This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.
Gameweek 10 of the Premiership produced fairly tame results, though the weekend's opening match of Liverpool at Newcastle perhaps marked the biggest surprise.
That's because Alan Pardew's previously last-place outfit extended their winning streak to three games with a 1-0 win that vaulted Newcastle to a respectable 12th in the standings, tied on points with Everton, Manchester United, and West Brom.
Of that trio, West Brom were the only victors last weekend, beating Leicester City 1-0.
Elsewhere, Everton played out a scoreless draw with Swansea City and Manchester United was held without a goal in a 1-0 derby loss to cross-town rivals Manchester City.
Further up the table, Tottenham overcame an early deficit with two late goals to hand Aston Villa their sixth-straight defeat.
West Ham also scored twice, but were matched by Stoke City, causing the Hammers to drop points at the Britannia Stadium.
Meanwhile, Arsenal broke a second-half deadlock to win 3-0 versus Burnley, moving to fourth-place in the process.
Along with Man City winning, the top three remained unchanged, as Southampton won 1-0 at Hull City and Chelsea prevailed 2-1 versus Queens Park Rangers.
In another London-based match, Crystal Palace was sunk 3-1 by Sunderland on Monday.
Looking at how the Best XI fared from those results, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny recorded two saves in his second straight clean sheet performance for Arsenal.
Everton defender Leighton Baines also secured a clean sheet, while Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and West Ham's Aaron Cresswell only garnered points for minutes played.
In the midfield, Raheem Sterling struggled in Liverpool's scoreless outing at Newcastle, while David Silva was unavailable for Manchester City due to an injury confirmed late last week.
On the bright side, Cesc Fabregas once again served up an assist for Chelsea, brining his season total to a league-best nine on the campaign.
Additionally, Fabregas' former Barcelona teammate Alexis Sanchez continued to star for Arsenal, as the Chilean scored two goals and earned a clean sheet for the second consecutive week.
Up front, Alexis' current companion Danny Welbeck attempted five shots, but couldn't find the back of the net versus Burnley.
Then, despite returning from injury, Chelsea's Diego Costa failed to score in 78 minutes of action Saturday.
However, the stellar Sergio Aguero scored Man City's lone goal Sunday, as the Argentine now boasts an unmatched 10 Premier League goals in as many matches this season.
Eyeing the upcoming Premiership fixtures, last season's top six (Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham) will be coming off midweek European competitions, but with another international break looming, managers across England are expected to field first-choice sides.
Opening the weekend is a rematch of last season's pivotal encounter between Chelsea and Liverpool, where the hosts saw their title chances slip away at Anfield.
From there, Manchester United hosts Crystal Palace having won both matches last season by a score of 2-0.
Fifth-place West Ham will hope to return to their winning ways with a favorable home match against Aston Villa, while last-place Burnley will target Saturday's match versus Hull City as another opportunity to earn their first win of the campaign.
An expectedly lopsided tie features Leicester City at sizzling Southampton, with Saturday's final game of Manchester City at Queens Park Rangers representing another far-off pairing.
With just two points between them, Sunderland could gain ground with a win against Everton, while Stoke City will look to do the same at Tottenham.
Then, two teams tied on 13 points, West Brom and Newcastle, will face off, before Swansea City closes the weekend by hosting Arsenal in Wales.
So in advance of an international break yet again, it's time to unveil the Best XI for Gameweek 11.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper:
Fraser Forster (Southampton)
With just five goals allowed through 10 matches, Forster boasts the league's best defensive record, which also includes six clean sheets. Furthermore, the Englishman is riding a streak of three-straight scoreless outings and returns to St. Mary's Stadium this weekend to face promoted side Leicester City. No team has scored fewer than the Foxes' one away goal this season, while no team has conceded fewer than Southampton's one home goal either. Given that home and away contrast, Forster has a wonderful opportunity to maintain his position as fantasy's top goalkeeper this weekend.
Defenders:
Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)
Normally an away match at Anfield would put off a defender's chances of a clean sheet. However, without Daniel Sturridge (calf) up front for Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers' side has generally disappointed in attack this season, perhaps best highlighted by Mario Balotelli's record of eight games and 34 shot attempts without a goal. With 13 goals on the campaign, Liverpool's attack has been of mid-table quality, and only two teams sport fewer home goals than the Reds. With that in mind, an organized Chelsea defense tied for second-best in the league, with Ivanovic roving forward from right-back, puts the Serbian in good graces this weekend.
Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City)
Only Southampton has conceded fewer goals than Manchester City's 10 this season and Zabaleta has emerged with two clean sheets and two assists in seven matches. In doing so, the Argentine was part of a Citizens defense that held Manchester United scoreless last weekend and this Saturday's task versus Queens Park Rangers figures to be a lesser challenge. 19th-place QPR has scored less than one goal per game to this point in the campaign, ranking better than just two teams in the all-important category. Additionally, in wake of a Champions League loss at home this week, manager Manuel Pellegrini will demand that his team punishes their inferior foe on Saturday, putting focus on Zabaleta and Co. to keep a clean sheet.
