Eden Hazard fires a hat-trick as Chelsea batter Newcastle at the Bridge. Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel both notch twice as Liverpool annihilate Arsenal at Anfield. Kevin Nolan bags another brace as the Hammers ease past Villa, Tom Ince has a Palace debut to remember, whilst Garry Monk engineers a derby win over Cardiff in his first match in charge of Swansea.

Three and Easy for Hazard as Blues Go Top
The Blues wing wonder served up his highest points haul of the season, scoring all of Chelsea’s goals in the 3-0 win over Newcastle. Hazard’s third came courtesy of the penalty spot, despite Frank Lampard’s presence on the pitch and, with the maximum bonus points also accrued, he now sits on 162 points – 14 clear of Yaya Toure in the midfield rankings and second only to Luis Suarez overall. While games against West Brom and Fulham in the next three offer further chance to rack up the points for the Belgian, John Terry owners will be hoping he returns in time for Tuesday’s trip to the Hawthorns. The Chelsea skipper missed his first match of the season with a muscle problem, though his absence failed to help Alan Pardew’s side as the hosts racked up yet another clean sheet, taking their run to seven shut-outs in the last nine, with just two goals against. Jose Mourinho commented post-match that Terry was kept out of Saturday’s action, mainly as a precaution…

“It’s not an injury, it’s almost an injury. We had a decision to make and the player didn’t play. We were aware Newcastle had bigger problems than us so we decided not to risk him and protect him. Hopefully he will be ready for Tuesday.”

Terry’s absence allowed Branislav Ivanovic to come to the fore again. Having fired his second goal of the season at City, the Serb returned his first assist this term and gained two more bonus points to hand him back-to-back double figure returns. Having dropped to 6.0 from 6.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Ivanovic enjoyed a price rise overnight as Fantasy managers looked to perhaps double up on a Chelsea defence that has now conceded just two goals in their last nine league matches.

Nolan at the Double Again
The Hammers skipper scored twice for the second league match in succession to cast aside any doubts over his Fantasy potential. With Andy Carroll suspended for three matches, many felt that Nolan would struggle to replicate last week’s brace as Sam Allardyce’s side rolled up to Villa but, with two rapid goals immediately after the break, he’s now firmly on our Fantasy radars. Only 12,000 drafted him in last week but, with Adam Johnson owners looking for an alternative in light of Sunderland’s schedule, the 6.5-priced Nolan, with three home games in the next four (NOR, SOU, HUL) looks set for a bandwagon ahead of Tuesday evening’s deadline.

New Boys Make their Mark as Palace Crush the Baggies
Tom Ince took little time to announce himself as a budget option in yesterday’s 3-1 win over West Brom. Handed the role in “the hole” behind Marouane Chamakh, the on-loan midfielder bagged a goal and assist against the midlands outfit, whilst Joe Ledley (fielded at left-back) also opened his account within the half-hour mark before the Moroccan’s spot-kick duties helped him fire home the Eagles’ third. Some may be eyeing up a Jason Puncheon/Wilfried Zaha rotation partnership but Ince, at 5.5 to Puncheon’s 5.0, has thrown his name into the hat on the back of yesterday’s display, with his move to a more advanced role looking a masterstroke by Tony Pulis.

Pellegrini Rues Fitness Concerns as City Blank Again
Having seen their 100% home record come crashing down on Monday evening, many expected City to return to form with a vengeance against Norwich yesterday afternoon. Instead, Manuel Pellegrini’s side failed to score in back-to-back league games for the first time this term as their attack once again faltered – a real turnaround in fortunes, given City had hit four past Cardiff and five at Spurs in the previous two games. With Sergio Aguero injured, Pellegrini admitted that none of his three remaining forwards are 100% fit – Edin Dzeko only managed a sub appearance off the bench after sustaining an ankle knock in midweek. City now have three successive home games to remedy their faltering form – Sunderland, Stoke and Villa are up at the Etihad next (with blank Gameweek 28 in between the latter two fixtures), with the schedule persuading owners of Dzeko or Alvaro Negredo to hold for the time being. Yaya Toure’s owners face an anxious wait to discover if he will be punished for an altercation with Ricky Van Wolfswinkel – the incident was missed by the match officials, meaning the Ivorian could well be charged retrospectively by the FA.

