With the previous nine fixtures in gameweek 36 failing to return a single clean sheet, there were concerns that Fulham and Liverpool would play out a 0-0 stalemate. Liverpool had other plans however – they continued a barnstorming run of form under Kenny Dalglish, smashing five past the home side to chalk up 17 goals in the last 5 games. Fulham grabbed a brace to make it a poor week for defenders, with only tonight’s Man City vs Spurs clash left for any chance of a shutout. Here’s the notes from last night’s game…
Luis Suárez
The Uruguayan continues to dazzle since his January move, with another outstanding display for Liverpool in the Craven Cottage rout. With 65 points in his 11 appearances, he’s just shy of 6pts per game, a phenomenal return for his debut half-season. Suárez’s game is looked kindly upon by the Bonus judges, picking up 14 already. As far as Fantasy Managers are concerned, the only aspect missing in his game is penalty-kick duties.
As Kenny Dalglish acknowledged after the match:
“Suárez was fantastic. He was running as hard at the end as at the beginning. Even in our wildest dreams we couldn’t have thought he’d settle as well as he has done. He has graced the pitch every time he has stepped on it“.
Opposite number Mark Hughes also joined the Suárez fanclub in his summing up…
“I don’t think our guys have been up against him too much at international level, so it was a new experience for them and they’ll learn from it…He was always mobile, always in little pockets of space. Maybe we allowed him too much time and never really dictated to him. It was always the other way round and when good players have time and space, they can hurt you, which he certainly did. He was outstanding tonight.”
We were tracking Suárez in third place in our Watchlist rankings behind Peter Odemwingie and Robin Van Persie going into the weekend – all three came good to continue their outstanding run of form.
Maxi and Kuyt
As Suárez led the Fulham back-line a merry dance, the Liverpool pair continued their incredible recent scoring streaks. With Andy Carroll sitting on the sidelines, Maxi hit a hat-trick for his second 20+ FPL point return in three weeks, while Kuyt scored for the fifth game in a row, and has returned 84 FPL points in the last eight gameweeks.
Dalglish also gave positive news on his other big-name January signing, suggesting Andy Carroll only has bruising, offering hope the big striker may come back for the remaining two games (TOT,avl). Carroll’s return would see Kuyt move back into midfield, with Maxi favourite to return to the bench, a sign of an improving strength in depth at Anfield. In normal circumstances, Dalglish would surely be reluctant to tinker with his lineup and re-introduce Carroll. The opportunity to see the big number nine and Suarez working in tandem up front once more is likely to tempt him to shuffle however.
Fulham Already on Holiday?
Mark Hughes’ side have one of the best home records in the top-flight this season and came into this game with 6 wins, a draw and 6 clean sheets in the last seven at Craven Cottage. Mid-table safety with just a couple of games to go, however, can sometimes lead to lethargy and Fulham were deservedly three-nil down at the break after a poor display. The hosts only started playing in the second 45, when Bobby Zamora replaced Simon Davies, and at least matched Liverpool for goals after the break. To make matters worse, 5 bookings dented their hopes of Europa League qualification through the Fair Play League.
Mark Hughes will want a response after this thrashing but Fulham face two difficult last fixtures (bir, ARS) before the season closes. Fantasy Managers holding on to Fulham’s assets – notably Clint Dempsey, will likely be considering their options going into Saturday’s deadline.
