They may have suffered a minor blip at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening but it was business as usual for Chelsea on Wednesday night as they eased to a 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

Given their hold over Spurs at Stamford Bridge, the result should come as no surprise but it was a win that was required to keep the Blues six points clear of Manchester City, who thrashed Sunderland by a 4-1 scoreline.

Southampton's position in the top four has come under threat from the chasing pack after they conceded a late goal to lose at Arsenal, while Manchester United made it four successes in a row with a narrow 2-1 win at home to Stoke City.

West Ham United remain on United's tails after coming from behind to beat West Bromwich Albion, with Swansea City completing the top seven with a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at the Liberty Stadium.

Captain Steven Gerrard inspired Liverpool to a 3-1 win away at Leicester City, while Burnley and Hull City earned notable draws against Newcastle United and Everton respectively.

The other result from midweek saw Aston Villa end their lengthy winless run by recording a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

After assessing each match, Sports Mole has selected the 11 players that impressed us during the second batch of top-flight fixtures in the space of a few days.

Fraser Forster (Southampton)
The former Celtic stopper hasn't enjoyed the best of weeks in goal for the Saints and although he conceded a last-gasp goal at the Emirates Stadium, he made a number of top-class saves to deny Arsenal earning a comfortable win.

Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City)
The evening started on a low note for Zabaleta after his attempted tackle rebounded off Connor Wickham and found the back of the net, but the Argentine recovered with an accomplished display which included the full-back notching his first goal of the season.
Jores Okore (Aston Villa)
Okore's first 12 months in English football was blighted by injury but the Dane has capitalised on the absence of Philippe Senderos and Nathan Baker to stake a claim in Villa's defence and depending on his fitness, he could soon establish himself in the supporting role alongside Ron Vlaar.
Kyle Bartley (Swansea City)
The former Arsenal trainee began the season as backup to the likes of Jordi Amat and Federico Fernandez, but the centre-back has emerged as solid support for Ashley Williams with the blossoming partnership helping Swansea to a clean sheet against Queens Park Rangers.
Aaron Cresswell (West Ham United)
Cresswell marked his rise through the English football pyramid with his first Premier League goal last weekend, but the left-back's all-round game was on show against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night as the Hammers maintained their push for a European place.

Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Hazard has rivalled Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas for the tag of Chelsea's most important player this season and he further staked his claim with another mesmerising performance that included orchestrating a sharp move on the edge of the area before ending it from an acute angle.
Tom Huddlestone (Hull City)
Huddlestone's absence against Manchester United was noticeable as the Tigers slumped to a 3-0 defeat, but his presence in Hull's engine room helped the out-of-form side come from behind to earn a credible draw away at Everton.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
The Liverpool skipper had been dropped for his side's narrow win over Stoke City but he returned against Leicester City with a point to prove as he guided his team to a second successive win, as well as netting his first goal from open play this season.
Juan Mata (Manchester United)
After an injury to Angel di Maria, creative responsibility fell to Mata, and the Spaniard rose to the occasion with a decent display against Stoke City that ended with him scoring United's winner.

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Whether it's scoring 25-yard screamers or tap-ins from inside the box, Sanchez seems to have it all right now and the attacker's 14th goal of the campaign proved decisive as Arsenal picked up three important points against Southampton.
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City
He may have gone without a goal at St Mary's on Sunday but Aguero was back to his destructive best against Sunderland on Wednesday night. His first strike was sublime, finding the back of the net with power after picking up the ball from distance, before he capped off his night with City's fourth to confirm the three points.

Numpty of the week

Simon Mignolet: Criticism of Simon Mignolet is almost becoming a weekly event, isn't it? The Liverpool goalkeeper has endured an inconsistent few months and that continued at the King Power Stadium against Leicester City. He can't be blamed for the Foxes' opener that struck the post before hitting him on the back and going into the corner, but he can for an incident two minutes earlier. As he attempted to play the ball out of defence, Mignolet passed it straight into the path of Esteban Cambiasso but the veteran midfielder saved Mignolet from major embarrassment by directing his shot just wide of the far post.

Goal of the week

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) Given his current form, it shouldn't come as a surprise when Aguero rattles one in from distance, but that's not to say he shouldn't get any less credit. After seeing his team fall a goal behind at the Stadium of Light, the Argentine dropped deep to pick up the ball around 30 yards from goal, and after taking a couple of touches to set himself up, he lashed the ball into the net from 18 yards to put his team on the way for the three points.