Aaron Cresswell (West Ham)
Coming off a remarkable 12 assists from his left-back position in the Championship for Ipswich last season, Cresswell has started all 10 games for West Ham this term, supplying two assists along the way. While he's only secured one clean sheet thus far, Saturday's tie versus Aston Villa could allow Cresswell to double that early season total. Prior to scoring one goal in Gameweek 10, Aston Villa had gone five consecutive games without scoring, including three away matches. Overall, no side has scored fewer than the Villains' five goals through ten efforts and West Ham blanked Villa in both matches last season, making Cresswell a strong and affordable play this weekend.
Midfielders:
Angel di Maria (Manchester United)
Despite not scoring in their most recent match, Manchester United returns this weekend to the friendly confines of Old Trafford, where they've averaged two goals per game this season. Furthermore, the Red Devils are pitted against a Crystal Palace side whose defensive record is only better than Queens Park Rangers' thus far. Palace is fresh off allowing three goals at home in Gameweek 10 and the Eagles shipped two goals in each of their three league matches before that. Enter di Maria, who has been brilliant since joining Man United, as he leads the Red Devils in shots attempted per game (3.1) and assists (four), while being tied for the team's best goal mark (three) to date.
Stewart Downing (West Ham)
A long-time Premiership winger, Downing has been instrumental in West Ham's early season success. The Englishman has bombed forward to provide four assists and is also averaging nearly 2.5 shot attempts per game. He scored his second goal of the season last weekend at Stoke, which is always a difficult place to play. This time around, Downing returns to London to face an Aston Villa team with the wheels falling off. During Villa's six-game losing streak, they've allowed at least two goals in each match, which should give Downing confidence heading into Saturday's meeting.
Dusan Tadic (Southampton)
A creative catalyst, Tadic not only boasts six assists in his debut Premiership campaign thus far, but he's also attempted 2.4 shots per game, ranking second on Southampton's impressive attack. However, with just one goal to show, better efficiency in front of goal could take Tadic's fantasy stock to the next level. The Serbian playmaker should see plenty of chances in the final-third Saturday at St. Mary's Stadium, where no team totes a better goal-scoring record than Southampton. Of the 15 goals the Saints have scored at their home ground, Tadic has contributed toward six, which could grow with Leicester City coming to town. The Foxes are currently in the drop zone and seem like a team an aspiring Southampton could take full advantage of at home.
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Following a record-setting summer transfer window, the debate over the signing of the summer features numerous worthy candidates, with Alexis embodying one of the clear-cut favorites. The Chilean boasts a brace in consecutive Premier League outings, bringing his campaign total to seven goals in eight starts, and he fired a fantastic goal during Arsenal's midweek Champions League outing as well. Overall, the summer signing has 10 goals and three assists in his first 14 appearances for the Gunners. Those returns make Alexis a must-have player in fantasy formats that designate him as a midfielder, since he has clearly played as a striker in Arsenal's recent switch to their classic 4-4-2. Although the tireless attacker faces a Swansea City defense whose three home goals allowed rank second, an on-fire Alexis should still prove plenty problematic for the Swans come Sunday.
Forwards:
Graziano Pelle (C) (Southampton)
Another sensational signing, Pelle has six goals through 10 Premiership matches, five of which have come at St. Mary's Stadium. That's where the Italian and Southampton are slated to take on promoted setup Leicester City this weekend, with the Foxes having gone without a win in five straight league games. Over that span, Nigel Pearson's side has also conceded eight of their 16 total goals allowed this season. Meanwhile, Pelle, who is averaging 4.3 shot attempts per game, has peppered nine shots in both of his past two home matches. Spearheading a Southampton side that has posted three goals per game at home, Pelle is a superb selection this week, earning him the Best XI captain's armband.
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
Following a brief absence due to a hamstring problem, Costa returned last weekend, albeit with a moderate performance. Nonetheless, that run-out should have Costa prepared for Saturday's opening match at Liverpool, who may lack a bit of self-belief at the moment. Moreover, Chelsea has scored two goals in three straight matches versus Liverpool and in nine of their last 11 away matches in the Premier League. The Blues are still the top-flight's highest-scoring side and Costa has scored more than one goal per game in eight Premiership appearances. With Liverpool not noted for a stout defensive prowess, Costa could return to his goal-scoring ways to kick Saturday off.
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Upon the Argentine ace scoring the lone goal in last weekend's Manchester derby, Aguero brought his tally to a perfect 10 goals in 10 Premiership showings this season. While that stellar sum represents a league-high, so do Aguero's 26 shots on target, which are 10 more than his next-closest competitor. A dream matchup awaits Aguero this weekend, when he'll face Queens Park Rangers' league-worst defense on the road. At the moment, the R's are allowing two goals per game. Conversely, Manchester City has scored two goals per game this season and Aguero has tallied at least one goal in four of the Citizens' five away matches. As a result, Saturday's meeting certainly favors the defending champions, and Aguero in particular.
Forster
Ivanovic – Zabaleta – Cresswell
Di Maria – Downing – Tadic – Alexis
Pelle (C) – Costa – Aguero
