It was a bumper lineup of Premier League action over the past seven days with some explosive fixtures in midweek and at the weekend.

Come Sunday night it was league leaders Manchester United who were the happiest as they opened up a nine-point gap over champions Manchester City.

Meanwhile, it was a week to forget for Chelsea, who let a two-goal lead slip at Reading on Wednesday before they were beaten late on at Newcastle United on Saturday.

At the bottom of the table, four points from a possible six have given Reading's hopes of survival a huge boost, but Aston Villa have slipped deeper into trouble.

Here, Sports Mole selects the 11 players who stood out from the rest.

Julio Cesar (QPR)
The Brazilian was at his resistant best both in Tuesday's draw with Manchester City and Saturday's stalemate with Norwich. Well it wasn't going to be Pepe Reina, was it?

Ian Harte (Reading)
He may not have the legs like he once did, but Harte is still a valuable piece of the Reading jigsaw as they look to avoid relegation.
Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd)
His days in the England fold appear to be over, but Roy Hodgson could only have been impressed with the veteran's stoic display in United's win at Fulham.
Christopher Samba (QPR)
It didn't take long for Samba to fit back in to the Premier League as his impenetrable performance in QPR's goalless draw with Norwich showed.
Leighton Baines (Everton)
It's hard to keep count of how many times Baines has been in this weekly side, but he gets in again this time thanks to his match-winning display against West Bromwich Albion in midweek.

Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle)
The Frenchman introduced himself on Tyneside with a bang on Saturday with an excellent brace in the Magpies' improbable victory over Chelsea.
Marouane Fellaini (Everton)
The burly Belgian was indomitable against Aston Villa on Saturday as two late goals salvaged a point for the Toffees in an entertaining encounter at Goodison Park.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Yes, there were probably more industrious players in midfield over the course of the past seven days, but did you see his goal against Manchester City? Wow.
Gareth Bale (Spurs)
It was another cracking week for the Welsh maestro as two superb strikes against Norwich and West Brom respectively earned his side four points from two games.

Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)
The England youngster is loving life on Merseyside and he capped a brilliant showing against Manchester City on Sunday with a rocket of a goal in the Reds' 2-2 draw.
Adam Le Fondre (Reading)
Le Fondre rarely gets the credit that he deserves, but we couldn't let our team of the week pass by without acknowledging his two goals against Chelsea on Wednesday. The striker could be the difference between relegation and survival for the Royals.