The secret is out on Zaki as he hits a brace. Van Persie gives us a glimpse of his true fantasy potential with another pair, while Wright-Phillips makes a stunning return in Sky Blue with his own double salvo. It’s not all good news though as penalties are missed and the likes of Torres, Santa Cruz and Van Persie all pick up worrying injuries.
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Here’s the notes…
Bolton 0 West Brom 0
Little to glean from this one. West Brom were the better side and unlucky not have left the Reebok with the points. Both sides are however, having trouble finding the net which is perhaps not surprising given their apparent lack of firepower up front.
Megson was without both Taylor and Elmander through injury, while Cahil served the first of a three match ban after his red card in the midweek Carling Cup tie. Shittu got his debut at the back whilst McCann came into midfield as Joey O’Brien moved to the right, allowing Davies to take up a central role in attack.
Gardner was deployed on the left of midfield as expected. He could have some potential as a defender playing in an advanced role, although after the visit to Fulham next weekend, Bolton’s fixtures get more than a little nasty. A trip to Fulham after the international break is followed by a home game with Arsenal and a trip to Old Trafford.
Riga was a bright spark on his introduction early on and could be worth monitoring. In truth however, with fixtures looking tough over the next three, you’re struggling to see Bolton notching too many goals.
For West Brom, Mowbray gave Valero his Premiership debut, opting to drop Brunt to the bench. Valero saw under an hour of play and was replaced by Cech on 58 minutes. The Baggies were again very tidy in their approach play and Miller should have got his first goal of the season, while Kim was unlucky not to have registered his.
Three home games in four against West Ham, Aston Villa and Fulham, in addition to a trip to Boro, should see West Brom’s fortunes improve and could even see them offer some short term value if you’re looking for budget fantasy purchases.
Injuries
Bolton’s Joey O’Brien suffered a knock early on and was replaced by Riga after just 14 minutes. West Brom lost Meite to an injury at half-time.
Everton 0 Portsmouth 3
Everton slipped to a second home defeat and have now conceded six goals at Goodison and have yet to keep a clean sheet this season. Indeed, defensively, Everton look very vulnerable which is a mystery considering how solid they were at home last season.
In attacking terms they did threaten with David James denying them on several occasions, including a save from a Yakubu penalty. With trips to Stoke and Hull coming up next, it’s perhaps not time to panic over the merits of Yakubu and Arteta who should fetch attacking points. Defensively it looks time to ship out the likes of Lescott and Neville.
Moyes resisted the temptation to hand Jacobsen a debut and went with the same back four that started at West Brom last weekend. That meant that Rodwell kept his place in midfield although Everton did shift to a 4-4-2 with Vaughan coming in alongside Yakubu up front.
I’m surprised that Yakubu took the spot kick with Arteta scoring a penalty against PSV in pre-season with Yakubu on the pitch. The Nigerian was fouled for that kick so it could be that Everton operate a system whereby, he surrenders the responsibility when fouled. As it is, after Saturday’s miss, Arteta could get the full-time duties.
For Portsmouth, Redknapp put an unchanged side out in this one with Distin again at left back. Defoe recovered from illness take up his place alongside Crouch. Armand Traore was again employed in a left midfield role and based on Redknapp’s words in the week, should be set for a run in the side either in this role or at left back. He appears to represent very decent value then given the improvement in Portsmouth’s fixtures and their confidence after this win.
A home game with Boro comes next after the international break, followed by their UEFA Cup tie with Guimaraes on the following Thursday. Redknapp’s side then got to City before hosting Chelsea and Spurs. While none of those will be easy games, three home games in four should offer improved returns both defensively and in attacking terms with Defoe and Crouch likely to be very popular targets in the next fortnight.
Injuries
Leon Osman picked up a knock and was replaced by Baxter on 71 minutes.
Hull 0 Wigan 5
Hull were brought back down to earth with a massive bang thanks to a superb display from Bruce’s Wigan. Zaki of course stole the headlines with a brace to boost his reputation further. Just three games into the season, he already looks like a bargain both for Wigan and for all fantasy managers across the games.
Valencia also impressed here with a stunning solo effort plus an assist – he’s always a decent mid-price midfield option and with Wigan facing three home games in four over the next few weeks he looks a decent bet along with Zaki.
In terms of the team lineups, Hull boss Phil Brown was without Marlon King who was ineligible to play against his former club as part of his transfer from the JJB. Caleb Folan came in up front with Windass on the bench. Gardner was sidelined through injury at the back so Brown came in alongside Turner.
It was interesting that Geovanni, a very popular fantasy signing after his performance and goal in the opening gameweek, was subbed on the hour-mark for the second week running. Hull were only 2-0 down at the time so, given Geovanni is supposedly their chief goal threat and creative influence, this seemed an odd occurrence. Was this damage limitation from Brown or is Geovanni unable to see out 90 minutes?
