Scout Notes – Lukaku Back In The Goals

Manchester United’s misfiring striker gets back amongst the goals but once again it’s the man between the posts who makes the difference in a narrow home win over Bournemouth.

After a disastrous run of one goal in the previous nine Gameweeks, Romelu Lukaku returned to the scoresheet by netting the Red Devils’ winner in a 1-0 home victory against Eddie Howe’s side.

It sums up our collective loss of faith that the Belgian was shipped out by more than 106,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers ahead of Tuesday evening’s deadline.

Yet in a Gameweek where Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah both blanked, Lukaku’s five-point haul was gladly welcomed by the 14.2% who handed him the Gameweek 17 captaincy.

It says a lot about the lack of options for our three-man frontlines that – in spite of his poor run of domestic form – Lukaku’s tally was enough to take him back into second spot among FPL strikers.

Worryingly for the hosts, they managed just two shots on target – Lukaku had both of them.

Nonetheless, a trip to West Brom looks promising, given that the Baggies have conceded twice in all but one of their last five at The Hawthorns.

Elsewhere in attack, Jesse Lingard (5.9 and owned by a mere 2%) started for the fourth successive league outing, while Marcus Rashford will be pushing for a return against the Baggies after earning minutes off the bench as a late replacement for Anthony Martial.

De Gea defies Cherries

Like many a side before them, Bournemouth were left cursing their luck after yet another defiant display by David de Gea.

The Spaniard kept Eddie Howe’s men at bay with seven saves to claim 11 points – his first double-digit tally of the season.

With 10 clean sheets now accrued already, De Gea continues to defy our expectations of premium keepers. Incredibly, only four midfielders have bettered his total of 96 points, which is now level with Spurs’ Kane, the top scoring forward in FPL.

Last night also saw Phil Jones return to the teamsheet, partnering Chris Smalling in a back-four. With the former Blackburn man on board, Jose Mourinho’s side produced their first shut-out in six Gameweeks – they have delivered nine of their clean sheets in the 12 matches Jones has started.

It remains to be seen if Mourinho will rotate Jones over the congested next few weeks, though the schedule between now and New Year’s Day (wba lei BUR SOT eve) looks conducive to further defensive returns.

Hammers hold firm again

Having kept out Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime, West Ham have now chalked up back-to-back clean sheets thanks to a goalless draw at home to Arsenal.

Between the posts, Adrian was again preferred to Joe Hart for the third successive Gameweek. Despite also facing Man City over this period, the Spaniard has returned 15 points and now looks to have cemented his start ahead of a hugely favourable run of matches.

Between now and Gameweek 27, only a trip to Spurs – as part of their Double Gameweek 22 – looks the only troublesome fixture as David Moyes looks to guide his side to safety.

The Hammers’ boss employed a 3-5-2 set-up against the Gunners, with Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic – both classified as midfielders in FPL – leading the line.

With Chicharito restricted to a late sub appearance, Arnautovic again boasted the hosts’ main goal threat. After netting the weekend winner against Chelsea, he fired four attempts, with three inside the box.

Kolasinac benched for Gunners’ clean sheet

Arsenal’s eighth clean sheet of the season came at a cost for Sead Kolasinac’s owners, with the Bosnian warming the bench from start to finish at the London Stadium.

Having seen his side torn apart in the early minutes at Southampton, Arsene Wenger opted for a back-four last night, with youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles preferred to the summer signing on the left.

With five clean sheets in their last seven at the Emirates using a 3-4-2-1, Wenger is expected to revert to that set-up for back-to-back home matches against Newcastle and Liverpool.

With enticing trips to Palace and Watford also to follow in the next four, the summer signing’s 15% ownership will be confident that last night’s omission was no more than a rest.

It was perhaps telling that Wenger also benched Alexandre Lacazette – another summer signing perhaps unaccustomed to such a busy winter schedule – as the schedule picks up pace.

Wenger stated post-match that the French striker was feeling a minor injury, though given his late appearance from the bench, that is not expected to be a factor for Newcastle’s visit.