Eden Hazard is the main provider for Chelsea in a thrilling 4-2 win over Reading. Penalty duties bring Frank Lampard another respectable Fantasy score, Branislav Ivanovic notches in back-to back matches, while even Fernando Torres gets amongst the goals – sweet relief for a huge number of armband owners.
Eden Hazard
The Belgian continued in the same vein as Sunday’s game at Wigan and has wasted no time in announcing himself to Fantasy managers as a strong source of points amongst the Chelsea midfield conundrum. Having supplied assists for three Chelsea goals in last night’s narrow victory over Reading, Hazard now has five to his name already in a superb start to life at Stamford Bridge. Neck and neck for ownership with Juan Mata leading into Gameweek 1, Hazard’s more direct role for the Blues looks set to see him rocket in ownership despite a blank Gameweek 3 – the Spaniard, on the other hand, still seems lethargic from a lack of a summer break; the upcoming international break will be crucial to his chances of returning to the Fantasy force we were accustomed to last season.
Fernando Torres
Finally, he produced. It was just a single goal but the overwhelming armband favourite gave us something to smile about with a tap-in to put Chelsea 3-2 ahead. With Frank Lampard once again benefitting from spot-kick duties and Hazard dazzling as part of the attacking midfield three, Torres could struggle to keep his place in many a team – with the blank Gameweek 3 to follow, his home clash against Newcastle this weekend could be his final game for plenty of Fantasy teams as we begin to reassess our frontline options.
Branislav Ivanovic
Notching for the second successive match, the Serbian is now just one goal off equalling last term’s tally after slotting home the fourth last night. Like Hazard, his displays over the two games have earned Ivanovic a price rise prior to the game against Newcastle but with Chelsea still heavily expected to bring another right-back to the club, question marks are still against his long-term prospects. If the Blues fail to bring in someone else for his position, though, Ivanovic’s 6.6 price tag is unlikely to deter many.
Pavel Pogrebnyak
The Russian made his way into 17% of Fantasy teams ahead of the double Gameweek and, despite a change of tactics from Brian McDermott, Pogrebnyak kept his place in the side as Reading moved to 4-5-1; perhaps a sign of McDermott’s formation for away matches. His Premier League record of a goal every two games continued last night; Pogrebnyak had previously scored six in 12 for Fulham and a towering header at the Bridge suggests he could be a very handy cut-price third striker in FPL, at just 5.0.
