Marcos Alonso’s superb free kick sealed a 3-1 win for Premier League leaders Chelsea away to Bournemouth, while Kieran Trippier supplied the ammunition and Son Heung-min hit the target twice as Tottenham Hotspur crushed sorry Watford.
See who else makes Richard Jolly’s team of the week by swiping left/right on your browser.
Goalkeeper: Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)
Jurgen Klopp led the tributes after Mignolet had arguably the best game of his Liverpool career in the 2-1 win over Stoke City.
Right-back: Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur)
Even as others got the goals, Trippier was the outstanding individual in the 4-0 thrashing of Watford, surging forward and crossing superbly.
Centre-back: James Collins (West Ham United)
Defiant in defence as West Ham ended their losing run with a victory over Swansea City that goes a long way to keeping them up.
Centre-back: Maya Yoshida (Southampton)
Goalkeeper Fraser Forster was one reason Southamtpon kept a clean sheet at The Hawthorns but the quietly reliable Yoshida was another.
Left-back: Marcos Alonso (Chelsea)
And not just for his wonderful free kick. The Spaniard was the best player on the pitch in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
Right midfield: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
An ever more productive player created two more goals as he proved the difference in Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Hull City.
Centre midfield: N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Often admired for his energy and tackling, the Frenchman provided a superb pass for Eden Hazard’s crucial second goal at the Vitality Stadium.
Centre midfield: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Together with his fellow Brazilian Roberto Firmino, he came on at Stoke, scored and changed the game. Brought an injection of class.
Left midfield: Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Scored twice, hit the woodwork and helped rip Watford apart. One of the most improved players of the season.
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United)
Brought the breakthrough at Sunderland, set up Marcus Rashford’s late goal and provided another performance of substance.
Striker: Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
“The big man’s on fire,” said Ross Barkley after Lukaku extended his glorious run at Goodison Park with a double to beat Leicester.
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
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