For Wigan, Steve Bruce dropped Kapo to the bench and employed Kilbane on the left of midfield. Kirkland returned in goal as expected and Koumas recovered from an ankle problem to take his place on the bench. Scharner’s ankle injury kept him out once again but he should figure after the international break.
Injuries
Wigan lost Kilbane to a depressed fracture of the cheekbone on 56 minutes. Bruce has confirmed that he will undergo an operation early next week and will be sidelined for around 6 weeks.
Middlesbrough 2 Stoke City 1
Boro missed a hat full of chances and almost paid the price when Lawrence’s cross was bundled home by a combination of Kitson and Hoyte. Downing’s penalty miss will have many a fantasy manager backing him for a big haul but those who took the decision on Alves were at least rewarded courtesy of his stunning free kick.
Three away games in four will make Southgate’s players less attractive from this point although in attacking terms they should still have plenty to offer judging by the first three games. Boro are still without a clean sheet so far though and this week, against a promoted side with 10 men, they still failed to find a shut-out.
Southgate made changes to his side, handing Hoyte his debut at right back, dropping Taylor to the bench and moving Pogatetz to left back. Elsewhere Boro were unchanged from the side that took the field at Anfield last weekend. Mido was once again on the bench but got some action with 15 minutes left.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis fielded an unchanged side after their fine 3-2 win over Villa last weekend. Stoke lost Amdy Faye to a straight red in the first half and he will now face an immediate three match ban. He will miss the games against Everton, Liverpool and the Carling Cup tie with Reading.
Lawrence caught the eye again here and, along with Fuller, continues to look the best bet amongst the Stoke lineup. The fixtures aren’t particularly attractive over the next five however, so there could be better times to take a gamble on them.
West Ham 4 Blackburn 1
The scoreline flattered the Hammers and Blackburn could have so easily got themselves back in the game had Roberts slotted home his second of the game from the spot.
Curbishley elected to field an unchanged side despite suffering that heavy loss to City last weekend. Noble was eligible to start due to the 7 day rule which delayed his suspension until West Ham’s next competitive match at West Brom on September 13.
Bellamy returned to the bench today and replaced Ashton with 20 minutes to go. He capped his return with a goal and a booking and looked lively. His return has me slightly concerned about Ashton. Carlton Cole did well again today and earned the 3 FPL bonus points. We’ve seen in the past that Curbishley will happily bench Ashton so while there is a clear threat that Ashton will have his minutes on the field cut, he could also be under threat of rotation in the coming weeks.
Paul Ince made two changes to his lineup – one of them enforced with Emerton coming in for the injured David Dunn. The other saw Grella get his debut in midfield with Mokoena dropped to the bench. Grella was booked early on and was replaced by another new signing, Keith Andrews, at half-time.
The injury to Santa Cruz will be a major concern. The striker suffered Achilles problems in pre-season and it did appear as though the injury here was in that area. The form of Roberts will be some compensation – he scored for his second consecutive game here and could have had a brace had it not been for Green’s penalty save. Derbyshire also looked lively on his introduction and if Santa Cruz’s injury sees him sidelined, then Derbyshire could represent some value to fantasy managers as Rovers embark on two consecutive home games against Arsenal and Fulham.
Injuries
Blackburn lost Santa Cruz after 29 minutes with what looked like an Achilles injury.
Arsenal 3 Newcastle 0
The Gunners put on a much improved performance at the Emirates and were rarely threatened by a Newcastle side who are really stretched for resources right now.
Wenger welcomed back Fabregas to his midfield as expected with Eboue shifting to the right wing for Walcott who surprisingly dropped to the bench. Toure came back alongside Gallas after being benched against FC Twente in midweek. Adebayor also returned alongside Van Persie after being rested/dropped in that game.
Van Persie’s performance will gain him plenty of suitors over the coming weeks although his second half injury is a concern. It didn’t look too serious but Wenger admitted after the game that the Dutchman had an X-ray and that would have to await the results.
While Van Persie has shown some form, Adebayor still looks low on confidence despite the improved reception from the home crowd in this game. There were still opportunities to strike on goal which Adebayor declined and looked for a pass as an option.
Fabregas did his usual efficient job of prompting Arsenal’s build up whilst edging forward on occasions. I worry about his freedom to get forward to contribute goals and assists with Van Persie in front of Adebayor and the more cavalier Denilson in midfield. Nasri also tends to drift inside so Fabregas could find a deeper role which could seriously limit his output. I’m going to be monitoring him closely over the coming weeks.
Arsenal now face three away games in four, with tough trips to Bolton and Blackburn coming next. A home game with Hull promises better returns as does a visit to Sunderland after that. So, while the opposition aren’t too daunting, Arsenal will need to improve on their away performance at Fulham if they are to reward fantasy investors over the next few weeks.
