keeps their title defence alive for another week.

LB: Leighton Baines (Everton)

Reading absolutely struggled down their right hand flank as Everton left-back Leighton Baines wreaked havoc along with team-mate Steven Pienaar on their way to a 3-1 win on Saturday. As good as Ashley Cole is, his place in the England team must surely be under some serious consideration given the form of Baines this season.

CB: Michael Dawson (Tottenham)

Simply put, if Arsenal had Michael Dawson in central defence on Sunday, they would not have lost the north London derby 2-1 to Tottenham. He's the type of player you want in your team in a hotly contested derby - a no-nonsense centre-back who knows when the clear the ball and when to pass it around. His block in stoppage time to deny Lukas Podolski what looked like a clear shot on target was also superb and illustrated his commitment to the cause.

CB: David Luiz (Chelsea)

The total opposite of Michael Dawson, but nevertheless David Luiz earns his stripes in our Team of the Week alongside the Tottenham defender in central defence. The Chelsea defender's technical ability was on full display in Saturday's 1-0 win over West Brom as the Blues kept a clean sheet while the Brazilian also had a big hand in the decisive goal for team-mate Demba Ba.

CM: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)

The 20-year-old Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho looks set for a bright future at the club judging by his first few appearances for the Anfield outfit. He was instrumental in their 4-0 win over Wigan at the weekend with his vision and ability to pass the ball. He had two assists in this game and might have had more had he not been taken off with 20 minutes still to play.

CM: Steven Pienaar (Everton)

Steven Pienaar's renaissance at Everton continues as he inspired David Moyes' team to a 3-1 win over Reading on Saturday. His goal (Everton's second) was class - the South African cut inside two defenders on the edge of the box before unleashing a ferocious strike into the top corner. And it was clever exchange between him and Kevin Mirallas which resulted in Everton's third and final goal of the night. Should have never left to join Tottenham.

CM: Park Ji-Sung (QPR)

Finally a bit of redemption for Park Ji-Sung. The Korean has not enjoyed his debut season at QPR since leaving Manchester United but went some way into restoring his battered reputation with an assured display in a 2-1 win over Southampton at the weekend. It was a must-win game for bottom-side QPR and Park's constant running and pressing reflected the desperation for the points. His assist for Jay Bothroyd's winning goal five minutes from time will give him confidence for the next game too.

AM/FC: Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)

There would have been a riot from Manchester United fans if I had left out Shinji Kagawa from our Team of the Week this time. He has not lit the Premier League on fire in his debut season - I think this might actually be his first time on this list - but had a tremendous game in United's 4-0 win over Norwich.

The hat-trick aside, his understanding with Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney was almost at a telepathic level in this game and certainly bodes well for the Japanese at Old Trafford.

FC: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

Manchester United talisman Wayne Rooney deserves a lot of the credit for Shinji Kagawa's sublime hat-trick in Saturday's 4-0 win over Norwich. He initiated so much of United's attacking play and personally teed-up Kagawa for two of the Japan international's three goals on the night - and also scored a beautiful goal at the end. Did I mention he scored as well?

FC: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

What else can you say about Luis Suarez this season except that if he continues to plunder hat-tricks like he did in Liverpool's 4-0 win over Wigan on Saturday, he'll be a shoo-in for a host of awards come the end of the season (Golden Boot, Player of the Year, Liverpool player of the season etc). All three of his goals against Wigan showed why he's been such a force this season compared to last - he's upped his finishing ability to another level this campaign. He could always created chances for himself, but now his finishing is up there with the best of them.

Source: Fox Sport