Aaron Ramsey grabs his second of the season as Arsenal salvage a draw at Everton. Diego Costa and Eden Hazard both find the net as Chelsea see off Leicester, Gylfi Sigurdsson picks up an assist in Swansea’s narrow win over Burnley, while Aston Villa’s budget backline continues to impress with another clean sheet at home to Newcastle.
Ramsey Sparks Gunners’ Comeback
The Welshman’s never-say-die attitude continues to serve up the Fantasy points after he fired Arsenal’s first in the 2-2 draw at Goodison. Arsene Wenger’s initial line-up raised hopes for Alexis Sanchez owners after the Chilean was fielded up front but his half-time withdrawal, allied with Olivier Giroud’s equaliser off the bench, backing up his manager’s post-match claims that he’s not yet physically ready. Ramsey’s second goal of the season once again strengthened his case as the Gunners midfielder of choice – suspended for the midweek Champions League clash against Besiktas, he’ll be well rested for next weekend’s clash with Leicester.
After the match, Wenger revealed Giroud picked up an ankle problem towards the end and admitted “it doesn’t look too good”, with the Frenchman’s owners eagerly awaiting further prognosis before assessing their alternatives.
At the back, Callum Chambers kept his place at the heart of defence in spite of Per Mertesacker’s return. Perhaps with one eye on the upcoming Champions League second-leg clash with Besiktas, the Gunner boss chose to bench Laurent Koscielny after the Frenchman picked up a knock prior to last Tuesday’s first-leg – while it’s yet to be seen whether Chambers can nail down a regular role, it’s clear Wenger isn’t afraid to utilise the youngster in order to help Koscielny and Mertesacker cope with the busy schedule.
Naismith’s Form Continues
Fielded in a central striker role with Romelu Lukaku deployed wide right, the Scot scored for the second time in as many matches in yesterday’s four-goal stalemate with Arsenal. Picking up maximum bonus points in both his appearances, Naismith is staking a clear claim as the budget forward of choice right now with the 5.0-priced striker seems poised to continue in the central berth in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. Lukaku picked up an assist over his 76 minutes but, significantly, was playing with a toe problem which reportedly required painkilling injections before yesterday’s outing.
Elsewhere, Leighton Baines owners will be twitching nervously after another blank from the Toffees left-back. With fellow full-back Seamus Coleman opening the scoring in his first start of the season, Baines has yet to justify his lofty 7.0 valuation at a time where a number of cut-price backline contenders are starting to cement roles in their respective starting XIs. With Chelsea, Liverpool and United in the next five, the Toffees defence could find defensive points hard to come by.
Another Clean Sheet for Villa
Paul Lambert’s new-look backline chalked up their second successive shut-out yesterday after a goalless home draw with Villa. The midlands outfit mustered just nine clean sheets in 2013/14 but already look far more resilient this time around, with Alan Hutton, at 4.0, the standout budget contender for the Villains. The likes of Ron Vlaar, Philippe Senderos and Aly Cissokho all offer options at 4.5 in FPL, though while next week’s home clash with Hull offers further chances of returns, the subsequent five fixtures (liv, ARS, che, MCI, eve) will offer enough of a deterrent for non-owners right now.
Costa Nets Again
It’s two goals in as many appearances for the summer signing, whose strike just after the hour mark finally broke the resilient Leicester backline. The runaway leader of this week’s Captain Poll, Costa’s instant impact at the Bridge has now persuaded 40% of FPL managers to snap up his services and with Newcastle, Swansea and Villa in the next four, he looks poised to continue his early-season form.
Elsewhere for the Blues, Eden Hazard got his account up and running with the second in a 2-0 win, though with Cesc Fabregas picking up a third assists in two appearances, the debate over the two will continue to rage on. At the back, Jose Mourinho kept faith in the backline that started against Burnley, with Filipe Luis once again on the bench. Branislav Ivanovic continues to serve up the attacking returns, with the right-back adding an assist to Monday’s header in the 3-1 win at Turf Moor, couple with maximum bonus: he’s currently the leading points scorer in the FPL.
Hammers off the Mark
Big Sam’s side took advantage of managerless Palace with a 3-1 win at Selhurst Park. The Eagles have now shipped five goals in their opening two fixtures now and with the resilience instilled by Tony Pulis quickly ebbing away, many owners of the likes of Joel Ward and Julian Speroni may be thinking twice in spite of a decent upcoming run of fixtures.
For the Hammers, the scoreline reflects the attacking potential highlighted in Gameweek 1. Allardyce’s side registered 18 attempts last week, with 12 inside the box, but failed to find the net at home to Spurs – yesterday there was no repeat, with the decision to hand Mauro Zarate his first start proving pivotal. Fielded in “the hole†behind Carlton Cole, the little Argentine fired the opener before Stewart Downing and Cole ensured West Ham earned their first win. With Liverpool, United and a trip to Hull in the next four, though, the short-term schedule is far from straightforward.
Saints Blunted by Baggies
Ronald Koeman’s first home match in charge of Southampton ended in a goalless draw as the hosts were unable to find a way past Ben Foster in the West Brom goal. While nine of the next 10 fixtures are very much in the Saints’ favour, Fantasy managers are clearly prepared to wait for new boys Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic to invest, with the duo currently owned by just 2% of FPL managers. Koeman started with Pelle as the lone forward but the half-time introduction of Shane Long saw Steven Davis hauled off, suggesting the latter’s pitch time may be in question.
Wisdom in the Points
West Brom’s first clean sheet under Alan Irvine vindicated Andre Wisdom’s 7% of FPL owners, after the youngster served up a couple of bonus points. Fielded at right-back once again by the Baggies boss, the on-loan Liverpool man continues to rival Villa’s Hutton as the bargain basement defender of choice, though while the Scot appears nailed-on for Paul Lambert’s side, we’ve yet to see where Wisdom fits in Irvine’s plans once Cristian Gamboa is fully fit. Like Hutton, the upcoming schedule suggests Wisdom owners may be happy to bench him – trips to Swansea, Spurs and Liverpool and home clashes against Everton and United in the next six look tough for defensive returns.
Sigurdsson Ticking Over
The Swansea playmaker retained his role in “the hole†at home to Burnley as Garry Monk resisted the chance to pair Wilfried Bony and Bafetimbi Gomis up front. Drafted in by an incredible 380,00 FPL managers last week after his 13-point haul at Old Trafford, Sigurdsson once again demonstrated just how crucial he will be for the Swans this season after teeing up Nathan Dyer for the only goal of the match. With home matches against West Brom, Southampton and Newcastle in the next five, the Sigurdsson bandwagon shows no signs of slowing.
