Eden Hazard returns for a fourth consecutive league outing as Chelsea ease past Hull. Adam Lallana fires Southampton to victory over West Brom, Christian Eriksen is on target again for Spurs, Danny Welbeck’s scoring streak continues as United see off Swansea, whilst Adam Johnson fires an unlikley hat-trick as Sunderland thump Fulham in their own backyard to climb off the bottom.
Hazard in the Goals Again as the Blues’ Defence Tightens
It’s three goals in the last four Gameweeks now for the Chelsea winger in his most consistent spell of the season. Since the start of December, in particular, the Belgian has firmly established himself as the must-have midfielder from Jose Mourinho’s squad – whilst Oscar has chipped in with a goal and three assists, Hazard has racked up five goals and a trio of assists over the same period to vindicate just why he’s priced 1.7 higher than his team-mate. Now 13 points clear of the chasing pack in the midfield standings, Hazard has a couple of testing clashes with United and City in the following three but, having now equalled his 2012/13 tally of nine goals, looks to have the form to maintain his run of returns.
Mourinho’s defence also continues to excel. Chelsea had registered just four clean sheets in the opening 16 Gameweeks but have now mirrored that number in the last five league matches – with just a single goal conceded over that period, they also look set for increased investment, though their shut-out potential may be somewhat dented by those clashes with both Manchester clubs.
Carroll Back for Hammers as Defensive Concerns Escalate
Andy Carroll needed just 19 minutes off the bench to make an impact for Sam Allardyce’s side yesterday. In his first appearance of the season, the big target man teed up Mark Noble for the Hammers’ second to consign Ole Gunner Solskjaer to defeat in his first home match in charge of Cardiff. Big Sam’s worries at the back continued, however. Guy Demel was stretchered off following a collision with Roger Johnson – reports suggest he has a suspected dislocated elbow and facial injuries following the incident, which resulted in the Ivorian being taken to hospital. James Tomkins was dismissed for receiving two yellow cards and, with Winston Reid, James Collins and Joey O’Brien all sidelined through injury, the London club look to be down to the bare bones for next weekend’s encounter with Newcastle.
Turner Ousted from Bluebirds Line-Up
The Cardiff centre-half has been a solid, if somewhat unspectacular, option for Fantasy managers this season. Turner had played every minute of the season for the Welsh club over the first 20 Gameweeks but was instantly dropped to the bench as Solskjaer opted for Mark Hudson alongside Steven Caulker in his defence. With back-to-back matches against United and City now, Fantasy managers have the chance to assess Solskjaer’s likely rearguard before a run of three home games in four (NOR, swa, AVL, HUL) – Hudson, at 3.9, may now emerge as a realistic budget option.
Defensive Injuries Ease for Toffees
With Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines passing late fitness tests, Roberto Martinez was able to field three of his first-choice defence for the visit of Norwich. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Toffees were able to keep out their goal-shy opponents and register a ninth clean sheet of the season – just two fewer than they managed over 2012/13. Baines’ assist was incredibly his first of the entire season and, with a converted spot-kick also accrued last weekend, he has now earned 23 points in the last two Gameweeks compared to Seamus Coleman’s eight.
Post-match, Martinez had some worrying news for Ross Barkley owners. The Toffees boss conceded the budget midfielder’s toe injury was “a bit more serious than we expected” before going on to say he requires further assessment amid fears he may be sidelined “for a while”.
Johnson the Star as Black Cats Maul Fulham
The former Man City wide-man racked up a hat-trick and assist in yesterday’s vital 4-1 win over fellow-strugglers Fulham as Sunderland edged clear of the drop zone. Johnson had been far from Fantasy radars in recent weeks – he’d started just one of the previous eight Gameweeks under Gus Poyet but, handed a role on the right of the Wearsiders’ front three, he produced a display that is sure to bring him into some Fantasy managers’ plans. With three home games in the upcoming four (SOU, STO, new, HUL), Poyet could barely wish for a better platform to continue his side’s ascendancy – at just 6.4, Johnson is certainly budget friendly, though Ki Sung-Yeung, at 4.8, is even cheaper and grabbed a goal and assist in the Cottagers mauling to further his own budget appeal.
Sidwell The Value Option
The Fulham midfielder struck for the fifth time this term as his flourishing eye for goal continues. Sidwell is currently in the middle of his most productive season in the Premier League – hardly renowned for his attacking sensibilities, he had previously never notched more than four times and had managed a mere 14 goals over the last seven seasons. Now, he’s found the net as many times as the likes of Adam Lallana and Yohan Cabaye, with only four midfielders scoring more often this year – priced at just 5.1, his ownership currently sits under 4%. However, with Arsenal, Southampton, United and Liverpool in the next five, the schedule looks punishing for Sidwell and is set to heap further pressure on Rene Meulensteen’s outfit.
Lallana Delivers Again
Like Hazard, the Southampton skipper is currently in his most consistent spell of the season. Lallana had scored or assisted in three of his previous four league appearances heading into yesterday’s home clash with West Brom and, with many Fantasy managers wielding Wildcards, he was snapped up by over 96,000 new owners for the Baggies fixture. The 7.4-priced midfielder duly vindicated the decision of his new owners by notching the only goal of the game – earning his fifth double-figure haul of the season, with all but one arriving in front of his own fans. With Artur Boruc back between the sticks, Mauricio Pochettino’s side earned their second clean sheet in 12 attempts and, with form beginning to pick up again, the Saints look poised for further investment in light of an obliging mid-term schedule (sun, ARS, ful, STO, hul, whm, LIV, cpl, NOR).
Eriksen Steers Spurs to Another Win
Another midfielder subject to huge investment last week, Eriksen continued his standout Fantasy displays under Tim Sherwood. Snapped up by over 89,000 Fantasy managers ahead of a home clash with Palace, the Dane notched for the third time in five appearances since the departure of Andre Villas-Boas and, with an assist and seven bonus points also earned over those matches, has returned 36 points for his new manager – an average of 7.2 points per game, compared to 2.4 before Sherwood took the reins. At just 7.2 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Eriksen can also be expected to pick up further investment ahead of fixtures with Swansea and Hull in the next three. On the injury front, Kyle Walker was subbed off early in the second period with a calf injury, though early reports suggest the problem isn’t too serious.
Welbeck Helps Ease Pressure on Moyes
A 2-0 win over Swansea ended United’s run of three successive defeats and helped avenge last weekend’s FA Cup exit to the same opponents. With Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie still sidelined, David Moyes handed Adnan Januzaj his sixth start in the last seven Gameweeks – a clear sign of the youngster’s growing influence for the champions. Whilst the 5.3-priced Januzaj failed to produce the points, his display certainly drew the plaudits. Meanwhile, Welbeck maintained his recent run of goals by firing the hosts’ second and taking his tally to six strikes in as many league matches. A trip to Chelsea next weekend will keep investment at a low but, with fixtures against Cardiff, Stoke and Swansea directly after, the schedule remains kind for Welbeck, though the potential return of Rooney and van Persie will likely deter investment – despite a cost of 7.2, Welbeck resides in less than 8% of FPL teams.
Patrice Evra treated his owners to an assist and clean sheet in yesterday’s victory but the Frenchman was forced off with an ongoing knee problem on 78 minutes against the Swans, Moyes confirmed post-match. We await further news from Old Trafford on that one.
