The best performers in the Premier League over the St. Stephen's Day and December 27th fixtures.
Goalkeeper: Darren Randolph
The Irish keeper looks to have established himself as West Ham's first choice as he added another impressive performance against Swansea to two previous games against Hull and Burnley.
Despite West Ham beating Swansea 4-1 on Stephen's Day, Randolph was named Man of the Match by Hammers supporters.
Merry Christmas!@FAIreland No1 and Hammer of the Match @RandzOfficial celebrates today's victory#COYI #SWAWHU pic.twitter.com/9C9zp3plmd
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 26, 2016
Right-back: Hector Bellerin
After an average first half against West Brom, Bellerin really stepped it up following the break as Arsenal went in search - and found - the goal which would keep their title hopes alive.
Bellerin's best performance since his welcome return from injury earlier this month,
Centre-back: Ashley Williams
Everton got just their third win in nine games by beating Champions Leicester 2-0. Williams was key to victory at centre-back.
Williams has been playing solidly for the Ronald Koeman's side over the last month but yesterday was undoubtedly his best performance for the club.
The Welshman constantly rebuffed Leicester - often by whatever means necessary.
Centre-back: Winston Reid
After the Stephen's Day win against Swansea, Winston Reid called West Ham's performance their best of the season. The New Zealander was a major factor in the win.
Winston Reid unreal again today. One of our best players this season. So glad that last season was just a spell of bad form. Unsung hero.
— West Ham Forum (@WestHam_Forum) December 26, 2016
Reid grabbed West Ham's second of the game - also his second goal of the season - heading a Dimitri Payet corner past Lukasz Fabianski five minutes after half-time.
Such has been the exceptional quality of Reid's performances this season, he will surely attract attention from some of the league's bigger clubs come next month.
Left-back: James Milner
Milner followed up his performance in the Merseyside derby, where he was probably the best player on the pitch in a 1-0 win at Everton, with another superb performance against Stoke.
The 30-year-old does much more than simply plug a hole at left-back for Liverpool, he looks like one of the best players in the league at the position.
James Milner has won 5 tackles vs. Stoke, more than any other player on the pitch.
He's got an assist to his name too.
Crucial cog. pic.twitter.com/H8qzlif77M— Squawka (@Squawka) December 27, 2016
A constant bundle of energy, Milner added to a solid defensive display with an assist for Roberto Firmino's goal which put Liverpool 2-1 ahead.
Midfield: Yohan Cabaye
Along with Andros Townsend, Cabaye was the best player on the pitch in a poor game between Crystal Palace and Watford. As is often seen when a new manager comes in, there's a step up in performance level.
That trend was not bucked for Sam Allardyce's first game in charge of Palace. Cabaye had his best game in around two months, scoring the goal which put his side ahead midway through the first half.
Midfield: Yaya Toure
A Premier League career which looked dead when Pep Guardiola was announced as Man City manager and continued to draw shallow breaths during the Spaniard's early months in charge has been revitalised.
The Stephen's Day win at Hull was Toure's best performance for Man City since his two-goal salvo to beat Crystal Palace in November. The Ivorian scored from the spot as City finally broke the Hull resolve with a little under 20 minutes remaining in the game.
A constant influence on the game, Toure was named the Sky Sports Man of the Match.
10 - Yaya Toure has scored all 10 of his @premierleague penalties, the best 100% record in the competition. Flawless.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 26, 2016
Midfield: Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba has three assists in the Premier League this season, all of them have resulted in goals for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The two have begun to forge a real understanding at Old Trafford, an occurrence which can only be a good thing for Man Utd.
Along with the Swede, Pogba was Utd's best player in the 3-1 win against Sunderland. A good performance for the opening two-thirds of the game picked up notably when Henrikh Mkhitaryan entered the game with a half an hour remaining.
.@paulpogba: MotM vs Sunderland, Rating 9.47, Assists 1, Shots(OT) 8(3), Dribbles 3 Key Passes 2, Tackles 3, Interceptions 5 @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/Lt3qrzMKlS
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 26, 2016
Forward: Roberto Firmino
Troubles off the pitch were not reflected in the Brazilian's performance on it during Liverpool's 4-1 win against Stoke. After going a goal down early, Liverpool got back in the game, first through Adam Lallana and then Firmino who combined with James Milner to strike a shot past Lee Grant and in off the post.
After the game, Jurgen Klopp highlighted not just Firmino's ability on the ball but also off it through his movement and pressing of the opposition.
His best performance for Liverpool since the 6-1 win against Watford last month.
Forward: Eden Hazard
Last year's slump now looks a blip in the distance for Eden Hazard. He was magnificent for Chelsea in their 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge against Bournemouth.
Along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Belgian was the star performer of the weekend. Hazard got a goal from the penalty spot shortly after half-time - his ninth of the season for Antonio Conte's side.
.@hazardeden10: MotM vs Bournemouth, Rating 10.0, Goals 1, Dribbles 13, Shots(OT) 5(2), Key Passes 4, Was Fouled 5, Tackles 1 @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/xV0WLud08t
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 26, 2016
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
It took him a while, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic now looks to have really settled in the Premier League. The 35-year-old was superb against Sunderland. His influence was stamped on all three of his side's goals.
He found Danny Blind raiding into the opposition box for the opening goal of the game, calming finished Paul Pogba's pass for his own goal and provided the cross for Henrikh Mkhitaryan's sublime scorpion kick volley to wrap up the win.
Man Utd's last 6 Premier League goals:
Zlatan assist 🎯
Zlatan goal ⚽️
Zlatan assist 🎯
Zlatan goal ⚽️
Zlatan goal ⚽️
Zlatan goal ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/luk4w53G3s— Squawka (@Squawka) December 26, 2016
