1. David Stockdale (Fulham): The goalkeeper was outstanding as Fulham earned a fortuitous 1-1 draw with Blackpool, making several good saves to prevent an upset from occurring.
2. David Lopez (Brighton): Excelled as part of a Brighton back four that looked remarkably solid against Premier League opposition in the form of Newcastle.
3. Wayne Bridge (Brighton): Bridge’s career has dwindled considerably in recent times, nonetheless on Saturday, he rolled back the years with an accomplished display as Newcastle were beaten by Brighton.
4. James Collins (West Ham): The Welsh defender showed why West Ham bought him back from Villa, scoring two headers and looking relatively solid at the back as the Hammers narrowly failed to upset United.
5. Gordon Greer (Brighton): Greer produced a captain’s performance, marshalling his defence impeccably as they overcame their lacklustre Premier League opponents.
6. Ramires (Chelsea): Ramires was as efficient as ever, as Chelsea impressively dispatched Southampton 7-1, doing a stellar job on the defensive side of things, and thus, allowing the more attack-minded players to excel.
7. Gareth Bale (Tottenham): Bale seems to get better with every game, providing skill and elegance in abundance. Against Coventry, he was at his most effective, scoring one goal and creating the other two.
8. Joe Cole (West Ham): Cole arguably played better in his first game for West Ham at the weekend than he did in the entirety of his Liverpool career, setting up both goals as they drew 2-2 with Alex Ferguson’s men.
9. Clint Dempsey (Tottenham): Dempsey, in his Tottenham career, has so far failed to match the consistency of his Fulham days, but he showed what he was capable of on Saturday, scoring twice and putting in an all-round excellent display.
10. Demba Ba (Chelsea): Ba demonstrated precisely why Chelsea opted to buy him, illustrating his class with two opportunistic goals, as they thumped Southampton 7-1.
11. Matthew Barnes Homer (Macclesfield): Macclesfield’s cup hero, Barnes Homer scored a brace as they upset Cardiff. It was wonderful to see, particularly as Barnes Homer is somewhat of a journeyman, having played for 16 clubs over the course of his career (and he’s still only 26).
Subs: 12. Shay Given (Aston Villa), 13. Kieron Gibbs (Arsenal), 14. Juan Mata (Chelsea), 15. Marouane Fellaini (Everton), 16. Adam le Fondre (Reading).