Norwich Rely On Resilience
Chris Hughton’s side battled to a valuable point, claiming their third consecutive home clean sheet. The Canaries have conceded just two goals in their last four league outings but continue to struggle to find a cutting edge in attack. They were hampered by injuries for yesterday’s clash, with Robert Snodgrass and Jonas Gutierrez both missing out through injury. Hughton stated post-match that Snodgrass was struggling with a groin problem and could have been risked – suggesting that the Scot could well be in line for a return for Tuesday’s trip to West Ham. Gutierrez suffered a calf injury in training on Friday and is likely to remain a doubt for the midweek visit to East London. Ryan Bennett was also absent with a thigh injury and would seem unlikely to make an immediate return, even if fit, given the display by the Norwich back four: Joseph Yobo, priced at 4.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) may well retain his start. Norwich welcome Spurs, Stoke and Sunderland to Carrow Road next and, given their recent home defensive record, there could be merit in re-investigating their options at the back.

Tigers Front Two Tame Ten-Man Black Cats
Given that their visitors had scored just once in the previous five Gameweeks, the Black Cats were heavily backed to deliver the Fantasy points yesterday. Wes Brown’s fourth-minute dismissal proved Sunderland’s undoing, however, as January signings Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long grabbed a goal apiece to bring an end to their hosts’ recent run of good form. One look at the upcoming fixtures shows Adam Johnson’s legion of new owners face a dilemma. Drafted in by over 127,000 Fantasy managers last week, the winger now has a tough-looking schedule (mcy, ars, [BLANK]), liv) which could well see many look for similarly priced alternatives until the schedule smiles a little kinder around Gameweek 30. For Hull, it’s the opposite. Home games against Southampton, Newcastle and West Brom in the next six, allied with trips to Cardiff and West Ham, bode well for Steve Bruce’s troops. Having drawn against Spurs last week, their move to 4-4-2, with Long and Jelavic looking promising up top, suggests the short-term fixtures could prove profitable.

Lambert Nets Again as Adam Form Continues
The Saints striker notched in back-to-back matches for only the second time this term to climb above team-mate Jay Rodriguez in the forward standings. Despite racking up 15 points at Fulham last weekend, Lambert attracted just 30,000 new owners compared to Rodriguez’ 83,000 but needed a mere six minutes to show he’s more than capable of matching the former Burnley man. Adam Lallana’s 82,000 owners were served up an assist in the 2-2 draw but the Saints skipper was somewhat overshadow by Potters midfielder Charlie Adam. The Scot teed up both of Stoke’s goals and, on the back of a brace against United last week, he looks worthy of our attention ahead of Tuesday’s home clash with Swansea. Whilst Adam has meetings with City and Arsenal looming to deter some suitors, Lallana and the Saints have Hull, West Ham and Palace in three of the next four to boost their chances of further returns – albeit all away from home.

Sterling and Skrtel Plunder the Points as Suarez Toils Again
It was a rare to see Luis Suarez finish any place other than first in the Gameweek Captain Poll. Understandably, a home game against Arsenal cast doubts over his potential, with many having reservations over Liverpool’s ability to breach the Gunners resilient backline – whilst Brendan Rodgers’ side tore their visitors apart in a 5-1 victory, the Uruguayan managed no more than an assist in the rout. Instead, Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel delivered two goals apiece to underline Liverpool’s scintillating attacking form right now and raise major question marks over Arsenal’s title aspirations. Sterling had failed to score in each of the previous seven but yesterday’s brace looks set to spark a scramble for his Fantasy signature. Fielded in the front three once again, he has now started 13 Gameweeks in succession and, with Fulham, Swansea, Southampton and Sunderland in the next four, Sterling – at 5.3 – looks set for significant investment as Fantasy managers look to bring him in to generate cash, perhaps for a swoop for the likes of Robin van Persie in attack.

Monk off to a Flier for Swans
Handed the reins for the “foreseeable future” after the midweek departure of Michael Laudrup, the new Swansea boss steered his side to a comfortable win over rivals Cardiff. The half-time introduction of Pablo Hernandez changed the course of the match – not only did the Spaniard bag two assists, his presence in the centre of the attacking midfield three allowed wide men Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer to notch a goal apiece. Wilfried Bony’s home form also continued – the Ivorian’s late strike means he has now scored seven times in his last six league starts at the Liberty but, with three of the next four on the road (sto, liv, CPL, ars), Bony may struggle to attract new investment, given he has failed to score away from home all season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side can at least take a crumb of comfort in three strong home games in four (AVL, HUL, FUL), though Craig Noone’s Fantasy owners will be on alert – the 4.3-priced winger was omitted from the XI for the first time since Gameweek 15 yesterday, with Kim Bo-Kyung handed the role on the right flank and Wilfried Zaha granted his full debut.