Vardy, Mkhitaryan, Zaha and Bellerin in team of the week

Chelsea remain three points clear at the top of the table after a weekend on which two of their title rivals slipped up.

The Blues won their ninth consecutive match, beating West Brom, while Arsenal kept pace with a win over Stoke.

However, a draw for Liverpool and a shock defeat for Manchester City at the hands of a reborn Leicester mean the top four are now separated by seven points.

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Indeed, Man United's win over Spurs sees them back in the mix for a top four spot, with only six points separating them from their local rivals in fourth place.

But after a weekend that saw plenty of dire defending, who were the stars of the show? Here's The Week's pick of the experts' picks.

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris (Spurs)

"Controversial, perhaps, to pick a keeper who finished up on the losing side," says the Daily Mirror, but he gets the nod over David de Gea, who was at the other end on Sunday. "On a week when Claudio Bravo, Loris Karius and Darren Randolph were among the men between the sticks hanging their heads in shame, Hugo Lloris reminded everyone who had forgotten he's handily Tottenham's best player," says the website.

Defence: Hector Bellerin (Arsenal), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jones (Man Utd)

The Arsenal full-back made his return from injury as he came on as a sub and made a huge impact as the Gunners beat Stoke 3-1. "He created Theo Walcott's equaliser and made three key passes," notes the Daily Star.

Cahill helped make it nine wins in a row for the league leaders. "The Chelsea captain was superb against a disciplined and well-organised West Brom side - a point Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola might want to consider," says Garth Crooks of the BBC.

"Jones resurgence at Manchester United has been understated, but he put in another solid shift as Jose Mourinho's men shut out Spurs at Old Trafford to keep their first Premier League clean sheet since October," says ESPN, whose experts were particularly impressed with the way he kept Harry Kane quiet.

Midfield: Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Man Utd), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)

Zaha made one, scored one and was "unplayable" as Palace drew 3-3 with Hull, says the BBC's Crooks. "He almost single-handedly took Hull apart... if he did this every week, he'd be playing for Real Madrid and not Crystal Palace."

Sigurdsson inspired Swansea again this weekend. He was "absolutely crucial and he was central to the winning performance against Sunderland, scoring the first and setting up the second in a 3-0 win," says ESPN.

Mkhitaryan's "meteoric rise continues", says the Mirror. He scored his first Premier League goal and his first at Old Trafford. "After failing to break into Jose Mourinho's side in the opening months, he's now the first name on the teamsheet when fit - playing with the sort of flair and attacking intent that has been lacking from the likes of Martial and Depay this season."

Ozil completes the midfield after he helped inspire the Gunners' comeback against Stoke. He "has now scored in back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since February 2015", reports Goal.com.

Attack: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Diego Costa (Chelsea), Stefano Okaka (Watford)

Leicester stunned Man City on Saturday and Vardy scored his first hat-trick in the Premier League, reports Goal.com. That makes him the top Fantasy Premier League points-scorer this week with 17. He was key as Leicester finally "showed why they won the league with the high-energy, committed, exciting football that brought them the title", says Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph.

Costa scored a wonderful goal as Chelsea sank West Brom. "The man who leads the race for the Golden Boot is back to his best - even if he doesn't think he is," says the Mirror. "With Costa in such imperious form, Chelsea have gone from looking out of sorts in September to title favourites going into the festive period."

Watford striker Okaka scored twice as the Hornets beat Everton on Saturday, with one goal coming from a sumptuous back heel. "He's had something of a journeyman career, but with the Hornets he now has a great chance to make a mark," says the Mirror.