It was a crazy week in the Barclay’s English Premier League. The news of the week came from Wayne Rooney and his desire to leave Manchester United. Rooney made it clear he wanted out of Manchester, and at midweek it was believed that by January his wish would be granted. Rumors swirled about where he would end up, but in the end a deal was reached that will keep the English striker with the club for five more years.

Rooney, who celebrated his 25th birthday over the weekend, was once again out of the Man U lineup. He wasn’t needed, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men beat Stoke City 2-1 thanks to two goals from the young Mexican striker Javier Hernandez. The three points brought Man U into a three-way tie for second place in the league.

The two teams they share that spot with, Manchester City and Arsenal, squared off over the weekend. Man City was down a man thanks to a red card in the fifth minute against Dedryck Boyata. Playing with 10 for 85 minutes proved to be too much for Man City. A Samir Nasri goal in the 20th minute put Arsenal on top. They added two second-half goals and went on to win easily, 3-0.

Man U, Man City and Arsenal are all chasing league leader Chelsea. Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou each found the back of the net for Chelsea in its 2-0 win over Wolverhampton. The victory put them five points clear of the second-place clubs.

Tottenham and Everton played to a 1-1 draw, in large part due to American goalkeeper Tim Howard’s blunder, which allowed Rafael Van der Vaart to score for Tottenham. Meanwhile, fellow American Landon Donovan is contemplating a return to Everton in January. Donovan played well in his time with Everton last season and has repeatedly expressed his love for the club.

Before Donovan makes his decision, he has playoffs back home in the States to worry about. The MLS season came to an end this week. Donovan’s Los Angeles Galaxy finished on top of the Western Conference, while the New York Red Bulls won the East. The two major markets of Major League Soccer could potentially make for a great final that would generate some great buzz for the league.

The Galaxy, who finished second in the league to Real Salt Lake last season, have looked good all year. American Edson Buddle has had a fantastic season up front alongside Donovan, scoring 17 goals, good for second-most in the league. Donovan led the league with 16 assists. David Beckham has come back well from the injury that kept him out of the English World Cup squad and has provided a solid presence in midfield, especially on set pieces.

New York has made a remarkable turnaround from its dreadful last-place finish in 2009. The big money signings of Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez have paid off as the Red Bulls have looked excellent, especially at their newly built Red Bull Arena. One notable New York player to watch is rookie defenseman Tim Ream. The 23-year-old American has been a rock at the back and his performance has certainly warranted him a look from Bob Bradley for the American national team.

Finally, in Spain, Barcelona continued its winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Real Zaragoza. Lionel Messi scored twice for the defending league champions, making it four on the week. However, it took Cristiano Ronaldo just one game to put away four in a 6-1 Real Madrid thrashing of Racing Santander. Ronaldo’s been on a tear, scoring 11 in the last six for Madrid. It’s still early, but with Barcelona and Madrid getting hot, La Liga might just be a two-horse race. The same can probably be said for Messi and Ronaldo in their chase for the golden boot.

MAN OF THE WEEK: Tottenham’s young winger, Gareth Bale, showed fantastic individual skill in Wednesday’s 4-3 Champion’s League loss to Inter Milan. With his side down to 10 men, the 21-year-old Welsh international had a brilliant second-half hat trick, scoring two of his goals after making excellent individual runs. Since making his way into Tottenham’s lineup in January, Bale has proven to be one of the top young players in the game.

GOAL OF THE WEEK: Yuri Zhirkov scored a beauty for Chelsea in its Champion’s League match against Spartak Moscow last Tuesday. The Russian scored his first goal for Chelsea in his home country with a stunning left-footed running half-volley from outside the 18-yard box. Chelsea won the game 2-0.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR NEXT WEEK: The MLS playoffs are underway and the Red Bulls will be taking on the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. The match is scheduled to air on MSG at 10 p.m. In England, Man U and Tottenham will square off on Saturday in what looks to be the Premier League match of the week. It is set for a 12:30 p.m. start and can be seen on Fox Soccer Channel.