Think of the Premier League's fastest players and the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Agbonlahor are almost certain to spring to mind.

The trio frighten defenders with their pace and direct running, bursting into space and taking on opponents at lightning speed.

They are among the division's quickest, but cannot quite keep up with one man - Newcastle's Moussa Sissoko.

Newcastle midfielder Moussa Sissoko (right) has clocked up the quickest speed in the Premier League

Southampton's Victor Wanyama (right) pulls back Arsenal speed merchant Alexis Sanchez at St Mary's

Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling (right), pictured against Leicester, ran at 35kph in his side's win at QPR

The Magpies powerhouse midfielder was clocked running at 35.3 kilometres per hour during his side's 1-0 win against Leicester in October - the fastest speed recorded by any player this season.

The 25-year-old, who has attracted interest from French giants Paris Saint-Germain, may not be renowned for his pace but he put the afterburners on against the Foxes to beat Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha by just 0.1kph.

The on-loan winger ran at a top speed of 35.2kph during the Eagles' 1-1 draw with Stoke in December, 0.1kph faster than West Ham's Stewart Downing and Leicester's Marcin Wasilewski have managed this season.

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha (left), pictured in action against Aston Villa, has a top speed of 35.2kph

Young defender Eric Dier (left) has been Tottenham's quickest player so far this season

EACH PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM'S TOP SPEED IN 2014/15 Player Team Opponent Date Top speed (kmh) Top speed (mph) Moussa Sissoko Newcastle United Leicester City 18/10/2014 35.3 21.93 Wilfried Zaha Crystal Palace Stoke City 13/12/2014 35.2 21.87 Marcin Wasilewski Leicester City Queens Park Rangers 29/11/2014 35.1 21.81 Stewart Downing West Ham United Tottenham Hotspur 16/08/2014 35.1 21.81 Raheem Sterling Liverpool Queens Park Rangers 19/10/2014 35.0 21.75 Eric Dier Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool 31/08/2014 35.0 21.75 Cristian Gamboa West Bromwich Albion Leicester City 01/11/2014 35.0 21.75 Ross Barkley Everton Swansea City 01/11/2014 34.9 21.69 Gabriel Agbonlahor Aston Villa Southampton 24/11/2014 34.8 21.62 Diego Costa Chelsea Liverpool 08/11/2014 34.7 21.56 Sergio Agüero Manchester City Tottenham Hotspur 18/10/2014 34.7 21.56 Yun Suk-Young Queens Park Rangers Manchester City 08/11/2014 34.7 21.56 Alexis Sánchez Arsenal Newcastle United 13/12/2014 34.6 21.5 Ahmed Elmohamady Hull City Everton 03/12/2014 34.6 21.5 Erik Pieters Stoke City West Bromwich Albion 28/12/2014 34.5 21.44 Connor Wickham Sunderland Aston Villa 28/12/2014 34.5 21.44 Jefferson Montero Swansea City Everton 01/11/2014 34.5 21.44 Luke Shaw Manchester United Chelsea 26/10/2014 34.2 21.25 Nathaniel Clyne Southampton Stoke City 25/10/2014 34.2 21.25 Marvin Sordell Burnley Everton 26/10/2014 34.0 21.13

West Brom's Cristian Gamboa has only made 10 appearances so far but he, along with Tottenham's Eric Dier and Liverpool forward Sterling, has clocked up a 35kph sprint.

Speed merchant Sanchez ran at 34.6kph against Newcastle last month - 0.2kph slower than Agbonlahor did against Southampton - leaving him just off the pace of Everton's Ross Barkley (34.9kph) and Chelsea's Diego Costa (34.7kph).

Costa's top speed was matched by Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero when he faced Tottenham in mid-October and scored all of his side's goals in a 4-1 victory.

Summer signing Diego Costa (right) has added some spark to Chelsea's attack since arriving from Spain

Sergio Aguero, pictured completing his hat-trick against Tottenham, ran at a top speed of 34.7kph

But it's not just speed that matters out on the pitch, it's also how much of it you're able to cover.

Mark Hughes has turned Stoke into a more stylish side since taking over from Tony Pulis in the summer of 2013, but the Potters remain one of the hardest-working teams in the Premier League.

That is perfectly illustrated by Steven N'Zonzi, who has covered 227 kilometres in his 20 appearances - the most by any player this season.

The Frenchman is a key part of Stoke's midfield and has played every minute of every top-flight game so far, helping Hughes' men to wins against champions Manchester City and Arsenal.

Stoke midfielder Steven N'Zonzi (left) chases down Manchester United star Juan Mata at the Britannia Stadium

N'Zonzi, pictured tracking back to challenge Arsenal forward Sanchez, has covered 227.1km this season

EACH PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM'S FURTHEST DISTANCE COVERED 2014/15 Player Team Distance (km) Distance (miles) Steven N'Zonzi Stoke City 227.1 141.2 Cesc Fàbregas Chelsea 225.3 139.2 Christian Eriksen Tottenham Hotspur 222.8 138.8 Ki Sung-Yueng Swansea City 220.8 137.3 Jack Colback Newcastle United 221.4 137.1 Jake Livermore Hull City 218.2 135.1 George Boyd Burnley 213.2 132.8 Aaron Cresswell West Ham United 211.5 131.7 Sebastian Larsson Sunderland 209.1 129.2 Jordan Henderson Liverpool 204.8 127.5 Joel Ward Crystal Palace 205.3 127 Graziano Pellè Southampton 199.8 124.3 Gareth Barry Everton 198.2 123.3 Craig Gardner West Bromwich Albion 196.2 121.2 Aly Cissokho Aston Villa 190.4 118.5 Mathieu Flamini Arsenal 191.0 118.1 Steven Caulker Queens Park Rangers 187.4 116.8 Robin van Persie Manchester United 187.1 116.5 Yaya Touré Manchester City 179.7 111.1 Paul Konchesky Leicester City 173.1 107

The former Blackburn man finds himself just ahead of Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas, who as well as providing a league-high 14 assists, has covered a massive 225.3km.

Another of the league's most creative players, Spurs' Christian Eriksen, has also shown he's not afraid to work hard for his manager, having run 222km - the equivalent of over five marathons.

Perhaps the most surprising name on our countdown is Robin van Persie, who has covered a greater distance than any other Manchester United player despite only completing 13 full games.

The Dutchman has managed 187.1km so far, although that is only enough to beat Manchester City's Yaya Toure (179.7km) and Leicester defender Paul Konchesky (173.1km).

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has covered 225.3km and made 14 assists so far this season

Robin van Persie (left), pictured in action against Stoke) has covered more ground than Man United player

A number of summer signings have been keen to impress during the first half of the season, with Burnley's George Boyd (213.2km), Newcastle's Jack Colback (22.4km), Southampton's Graziano Pelle (199.9km) and West Ham's Aaron Cresswell (211.5km) all having covered the greatest distance for their respective clubs.

Mathieu Flamini has only completed 12 games for Arsenal but he is still the Gunners most hard-working player, having covered 191km for Arsene Wenger's side.

While Everton's Gareth Barry, who turns 34 in February, is proving that age is no barrier after covering a bigger distance (198.2km) than any player in Roberto Martinez's squad.

Everton's Gareth Barry (right) tussles with Hull striker Abel Hernandez on New Year's Day

George Boyd (right) has been arguably Burnley's hardest working player since joining the club from Hull