Cesc Fabregas proved to be player of the week, with a tally of 2 goals and 2 assists. The young captain could prove to be a player all managers ‘must have’, if he continues showing this sort of form.

Another player that stood out was their new signing Thomas Vermaelen, who capped his league debut, with a goal. He looked calm and collected at the back and could prove to be a good value buy.

With Arsenal not playing in game week 2, because of their midweek Champions league qualifier against Celtic, it may be worthwhile waiting for the next game week to pick up any Arsenal players.

Their next 3 games see them play Portsmouth, Manchester City and Manchester United which is not the easiest of games, and could be an early indication of their prospective title challenge.

Manchester United’s 1-0 win against Birmingham, was not the most convincing of starts to the season for the reigning champions. Wayne Rooneys goal proved to be enough, as they squandered a plethora of chances, with Darren Fletcher guilty for the worst miss of the game.

Also Sir Alex Ferguson has somewhat of an injury crisis on his hands in his defense right now. Rio Ferdinand will undergo a scan today to assess the extent of a thigh injury that may rule him out of England’s World Cup qualifying match against Croatia next month.

With Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic and Rafael Da Silva already injured and Jonny Evans limping off with a slight groin problem in the closing stages of yesterday’s match, Ferguson is concerned that United’s resources are being stretched and that a new signing may be necessary.

He has identified Ryan Shawcross, the Stoke City defender, as a possible solution.

Shawcross, 21, began his career with United, graduating from the club’s youth academy, before leaving Old Trafford for Stoke in an initial ?1 million deal in January 2008.

Stoke would be reluctant to sell Shawcross, whose value to them has increased with the number of goals he has scored from set-pieces, but United insisted on a buy-back clause in the deal that took him to the Britannia Stadium. He would be a cheap buy in the Fantasy League, and having already scored in game week 1 could be an ideal budget defender for your team.

Birmingham also looked well organized and could well have stole some points had Christian Benitez’s shot not been brilliantly saved by Ben Foster. With Portsmouth, Stoke and Spurs the next 3 teams to face Birmingham, a Birmingham defender could be a good value buy now. Also Benitez looked a quality player, and will no doubt trouble a lot of defenses this season. He could well pick up a descent amount of points as a budget striker on your fantasy team.

Liverpool had the worst start of the ‘top four’, when they lost to Spurs at White Hart Lane. The loss of Xabi Alonso has certainly weakened the team as they failed to pick up any points. Spurs spurned a lot of chances in front of goal, especially Robbie Keane, and where in control of the game for the majority of the ninety minutes.

Luca Modric could prove to be a good signing as he was very much the ‘creator’ player for Spurs, and earned an assist for Sebastien Bassong headed set play goal. Bassong also looked a quality player and could be an ideal low price defender with Hull, West Ham and Birmingham the next for Spurs over the next couple of weeks.

1. Frank Lampard – has been an easy choice for managers since the 2003-2004 season in the EPL. Regularly finishing in the top three midfielders for 6 seasons, and an unbeatable appearance record of 3 consecutive seasons, where he played every match, makes him a very dependable choice. Carlo Anchelotti has identified him to play at the top of Chelsea’s midfield diamond formation, so his goal scoring tally should continue – as proven in the Community Shield last week.

2. Steven Gerrard – is Liverpool’s captain and one of the best midfield players in the world. When he plays, Liverpool are a different team. He has continually delivered magical performances when his team needed it. For the last couple of seasons, he has regularly finished in the top 3 midfielders in most fantasy football games. But now with the loss of Alonso to Real Madrid and with Rafael Benitez not able to field Alberto Aquilani for a few months – Liverpool’s midfield has significantly weakened. Also with a groin strain making him doubtful for the first game of the season, it may be worthwhile, waiting and picking him up in the upcoming weeks.

3. Wayne Rooney – with the departure of Christiano Ronaldo and with Alex Ferguson saying he’s going to use Rooney in the middle, this could well be the year he blooms into the player he has always promised to be. We have seen glimpses of his talent when he was deployed in the central position for England. If he could replicate his displays for England he would be a ‘must have’ player for all managers. Manchester United first 3 games are against Birmingham, Burnley and Wigan, so I fully expect Rooney to be accumulating a lot of points early on.

4. Andrei Archavin – scoring 4 goals on his Anfield debut for Arsenal last season was sensational. No one doubts he has talent and could be prolific if he adapts to the physical nature of the EPL. After last season I can see him excelling this year. He looked good in the pre-season as well, when he came on as a substitute against Athletico Madrid and scored 2 goals. Anyhow with Arsenal missing gameweek 2, it may be worthwhile waiting before committing to him on your team.

5. Fernando Torres – currently injury free, and arrived late for Liverpool’s preseason training, because of his commitment to the Spanish national team at the Confederations cup. Currently one of the best strikers in the world, who made a mockery of Nemanja Vidic when Liverpool played Manchester United last year. With the exception of that game, Vidic had an amazing season, which shows the quality of Torres. He will consistently score goals for Liverpool, when he is playing, but with Gerard possibly missing from game week 1and Alonso at Madrid, Liverpool’s midfield look pretty ordinary. He would a gamble to begin with, with a decidedly tough tie away to Spurs. Another player worth waiting for would be my suggestion.

6. Cesc Fabregas – Arsenal’s midfield captain who was sidelined for a long time last season because of injury. The previous season saw him score 7 goals and 20 assist for Arsenal in the league, which made him one of the top ranking midfield players in the EPL then. With Archavin playing alongside him, I can see him having a very good season, if he keeps fit. With Arsenal missing game week 2, he is another choice I would wait to pick up.

7. Didier Drogba – when he is playing well, he is literally unplayable for defenses. His strength inside and outside the area, make him deadly when he is on form. Judging by his preseason form and his performance in the Charity Shield, I can see him making an impact very early on in the season. Also his partnership upfront with Nicolas Anelka seems to have matured since Guus Hiddink had them playing together. With Chelsea’s easy early run of games, he would be a good pick for early on in the season. But be warned – he will off to the African Nations Cup later this season, for a short period of time.

Darren Bent and Luka Modric put Spurs in control before halftime, but Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney each scored twice before Dimitar Berbatov grabbed a fifth to keep the defending champions three points clear at the top.

Man Utd 5-2 Tottenham

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva (O’Shea 70), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher (Scholes 61), Nani (Tevez 46), Berbatov, Rooney.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Anderson, Evans, Macheda.

Booked: Tevez, Scholes, Ronaldo.

Goals: Ronaldo 57 pen, Rooney 67, Ronaldo 68, Rooney 71, Berbatov 79.

Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Jenas, Modric (Bale 86), Keane (Huddlestone 87), Bent.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Hutton, Zokora, Bentley, Chimbonda.

Booked: Woodgate, Jenas, Gomes.

Goals: Bent 29, Modric 32.

Att: 75,458

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

******

Read the latest football news and transfer rumours.