Aruna Dindane (Portsmouth, FOR): 3 goals, assist, 3 league points, 90 mins played.

If you had Dindane in your team, you were either inspired or a believer in second chances. The Ivory Coast forward had never scored a Premier League goal before Saturday, and had missed a hat-trick of sitters in his previous game at Fratton Park. But his expertly-taken opener against Wigan Athletic brought the confidence flooding back, and a close-range finish and a penalty gave him the match ball, and he also provided the pass for Portsmouth’s second goal, scored by Frederic Piquionne. Sign him up – IF you believe he can do it again …

Robin Van Persie (Arsenal, FOR): two goals, 3 league points, 86 mins played.

Cesc Fabregas grabbed the headlines for his goal against Tottenham, but it was Van Persie who caught Wilson Palacios napping to get the ball to him, and scored Arsenal’s first and third goals. Injuries have held back the Holland forward in the past, but when fit he has vast potential as a PlayTheGame contributor for his contributions in every statistical category.

Graham Alexander (Burnley, RM, RB): two goals, 3 league points, 90 mins played.

Alexander was not a well-known name among supporters of Premier League clubs before this season, but he enjoyed a long and distinguished career with Scunthorpe United, Luton Town and Preston North End before moving to Turf Moor. He is also closing in on his century of league goals, mainly thanks to his prowess from the penalty spot – a useful factor if you are considering signing him as a free agent. At 38, he is making the most of the Indian summer of his career, and most people in the game are delighted.

Jody Craddock (Wolves, CB): two goals, 1 league point, 90 minutes played.

Okay, his first goal looked suspiciously as if he was offside, but the second, a clever glancing header, was expertly taken. A defender who can get on the end of free kicks and corners is a valuable commodity in PlayTheGame, and Craddock’s two-goal performance would have been most welcome in the unlikely event that you had him in your team. But be warned – he does not exactly make a habit of it, as a record of 16 goals in 458 league starts makes clear.

Shay Given (Manchester City, GK): clean sheet, 1 league point, 90 minutes played.

A penalty save is as close as goalkeepers usually get to the feeling of scoring a goal, and Given’s save to defy Birmingham City’s James McFadden effectively saved a point for his team (and a clean sheet and a point for his PlayTheGame owners. City are a top-six team and Given will be one of the most valuable goalkeepers to own.

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