Daniel Sturridge bags a brace as Liverpool hammer injury-hit Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield. Robin van Persie notches upon his return from injury as Juan Mata bags an assist on his United debut. Jason Puncheon, Adam Lallana and Santi Cazorla continue their recent scoring exploits, though the Gunners suffer a setback as Aaron Ramsey is ruled out again with a calf injury:
SAS Star in Derby Demolition
Top of the Captain Poll going into last night’s Merseyside derby, Luis Suarez returned yet another set of double figures as Liverpool swept aside their neighbours in near-embarrassing fashion. Interestingly, Daniel Sturridge equalled Suarez’s 11-point haul in the 4-0 victory, and only missed out on outshining his strike partner by sending a second half penalty flying into the stands. Sturridge, at a full 4.0 cheaper than Suarez, continued his scoring run since his return from injury with a neatly-taken brace and is making a convincing case for inclusion alongside his Uruguayan team-mate in our three-man frontlines.
Lukaku Injury Poses Problems for Martinez
Everton’s woeful night was summed up by the loss of the big Belgian only 20 minutes into the match. Reports suggest that the loanee sustained ankle ligament damage and could be poised for a spell on the sidelines – post-match, Toffees boss Roberto Martinez was a little pessimistic:
“We’re going to assess it. At the moment he’s got his ankle in a cast and it doesn’t look too good. He just collided with Gareth Barry at the corner as the ball was delivered into the box. It’s there where he twisted his ankle.”
Lukaku has undoubtedly gone off the boil in recent weeks, but even his loyal owners will now be scouring the market in search of a replacement for the 8.5-priced striker if scans do indeed rule him out. Everton, meanwhile, find themselves in a sticky situation. With Arouna Kone and new signing Lacina Traore still out of action Martinez has a conundrum in front of him, although Steven Naismith and Kevin Mirallas, classified as a midfielder in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), do offer options in the forward position. The Belgian led the line in last weekend’s FA Cup win over Stevenage and, at 7.2, has some eye-catching home fixtures (AVL, CPL, WHM, CAR, SWA) on his agenda over the next eight Gameweeks.
Van Persie and Rooney Return as Mata Hits the Ground Running
Both Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney made their comebacks from injury last night, as United picked up a comfortable 2-0 victory against Cardiff. The former started the game and notched for the fifth time in his last six starts, whilst Rooney managed the last half hour after being brought on as a substitute – despite scoring six times in the last six, Danny Welbeck didn’t even make the bench as David Moyes rolled out the big guns.
Whilst the return of Rooney and Van Persie would normally be news enough for the Red Devils’ fans, the big story on the night was Juan Mata’s first appearance in a United shirt. Moyes handed the Spaniard a starting berth at the expense of Adnan Januzaj, and Mata duly returned an assist for his new team and the 190,000 managers who acquired his services for this Gameweek. With van Persie, Rooney and Mata back in the frame for the Champions, the trio could yet make a major impact on our Fantasy seasons and pose plenty of problems for those loading up on City and Liverpool’s premium assets. Having played for Chelsea in the Champions League already this season, Mata is ineligible for United, thus boosting his chances of domestic appearances.
After the match, Moyes seemed more convivial than usual and went on to discuss Mata’s fitness and versatility going forward:
“I was a little bit worried about how his overall match fitness would be, but when we got to 2-0 I thought the longer I kept it on and gave him more minutes hopefully it would get him up to speed quickly….We know that we will use Juan in different positions and we will get used to him over the coming weeks and months. I can play him in any role. I can play him off the left, I can play him off the right which allows me to keep Robin and Wayne as a partnership, I am quite comfortable with that, and if at any times I need him to do another job, No 10, he is quite capable of doing that.”
Cazorla in the Goals Again as Gunners Suffer Ramsey Setback
While Mesut Ozil served up an assist to put the brakes on his Fantasy decline, the summer signing was left in the shade by his Spanish team-mate once again. Cazorla is clearly on a roll now – a double against Fulham in the previous Gameweek was followed by a strike in the FA Cup win over Coventry and he delivered yet again at St Mary’s last night to continue his ascent up the Fantasy rankings. With a home game against Palace up next, he looks poised for considerable investment over the next few days, though, with Liverpool and United directly after the Eagles clash, some will be deterred from loading up on Arsene Wenger’s side.
