EPL: Hits and misses from the weekend

HITS

Luis Suarez & Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)

Dodgy opening goal aside, Liverpool's front pair simply carved open bottom side Sunderland in the 3-1 win last Sunday. After shouldering the Reds' scoring burden on his own in the first five games, Sturridge looked a different player with Suarez beside him.

Aside from having a hand (sorry, couldn't resist) in all three goals, the English forward's two assists for the nippy Uruguayan were pure magic. More importantly, Sturridge opted for the sensible choice when he previously would have tried to beat the odds with shots from impossible angles. If this SAS partnership continues to blossom, Anfield has reason to be hopeful this season.

Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)

Who would have thought this is the same player who suffered that horrific leg break against Stoke City in the 2009/2010 season? Those dark days now look like a distant memory as Aaron Ramsey is scoring goals for fun these days.

The 22-year-old Welshman netted his eighth goal of the season at the Liberty Stadium last Saturday, which sent the Gunners back to the EPL summit.

West Brom

Having failed to score in their first three games, Steve Clarke's side have now plundered six goals in the following three after transfer deadline day to haul themselves out of the relegation zone.

This is no coincidence. While the transfers of Mesut Oezil and Marouane Fellaini took centrestage on deadline day, West Brom's acquisition of Stephane Sessegnon from Sunderland went under the radar.

The Beninese livewire has been a revelation for his new club, although Morgan Amalfitano and Saido Berahino also deserve credit for their excellent finishes.

Hull and Cardiff

After wins at the weekend, both newly-promoted sides lie above Manchester United in the league table. Enough said.

Chris Hughton

Norwich's slender 1-0 win over Stoke City was absolutely vital for the former Newcastle United boss. The result arrested a slide for the Canaries, who have picked up just 23 points in their previous 26 games.

MISSES

Manchester United

David Moyes got the response he wanted after the derby spanking by Manchester City with a League Cup win over Liverpool, but the Red Devils then fell to a limp 2-1 defeat by West Brom last Saturday.

The players should hold their hands up and take the blame for the loss but how much more time will Moyes be afforded? The Scot did at least get one thing right - Ashley Young wasn't even on the bench.

Rio Ferdinand (Man United)

While Rio Ferdinand's partnership with Nemanja Vidic has been a hallmark of the United team over the years, age seems to have caught up with the Englishman. Sold a dummy for Amalfitano's opener and then letting the ball fall to Berahino for the winner, Ferdinand looked every bit like his 34 years, a factoid Moyes should consider before relying so heavily on him.

Manchester City

From the massive high of spanking Man United in the derby to somehow contriving to lose to a poor Aston Villa side shorn of Christian Benteke despite taking the lead twice. It's classic City, except it's not what their fans expected.

Fulham

If there was one thing Fulham fans could have relied on to keep them up in seasons past, it was their team's solid home form at Craven Cottage.

However, even that security blanket looks unsafe this season as Martin Jol's Cottagers slipped into the bottom three following a home loss to Cardiff City.

Fernando Torres

The Spaniard looked lively against Tottenham and didn't deserve his first yellow card after Jan Vertonghen clearly tripped on himself.

However, Torres' stupid reaction to grab the Belgian's face will now go under the microscope of the FA's disciplinary committee.

He could pick up a further suspension for violent conduct.

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