Olivier Giroud bags a brace as Arsenal hammer Sunderland. John Terry grabs Chelsea’s home winner over Everton. Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney guide United to victory at Palace, Nikica Jelavic scores twice in Hull’s romp at Cardiff, Yaya Toure helps City sneak past Stoke, whilst Victor Anichebe’s contribution off the bench is vital for the Baggies once again.
Terry’s Return Proves Decisive for Blues
Having missed the last couple of Gameweeks with a muscle injury, John Terry was reinstalled to the Chelsea defence for yesterday’s lunchtime encounter with Everton. The Blues captain not only helped his side to their eighth clean sheet in the last 11 fixtures, he also notched the last-minute winner in the 1-0 victory to rise to the top of the Fantasy Premier League defender standings. Terry’s maximum bonus haul helped him move to 130 points – a tally exceeded by only three midfielders and four attackers – and with the league leaders scheduled for action in Gameweek 28 and 29 at a time where many teams are set for blanks, investment looks set to rise once again.
Giroud Rediscovers His Goal Touch
With Mesut Ozil missing out due to a thigh problem, the Gunners scored more than three goals for only the second time this season. Having been benched for the last couple of cup matches, Olivier Giroud returned with a vengeance to grab two goals and an assist in the 4-1 win over Sunderland to suggest the recent rest has done him the world of good – a subsequent 16 point haul was his highest of the campaign to date. At the back, the Gunners backline may have been unexpectedly breached for just the second time in the last 10 home fixtures but Laurent Koscielny’s owners were treated to a goal and clean sheet – the Frenchman limped off with a back problem on 67 minutes with the score at 4-0. Nacho Monreal (foot) was also withdrawn through injury but Wenger is optmistic both will be back for next weekend’s trip to Stoke.
Jelavic at the Double as Tigers Sweep Aside Sorry Bluebirds
We selected the Croatian for this week’s “Captain Unsensible” in Friday afternoon’s members article and he backed up the recent statistics by bagging a brace in Hull’s emphatic away win at Cardiff. Jelavic’s penalty box menace is finally being rewarded under Steve Bruce and with game time guaranteed, he’s starting to look a different proposition altogether with three strikes in the last three league games. With the likes of Jake Livermore chipping in with a goal and assist and Tom Huddlestone also finding the net, interest in Bruce’s side looks on the rise, though a win against Brighton in Monday’s FA Cup replay will postpone their Gameweek 29 trip to West Ham. Nonetheless, with both Newcastle and West Brom rolling up to the KC in the next four, the Tigers have the form and fixtures to justify investment.
Toure the Hero As City Stumble Past Stubborn Potters
With Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko leading the line and Samir Nasri back from injury, a rout was expected as City entertained a Stoke side with an away defence amongst that ranked amongst the bottom three in the league. Instead, Manuel Pellegrini’s men continued to struggle and were indebted once again to Yaya Toure as the Ivorian grabbed the only goal of the game to take his tally to 13 in the first 27 league matches. City, of course, now have back-to-back blanks but will have three double Gameweeks from Gameweek 30 onwards. Whilst that will eventually lead to heavy investment, their form is a real concern – with just a single goal in the last three league matches, Pellegrini will be hoping to wrap Sergio Aguero up in cotton wool in order to keep his side’s title bid on track.
Anichebe the Baggies Talisman
Having scored or assisted all of his side’s three goals over the previous trio of league matches, the Nigerian was expected to be named in the first XI. As Pepe Mel explained post-match, though, Anichebe was only fit enough for the bench after a knock restricted his training time during the week. Replacing the stricken Billy Jones in a tactical reshuffle just prior to the break, the summer signing once again showed his worth to the Baggies’ cause by teeing up Matej Vydra for a late equaliser, thus denying the Cottagers a win in their first game under Felix Magath. It’s a goal or assist in each of the last four, then, for the 5.1-priced forward – a blank Gameweek 28 and clash with United will deter any initial thoughts of investment but with showdowns against Swansea, Hull, Cardiff and Norwich from Gameweek 30 onwards , Anichebe is playing his way into contention as a budget forward option.
Magath Rings the Changes for Cottagers
The new Fulham boss wasted little time to make his mark – immediately omitting five of the players that featured in Rene Meulensteen’s final match in charge. While Fantasy managers will likely steer clear until a settled side begins to form, yesterday’s result did at least hint at shoots of recovery and suggests that the Cottagers may be a little less porous under Magath. Fulham had conceded two or more goals in each of the last six games of Meulensteen’s tenure but a 1-1 draw was perhaps down to the return of seasoned campaigners such as Brede Hangeland and Scott Parker as Magath turned to experienced heads to help his side’s battle to beat the drop.
Nolan in the Points Again as Hammers’ Resurgence Continues
A fifth clean sheet in a row proved beyond Sam Allardyce’s side but their form shows no sign of abating after a convincing 3-1 win over Southampton yesterday. Kevin Nolan’s goal and assist earned the West Ham skipper a third set of double figures in the last four Gameweeks, with two of those hauls arriving in the enforced absence of Andy Carroll. It’s five goals and an assist in the last four now for Nolan and, with the big Geordie forward now available after suspension, you’d expect Nolan to maintain the momentum – the downside, though, is next weekend’s trip to Everton is far from straightforward, whilst a potential blank Gameweek 29 could also put our Fantasy plans on hold until the schedule is confirmed.
Eagles Undone by Rooney and van Persie
David Moyes started Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj on the flanks for the first time since the Spaniard’s January arrival as United cruised past Palace at Selhurst Park. Van Persie’s spot-kick duties helped serve up a fourth goal in five league matches since returning from injury and, whilst he’s yet to produce double figures in any of those games, the Dutchman’s consistency means he’s blanked just once in five. Rooney, on the other hand, managed to find the net for the first time over the same period and with a 10% ownership compared to van Persie’s 17% and Mata’s 13%, could prove a worthwhile differential after next weekend’s blank as Moyes’ men brace themselves for an upcoming double Gameweek 31.
