Aston Villa narrowly defeated Stoke City 1:0 at Villa Park yesterday in the English Premier League, allowing Ireland international Richard Dunne to pick up more than 10 rating points and, for the first time, break into the top tier (6th spot) of the FTBL world ranking of defenders with 115.63 points.

Dunne, who faced a plank of just 4.5 rating points to beat in yesterday’s game, could continue his rise in the next game, in which he will face a plank of just 6 points.

Dunne currently has the highest score among all Irish players: even Spurs striker Robbie Keane trails him, with 102.29 points. Dunne is also now the highest rated defender in the EPL.