We were treated to one of the most exciting weekends of Premier League football of the season on Saturday and Sunday thanks to a healthy dose of drama, controversy and goals.

Manchester United opened up a six-point gap at the top of the table with an incident-filled 3-2 win at local rivals Manchester City, while Liverpool and Everton also earned dramatic victories over West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

Norwich City's impressive unbeaten run continued as they edged out Swansea City in a seven-goal thriller and Chelsea got their first domestic win of the Rafael Benitez era at Sunderland.

Here, Sports Mole singles out the 11 players who made their mark on the action.

David de Gea (Man Utd)
The Spaniard has spent plenty of time on the bench recently, but he pulled off a number of important saves to help his side to a win on derby day.

Leighton Baines (Everton)
As ever, the full-back was a dynamic force in both defence and attack for the Merseysiders in their late win over Tottenham.
Gary Cahill (Chelsea)
The England international was calmness personified during Chelsea's triumph at Sunderland.
Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton)
The 21-year-old put in the miles at St Mary's as the Saints recorded a vital victory at home to fellow strugglers Reading.
Sebastien Bassong (Norwich)
Bassong made it three goals in four games for the Canaries with his strike in Saturday's impressive win at Swansea.

Antonio Valencia (Man Utd)
The Ecuadorian was a surprise name on the United team sheet for Sunday's showdown at Manchester City, but he was a vital presence down the right as the visitors claimed the win.
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Wilshere was at the heart of everything positive about the Gunners in their victory over West Brom.
Steven Pienaar (Everton)
How sweet it must have felt for the South African to score against former club Tottenham as the Toffees snatched the three points with a late win on Sunday.
Jason Puncheon (Southampton)
The hard-working Puncheon was rewarded for his performance against Reading with a well-taken winning goal.

Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)
He's been under the spotlight in recent weeks for his under-par performances, but the England international returned to form with a bang-on Sunday thanks to two goals at the Etihad Stadium.
Fernando Torres (Chelsea)
The Spaniard looked something like his old, sharp self as he bagged himself a brace in the Blues' win at Sunderland.