Keegan had limited options with Martins and Duff joining their list of injuries after last weekend’s win over Bolton. Ameobi earned a surprising recall to action alongside Owen up front in a 4-4-2. Enrique retained his place after starting in the Carling Cup in midweek so N’Zogbia took up a role wide on the left of midfield.
Newcastle’s fixtures look more favourable over the next few weeks with Hull, West Ham, Blackburn and Everton coming up. The likes of Owen and Gutierrez could offer value then although there appears to be better mid-price alternatives around.
Injuries
Arsenal lost Van Persie to injury just after the hour mark. Newcastle’s Enrique suffered an injury and was replaced by Bassong just before half time.
Chelsea 1 Tottenham 1
Chelsea are held then and concede their first goal of the season in the process. Ramos’ side put up a resilient performance at the Bridge that bodes well once the Berbatov saga is over and Pavlyuchenko settles in.
A few things of note here. Firstly, Belletti’s goal was converted from a Deco corner. It’s clear then that Deco is not only likely to hog direct free kicks, he’s also likely to earn extra assists from corners that have previously been dominated by Lampard.
Secondly, Bent’s goal for Spurs is timely but it might not be enough for him to keep his starting role. Pavlyuchenko is surely set for his debut against Villa in a fortnight but Bent sent a reminder to Ramos that he has Premiership goals in him. My bet is that Ramos will look to go with one striker with Bentley in support – certainly its a system that Ramos has favoured at his previous clubs.
In terms of the lineups, Scolari was without Ballack who is still struggling with a foot injury so Essien moved to a more advanced role in midfield with Belletti the surprising selection for the holding role in midfield. Mikel was presumably still sidelined.
Ramos made two changes to the side that lost at home to Sunderland last time out. Dos Santos came in for Lennon, while Gunter came in for Assou-Ekotto. He played right back Zokora occupying a holding midfield role. Bale shifted to left back.
Spurs have three home games in four now so this performance could well provide the springboard for better results and could see some fantasy managers looking to invest, particularly in Bentley who certainly looks tempting.
Sunderland 0 Man City 3
The game was all about Wright-Phillips who enjoyed a dream return to City with a brace to help see off Keane’s men.
Malbranque recovered from a knock sustained at Forest in midweek to take his place in midfield, as did Richardson. Whitehead dropped out with Leadbitter taking his place.
Hughes handed a debut to Wright-Phillips in midfield, surprisingly dropping Elano to the bench to make way. Petrov sustained a knee injury in Thursday’s UEFA Cup tie – and although Hughes is confident that he will return against Chelsea after the international break, he missed out here. Hamann came into a more solid looking City midfield to replace him then, with Kompany once again taking up the holding role alongside him. Dunne returned alongside Richards in defence, with Ben Haim dropping to the bench. Jo made his Premiership bow up front with Sturridge making way.
It was interesting that Hughes kept faith with Ireland and dropped Elano to the bench. The Irishman duly rewarded the City boss with a goal that boosted his appeal to fantasy managers that little bit more. Wright-Phillips meanwhile appeared to employed playing in the Elano role, just off the lone striker Jo. Two goals speaks volumes for just how effective he was and there will be a flood of fantasy managers swooping on City’s new signing as a result.
City go from this superb result to a run of three home games in four. The first of those is against Chelsea which might put some fantasy managers off an immediate investment. Regardless the likes of Wright-Phillips, Jo and Kompany are likely to have plenty of suitors during the international break.
Kompany looks the best bet amongst the City defence, not least because he’s being deployed in a midfield role. Elsewhere in the City defence there are uncertainties. Richards picked up an injury in this game plus Hughes has brought in two more defenders today in the shape of right back Zabaleta and centre back Berti.
Injuries
Richards suffered an injury to his shoulder in a clash with Joe Hart and was subbed at half-time. He is due to have a scan on Monday to assess the damage.
Aston Villa 0 Liverpool 0
Liverpool’s chances of taking three points here seem to disappear with the injury to Torres after 27 minutes. In truth however, it appeared that Rafa had set his side up to contain Villa and hope to nick the odd goal as they did at Sunderland on the opening game of the season.
Villa were frustrated by a solid Liverpool defence that gave them little room to create efforts on Reina’s goal, in fact it was Liverpool who had the clearer sights on goal in what was a drab game.
Villa were unchanged with Cuellar and Sidwell still sidelined. Milner made the bench after his move from Newcastle and saw action with half an hour left as Villa chased a winning a goal.
Rafa recalled Mascherano after Olympic action – he replaced the injured Gerrard in midfield while Dossena was recalled at left back after missing the Champions League qualifier in midweek.
Both sides have tricky fixtures over the next few weeks with Liverpool facing United and Everton, while Villa will take on their local rivals West Brom and face a trip to Stamford Bridge.
Injuries
Torres pulled up with a hamstring injury and was replaced on 27 minutes. He is due for a scan to assess the damage on Monday.