The Stock Check – Saturday

Shinji Kagawa and Wayne Rooney combine their talents to brush aside Norwich at Old Trafford, as Robin Van Persie starts but is limited to an hour and an assist. Elsewhere Marouane Fellaini delivers as Everton skittle Reading, while QPR earn a priceless victory at St Mary’s. Here’s the Stock Check on Saturday’s events so far…

On the Up

Shinji Kagawa
The odds were probably against Kagawa starting against Norwich, given his involvement in the first tie against Madrid with the second leg looming. However, Ferguson chose to start Kagawa, along with Rooney and Van Persie and it paid off as United flexed their muscles. Kagawa finally demonstrated just what a Premier League talent he could be with a hat-trick that will have Fantasy managers wondering if he can yet be a factor in our seasons.

Wayne Rooney
All the pre-match talk surrounded Van Persie’s start and yet Rooney stepped up to overshadow the Dutchman’s single assist contribution. It seems the pair are taking it in turns for the leading role, with Rooney fetching two assists and a stunning goal in a commanding display. A strong sign off before the potential Gameweek 29 blank, that will have his owners pondering whether to hold tight.

The United Defence
A fourth consecutive clean sheet for the United rearguard which today saw starts for Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic. That meant that Patrice Evra remained the constant, along with David De Gea in goal – that pair look to be the secure options in United backline which is now seeing out games and returning consistent profit.

Marouane Fellaini
A doubt going into the game, the Belgian was not only fit enough to start, he also played a significant role in a comfortable 3-1 victory with a goal and assist contribution. While Fellaini has failed to provide consistency of late, with just two sets of returns in his last ten Gameweeks, he has shown up to be a flat-track bully, fetching double figure hauls in home matches with Villa and now Reading. Despite today’s points, the blank in Gameweek 29 could well see him sold on by many in the next few days.

Steven Pienaar
So long in the shadow of Fellaini this season, Pienaar offered a reminder of his qualities by matching the Belgian’s goal and assist return. Like Fellaini, the South African has fallen away of late: these were Pienaar’s first profits in eight Gameweeks.

Stephane Sessegnon
Subject of our Watchlist article and on the Scout Picks bench, Sessegnon delivered on his promise with a second goal in consecutive matches. With a trip to QPR to come in Gameweek 29, Sessegnon is a man in form and offers a viable route for those looking for options to replace their missing players next weekend.

Loic Remy
QPR will surely rely on the Frenchman’s goals if they are to save their status and, for today at least, Remy delivered another smart finish. A second goal away from home proved priceless and with a home fixture with Sunderland in Gameweek 29, Remy will earn some attention with his modest 5.7 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price tag. QPR’s obliging run-in is also a factor in his favour.

Dimitar Berbatov
The Bulgarian had further opportunities to seal the points for Fulham at Sunderland but there’s no detracting from the fact that, by scoring from the spot, Berbatov delivered his tenth of the season, a third goal in five league outings. There’s just a suggestion of consistency then, although once the Gameweek 29 blank has passed, Berbatov and Fulham face three away games in the next four.

Sascha Riether
For the second Gameweek running, Riether was the other Fulham name to catch the eye. The German returned a fourth assist of the season in the win over Stoke and today struck his first Premier League goal. Riether has emerged as the weapon of choice in Martin Jol’s defence, should we ever be tempted to come calling.

Going Down

Juan Mata
Having proved so consistent for long spells of the season, Mata has now delivered blanks in his last three Gameweeks, albeit with only two starts in that spell. Nonetheless, his underlying numbers suggest a downturn in his goal threat and, with the Gameweek 29 blank looming, it remains to be seen if Mata’s owners will be considering their options.

Adel Taarabt
After providing little but frustration in recent weeks, Harry Redknapp took the decision to drop the Moroccan to the bench and left him to watch on while Loic Remy and Jay Bothroyd played their part in the vital 2-1 victory. Taarabt now looks unlikely to earn a recall for the home clash with Sunderland next weekend – a bitter blow for those who have held firm waiting for him to deliver.

Julio Cesar
While it was a good day for Harry Redknapp, he would have been dismayed to see the influential Cesar forced off with 15 minutes to go with a reported hamstring injury. Cesar has emerged as a decent Fantasy option in the coming weeks and his quick return will be vital to QPR’s survival chances. Another untimely blow for Gameweek 29.

Jimmy Kebe
One of several injury victims today, Kebe was forced off on 19 minutes and seems likely to be a doubt for the Gameweek 29 home clash with Villa – a blow to his owners who will likely be scraping the barrel next weekend. On the plus side in the Reading camp, Alex Pearce earned a timely recall to the starting lineup at Goodison.

The Stoke Defence
West Ham arrived at the Britannia having scored just eight goals away from home all season – ironically, only Stoke had a comparable record. A belated Potters clean sheet looked on the cards and yet, Stoke fell short yet again. Tony Pulis’ defence have now conceded in their last ten league outings: a huge decline in fortunes having previously topped the clean sheet charts earlier in the campaign. Those who have yet to downgrade their Stoke defensive assets to Marc Wilson will surely be making that a priority once the troubled Gameweek 29 has passed.

The Everton Defence
Another rearguard that has been hugely frustrating this season. With just four clean sheets so far, Leighton Baines and company again failed to see out today’s win over Reading, allowing a late consolation once more. Having kept back-to-back cleanies in Gameweeks 22 and 23, Everton have now gone five without a shutout, wasting good opportunities along the way. The early ankle injury to Phil Jagielka was surely a factor – his speedy return will be essential if the Toffees are to recover a semblance of defensive form. David Moyes has confirmed post-math that Jagielka will require surgery.