Mathieu Flamini is set to miss that trio of fixtures after a two-footed lunge on compatriot Morgan Schneiderlin at St Mary’s earned him a four-match ban – he will also miss the FA Cup clash with Liverpool- whilst Arsenal’s central midfield worries escalated after their manager confirmed Aaron Ramsey has picked up a problem in training, just a day after he was passed fit to return from a calf complaint:
“Aaron Ramsey is out for longer than we expected because he had a little setback in training yesterday. So I couldn’t bring him here. It’s the same muscle he did a bit again so we have to be cautious this time…Hopefully he’s not out too long but he won’t be available for Sunday’s game [against Crystal Palace].”
Lallana’s Home Comforts
Despite producing a goal or assist in four of the six league matches prior to last night, the Southampton skipper was sold by over 60,000 FPL managers as Arsenal rolled up to St Mary’s. Those who jumped ship were made to pay for their impatience as Lallana grabbed a goal and maximum bonus points in the 2-2 draw, taking his tally to 114 points for the season – third highest midfielder behind only Yaya Toure and Eden Hazard. With games against Fulham, Stoke, Hull and West Ham in the next four, his consistency looks set to continue – from Gameweek 5 onwards, the 7.6-priced Lallana has produced attacking returns in 10 of 19 appearances, with double-figure hauls in five of his last nine home matches.
Bony Blanks in Swans Triumph
Subject to increased investment after notching six times in his previous five across all competitions, the Ivorian failed to justify his upturn in ownership against Fulham last night. Bony served up no more than a single point return for his owners after picking up a booking in the 2-0 win, as Chico and fit-again Jonjo Shelvey grabbed a goal apiece. Shelvey, at 5.4, is now up to four goals and four assists for the season, whilst Chico’s 15-point haul takes him 10 points clear of any other Swansea backline option. With West Ham, Cardiff, Stoke and Palace in the next five, Michael Laudrup’s side could well be worth consideration as decent budget options.
Puncheon Delivers Again at Fortress Selhurst Park
The wide-man notched for the third successive home game to secure another vital win for Palace against fellow promoted club Hull. We’d highlighted Puncheon in last week’s KPI Midfielder form analysis article and he served up yet another eye-catching display – it’s three sets of consecutive double-figure hauls in front of his own fans now, with last night’s display surely set to persuade more to shell out for the 4.9-priced Eagles man.
The 1-0 win means Tony Pulis’ side have now produced a clean sheet in five of the last seven at Selhurst Park and, with West Brom their next visitors in Gameweek 25, another shut-out looks on the cards. For those eyeing up Palace defenders, it’s worth noting that Palace have yet to play host to United, Southampton, Chelsea, City and Liverpool, though, suggesting the defensive returns may be a little harder to come by over the run-in.
McGregor Sent Packing for Tigers
The Hull stopper received his marching orders in the dying minutes of the Palace loss after lashing out at Stuart O’Keefe. At present, McGregor – who is owned by over 8% of FPL managers – looks likely to be facing a three-match ban, which would see him miss home games with Spurs and Southampton, with a trip to Sunderland sandwiched in between, to return on February 22. Steve Bruce admitted after the game that he may appeal the decision, though, leaving the Scot’s owners awaiting further news, with Steve Harper (4.0) set to benefit if McGregor, as expected, is suspended by the FA.
Johnson and Remy Clash Heads and See Red
It would be fair to say that it was a day to forget for Newcastle fans. With Yohan Cabaye now odds-on to depart before the end of the transfer window, things were already looking bad, but add to that a goalless draw at Carrow Road and the dismissal of top scorer Loic Remy and Alan Pardew doesn’t have his problems to seek ahead of the weekend Tyne-Wear derby. The French striker frustrated the 17,000 managers who transferred him in for this Gameweek by being dismissed late on in the second half for a clash with Norwich’s Bradley Johnson – the 8.1-priced man will now miss his side’s next three Premier League fixtures (SUN, che, TOT) and is out of action for almost a month. Johnson, also sent off following the melee between the two opponents, had played every minute of the Canaries’ last nine fixtures before yesterday’s game, but is now also set to miss a trio of upcoming matches.
