In Focus: The Premier League stars who lit up Matchday 12

Steven Gerrard’s time as Aston Villa manager came to an end as their 3-0 defeat at Fulham saw the Midlands side slip further into a relegation battle.

Elsewhere, Leicester picked up three valuable points, Manchester United made a statement against Tottenham and Newcastle continued their European charge with a win over Everton.

We have picked out five players who stood out on Matchday 12 of this action-packed Premier League season.

Harvey Barnes

Leicester made a positive step under Brendan Rodgers with a 2-0 win over Leeds at the King Power Stadium on Thursday night.

Harvey Barnes was on fine form and scored the Foxes’ second goal to secure the victory and lift the hosts off the bottom of the table.

The stats suggest that Jesse Marsch’s men had the better of the game, but Barnes’ contribution helped decide the clash between two teams struggling for form.

The 24-year-old was almost certain to turn in Dennis Praet’s cross for the opener, but Leeds centre-back Robin Koch slid in trying to prevent the opportunity, ultimately diverting the ball into his own net.

Leicester’s second goal was a simple finish for Barnes after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall put the ball on a plate for the winger, leaving Illan Meslier with no chance as the ball curled around him.

Alisson

Liverpool are finally finding some form and keeper Alisson played a big role in helping the Reds see off West Ham on Wednesday.

Darwin Nunez scored his first goal at Anfield and could have had more in what was an impressive night for the ex-Benfica star.

But the Hammers were awarded a penalty when Joe Gomez made a clumsy challenge on Jarrod Bowen who used his body well to earn the spot-kick.

Nonetheless, the Brazilian stopper stepped up for his side and dived down to his right, palming Bowen’s penalty away from danger.

It has been a memorable week for the 30-year-old who provided an assist in Liverpool’s win over Manchester City last weekend — his side now sit 11 points off leaders Arsenal.

Fred

Erik ten Hag is finally seeing improvements in his Manchester United team who put on a scintillating display against Tottenham at Old Trafford.

The hosts came away comfortable 2-0 winners and recorded 28 shots in the match — the most by any team in a Premier League game this season.

One man who was at the top of his game was central midfielder Fred, who opened the scoring despite his shot taking a fortunate deflection off Spurs defender Ben Davies.

Fred, 29, has had to fight for his place with the arrival of both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the summer, but his performance under the lights earned him the praise of his manager.

Ten Hag said: “The demands are high and I asked him before the game, ‘are you ready?’ And he said, ‘I am always ready’. And he showed today.”

Wilfried Zaha

When Wilfried Zaha is in form, it takes a very good player to stop him from having a major influence on the game.

Unfortunately for Wolves, they allowed the Ivory Coast international far too much space and time when they visited Selhurst Park on Tuesday and it cost them dear.

The Eagles star scored the winner having been a nuisance for the Wolves backline throughout the game.

A simple ball was played into the box for Zaha who went past a stretching Max Kilman, before slamming home to complete the hosts’ comeback.

It was a big win for Palace boss Patrick Vieira who was beginning to face pressure having seen his side only pick up two league wins going into the game.

Miguel Almiron

Earlier in the year, Jack Grealish criticised Riyad Mahrez’s output by comparing him to Miguel Almiron.

Fast forward a few months and the Paraguayan is putting up better numbers than both of those two City stars, who have a combined two league goals in comparison to Almiron’s five.

His curling effort from outside the box was the difference between Newcastle and Everton on Wednesday night as the Magpies stayed within touching distance of the top four.

With Eddie Howe’s side having conceded only nine goals in 11 league matches this season, Almiron is helping provide the quality at the other end of the pitch.