Yannick Bolasie bullies a beleaguered Liverpool into submission at Selhurst Park while on Humberside, Christian Eriksen inspires a Spurs comeback against 10-man Hull as Harry Kane gets on the scoresheet. Here’s the notes from Sunday’s pair of Premier League fixtures…
Eagles Attack Shows Potency
Crystal Palace seem incapable of keeping clean sheets under Neil Warnock, but they are compensating for this at the opposite end of the pitch: the Eagles have fired 17 goals this season, only two less than Man United, for example. Yannick Bolasie delivered the standout performance in the 3-1 victory over Liverpool, earning a pair of assists to take him to four for the season. Indeed, while Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon continue to battle it out for pitch time on the right wing, Bolasie has now surpassed his returns from last season in just 12 Gameweeks. Priced at 5.4 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Bolasie, along with his skipper, Mile Jedinak, is offer viable mid-price midfield options. Jedinak notched his fourth goal of the season with a sweetly struck free-kick and, with spot-kick duties in his armoury and an FPL price of 5.1, also looks a handy proposition. At 5.1 up front, Dwight Gayle’s situation could also be worth monitoring – he struck the opener on his return to the starting XI ahead of Frazier Campbell, who was relegated to the bench. Warnock’s side face Aston Villa, Spurs and Stoke in their next four, handing that trio a further platform to impress.
Three Defeats in Three For Lifeless Liverpool
Liverpool’s dire form continued with yesterday’s loss, begging the question of whether Brendan Rodger’s team can harbour any hopes challenging at the summit without Daniel Sturridge. Rickie Lambert did at least seize his chance by netting his side’s only goal and could now keep his starting spot ahead of Mario Balotelli once the Italian (who has reached 35 attempts without a goal) returns from a groin injury. Stoke, Leicester and Sunderland are up next for the Reds and do still offer some potential, though managers are unlikely to invest in a side with two goals in their last four. Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling’s remaining owners (37%) are likely to view his performance yesterday as the final straw and we can expect significant sales leading into Gameweek 13.
Ramirez’s Red Tames Tigers
Steve Bruce opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation in Hull’s 2-1 defeat to Spurs yesterday, recalling the fit-again Michael Dawson alongside skipper Curtis Davies. Andrew Robertson also came in at left-back, pushing Robbie Brady into a flank role on the left. Mo Diame sat out with a knee problem, with Bruce confirming that the midfielder will undergo scans later this week. In his absence, the Hull boss handed a first start to Gaston Ramirez on the right flank but saw him suffer an early bath which, ultimately, cost Hull their foothold in the match. Pending an appeal, Ramirez will now miss the next three league encounters which will force the Tigers into a reshuffle. That could offer Abel Hernandez a reprieve after the striker was dropped for the Spurs clash.
Kane Stakes His Claim
Harry Kane continued his excellent form in the Spurs attack by notching the first goal of their comeback win on Humberside. The youngster has 11 goals in 16 appearances this season and with three home fixtures in his next five (EVE, CPL, BUR), the 4.8-valued striker looks a superb “enabler” to generate funds in our midfields. Emmanuel Adebayor missed yesterday’s encounter with a back problem but would seemingly face an uphill task to regain a starting role for the Gameweek 13 visit of Everton. Having said that, with Gameweek 14 occurring in midweek, the likelihood of rotation in the Spurs front line is something to consider.
Eriksen Steps Up
With leading scorer Nacer Chadli missing out due to a knee injury, Cristian Eriksen played a starring role for Mauricio Pochettino’s side yesterday by grabbing a goal and an assist, propelling himself into the top ten highest scoring midfielders in FPL. The Dane had been subbed off at the break in his last two outings, but looks key to his side’s chances if Chadli is ruled out for any length of time. Eriksen’s attacking threat is highlighted by the fact that only Yaya Toure has fired in more efforts from midfield this season than the former Ajax man. Now down to 7.8, and with an ownership of just 7.6%, Eriksen provides an option over Spurs’ aforementioned fixtures and a potentially effective differential.
