Much of his talking has come on the pitch this season, but West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon is now keen to open up communication behind the scenes too.

The Venezuelan conducted his first press conference in English on Sunday, desperate to learn the language as quickly as possible to help settle in with the Baggies.

It’s something the 27-year-old feels is key to his development, already with three goals for Tony Pulis’ side, though he admits it’s a challenge that hasn’t always gone to plan for at the Hawthorns.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg believes his opportunities to play in the Premier League’s big games are the perfect starting blocks to what he hopes can make him a top player.

The 21-year-old started in the Saints’ stalemate with Liverpool on Saturday, the first time he had done so in the top flight since facing champions Leicester on October 3.

It was an experience the £12.8m player enjoyed from start to finish – and he now hopes to form a larger part of Claude Puel’s plans as the season develops.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

“I can say that to get the opportunity in games like this, with a high intensity and a high level, it is something for the future that is very, very good and you can learn a lot from,” said the former Bayern Munich man.

“But, in the end, it’s about the team. I would like to play every game, I would also like to play every Premier League game.

“But the coach decides and I believe that the coach has a plan for everything and I just tried to do my best, because this is what it’s about.

“Every day do your best and I hope I can play more games like this, on a high level, and hopefully also in the Premier League.”

Ben Gibson revealed captaining boyhood club Middlesbrough against title-chasing Chelsea in front of a sold-out crowd at the Riverside Stadium was beyond his wildest dreams.

Gibson joined the Middlesbrough set up aged 12 and has gone on to make 100 appearances for the first team.

And though the 23-year-old wore the armband in what proved to be a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in front of the TV cameras, the magnitude of the occasion was not lost on Gibson.

“It’s amazing. I’m delighted to do that,” said the defender.

“As a little boy you never feel like you’ll get to do something like that.

(Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“But I’m disappointed with the result because I think we deserved a bit more.

“In the second half we controlled large parts of the game and limited their opportunities. With a better ball or finish at the end we could have equalised.

“To lose to a set-piece is frustrating.

“We were committed and fought until the end. You can’t ask much more from the lads, just a bit of concentration in the box which, in the end, proved to be key.”

Leighton Baines described fellow full-back Seamus Coleman as a ‘leader’ after the Irish international salvaged a point for Everton with a last-gasp equaliser against Swansea.

The Swans looked like they were heading to their first win under manager Bob Bradley – only for Coleman to pop up in the 89th minute.

And while a draw against the Premier League’s bottom club is hardly an ideal result, Baines admits it would have been worse if not for Coleman’s never-say-die attitude.

“Credit to Seamus – as always, he kept on trying to do the right things and trying to drive the team forward,” Baines said. “His energy is always terrific and you could see how much it meant to him scoring the goal.

“He’s one of our leaders in the team really. He popped up and it was pure determination to get us back in the game and he came up with the goods.”

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

A fit-again Baines was making his first appearance in two months and the Toffees have struggled in his absence, having won just once in their last seven Premier League games.

“It’s a game we obviously wanted to win, expected to win, but we started a bit slower than we would have liked,” added the England international. “We kept pushing and working hard but didn’t really create a great deal of chances. But we fought and got a point in the end.”

Jermain Defoe equalled Michael Owen’s Premier League haul by scoring his 150th goal on Saturday – and he admits for the strike to come in a winning effort made it all the sweeter.

Sunderland followed up their first league win of the campaign against Bournemouth with a 3-0 victory over Hull to lift them off the foot of the table.

Former England striker Defoe opened the scoring with a typically searing run and finish before his strike partner Victor Anichebe scored a double in the second half.

The result lifts a little bit more pressure on Black Cats manager David Moyes – but Defoe is adamant his side’s poor form to start the season is now in the rearview mirror.

 (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)

“It feels amazing,” said the striker. “The manager said some nice things about me in his pre-match press conference about me reaching 150, but to get it at home in front of these fans is special.

“I wanted to do it at the Stadium of Light so to do it here in a big game that we’ve won, and earn back-to-back wins, was meant to be, and I believe it was meant to happen like this so I’m delighted.

“When you get back-to-back wins, which is never easy at any stage of the season, and have good performances its important.

“There is so much more this team is going to bring between now and the end of the season.”

While Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been openly critical of some of his players in recent weeks, midfielder Michael Carrick believes team-mate Antonio Valencia is going from strength to strength.

When the Ecuadorian made a £16million move from Wigan Athletic in June 2009 he was seen as an out-and-out winger – and a rather underwhelming replacement for a Real Madrid-bound Cristiano Ronaldo.

But the versatile Valencia has been predominately deployed at right-back in recent times, making his tenth Premier League start of the season in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal having fully recovered from a broken arm.

And Carrick is impressed with how the 31-year-old has embraced his change of role.

(Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images)

Carrick said: “Antonio has been incredible at right-back since he has moved to that position.

“He just looks so dangerous going forward but, at the same time, he is so solid defensively.

“His positional play has improved a lot and I think that’s told.

“He has been our best player in a lot of our games this season.

“To come back so quick from a broken bone speaks volumes for him and his attitude to get back and play.”

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks says he had no doubt he would finish on the winning team against West Ham United as Harry Kane stepped up to take a last-gasp penalty.

Winks, making his first Premier League start, had cancelled out Michail Antonio’s first-half header to draw Spurs level.

But they trailed 2-1 with 89 minutes on the clock as some of the home faithful made for the exits at White Hart Lane.

Kane brought the score level for the second time when he turned in from close range after Darren Randolph has parried substitute Heung-Min Son’s cross.

And the England striker fired his team to three points in second-half stoppage time from the spot.

(Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

Kane has now taken ten penalties in Premier League games, scoring nine, though after his sole miss – against West Ham in February 2015 – he swept in the rebound.

And Winks revealed it had not crossed his mind that Kane might miss.

“No doubt, absolutely no doubt,” said Winks. “I was just thinking about the celebrations! I was getting ready to run over.

“With this team, we’ve shown time and again that when we go down, we keep going.

“We’ve got that belief and that know-how how to get back into a game. It was never in doubt we’d create the opportunities.”

Olivier Giroud may have hardly featured this season, but Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists he is still a vital player.

The Frenchman rescued the Gunners at Old Trafford on Saturday, his header earning a crucial 1-1 draw after Juan Mata’s goal had looked likely to give Manchester United all three points.

Giroud has been replaced up front by Alexis Sanchez this season, with the side looking slicker in attack with Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott providing able support.

But Wenger is adamant Giroud has a large part to play this season after his late goal, a fourth of the season after also netting a double against Sunderland.

(Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“I consider him to be a regular player. He had a long holiday [after the Euros], after that he was injured and now he’s just coming back for a few games,” he said.

“It’s true that in the past two games he has been a bit frustrated but that’s normal because he’s ready to go again.

“The solution of Alexis up front has worked well and I have two options at the moment. Olivier Giroud is in both options because Alexis can play on the flank.

“Olivier can only play through the middle, so I can sometimes marry the two together.”

Leicester City took another stumble in their defence of the Premier League with a 2-1 defeat to Watford but winger Demarai Gray has urged his side to channel their frustrations into Europe.

The Foxes are looking over their shoulders rather than up the table as their second successive loss left them just two points above the relegation zone.

Perversely Leicester’s Champions League form has been a sight to behold – one point from their remaining two group games will see them progress to the knockout stages in their first-ever appearance in the competition.

(JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images)

And Gray believes Europe can once again provide his team with some solace after backing Leicester to respond in midweek against Club Brugge at the King Power Stadium.

“I think we deserved to get something out of the game,” said Gray. “On another day we would’ve got a bit of luck and got a goal.

“Everyone in the changing room is disappointed, but we’ve got to come together now and move on to Tuesday’s game.

“Everyone’s still positive and we’ve got to be positive going into the next game.”

It was tough going for Leicester after they found themselves two goals down inside 12 minutes, as despite Riyad Mahrez’s quick response from the penalty spot, they were met with a yellow sea of defenders.

Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri said: “We tried to do our best and I think until the very end there was a chance and an opportunity to score a goal. For this reason, I am very happy for our performance. Of course, I am happy because when you play in this way you deserve to draw the match.

“It’s not easy when you start the match and your opponent scores two fantastic goals, but we reacted and that for me is important.”

Watford unearthed their very own Marek Hamsik by swooping for midfield magician Roberto Pereyra over the summer, according to his Hornets teammate Valon Behrami.

Pereyra featured heavily for Juventus in their run to the Champions League final in 2014/15, but he fell out of favour last season before Watford signed him in a deal worth £10.4m.

And Juventus’ loss has very much been the Hornets’ gain this year, as the 25-year-old had already impressed in his debut Premier League season before his stunning winner against Leicester City on Saturday.

Behrami used to play at Napoli alongside Hamsik, where the Slovakian talisman has scored 103 goals in 419 games from midfield.

(Photo by Franco Romano/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

And Swiss international Behrami said: “Pereyra is a brilliant player, a very nice guy.

“Not only his ability but his intelligence, he is a very intelligent guy. He is similar to Hamsik that we had in Napoli, he is very intelligent.

“He [Pereyra] knows where the ball needs to go, he knows where to find the space and he works very hard for the team. That is the important thing here in England as you need this kind of player.

“You can have quality but if you don’t work hard in England it is not easy. But he does both things, he has the quality and quantity and we are happy to have him in the team.”