Charlie Austin grabs a hat-trick as QPR fight back to see off West Brom. David Silva bags a brace as a “false nine” City claim the points against Palace. Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing both notch for the Hammers, Harry Kane nets once again for Spurs, whilst Wilfried Bony is benched as Swansea earn victory at struggling Hull.
Austin Runs Riot In R’s Comeback
Charlie Austin is now up to second in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) forward standings after firing a sensational hat-trick in the 3-2 home win over West Brom. Having served out a one-match suspension away to Everton on Monday, Austin returned to action in style with a 17-point haul against the Baggies underlining his exceptional Loftus Road form. Austin has now produced points in each of his last six home matches (5, 13, 7, 10, 6, 17) and, after this weekend’s trip to Arsenal, has three more matches in front of his own fans (CPL, SWA, bur, MUN) to continue that form. Considering they have yet to pick up a point on their travels, Harry Redknapp’s side are clearly reliant on their home form to keep them afloat – having scored at least twice in each of their last seven at Loftus Road, they’re looking up to the task.
Silva at the Double
After much anticipation, Manuel Pellegrini handed James Milner the false nine role for City’s home clash with Palace although the England international mustered just a single assist in the 3-0 win. Instead, David Silva proved instrumental for the champions – handed the “number 10” role up in support of Milner, the Spaniard bagged a brace as Manuel Pellegrini’s side made it eight wins in eight in all competitions.
Yaya Toure also justified the recent display of Fantasy faith by scoring for the fourth time in six appearances, whilst the City defence once again racked up the returns. The champions have conceded just once in the last five, with Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov chipping in with an assist apiece against Neil Warnock’s side.
Despite a lack of legitimate frontmen, City passed the test against the Eagles and with a trip to West Brom, followed by back-to-back home encounters with Burnley and Sunderland, they look set for further profits at both ends of the pitch.
Benteke Halts the Red Devils’ Run
Robin van Persie was heavily backed to get amongst the goals once again as United rolled up to Villa Park in search of a seventh straight win but it was Villa’s Christian Benteke who fired his way onto Fantasy radars. His first-half opener took his tally to two goals and an assist in the last four. The big Belgian has played a part in three of Villa’s four goals over that period and with Swansea, Sunderland, Palace and Leicester in the following four Gameweeks, he’s beginning to look an option at 7.9 in the FPL. Intriguingly, Paul Lambert rolled out a 3-5-2 formation for the United match as Ron Vlaar returned to the defence. Alan Hutton served out a one-match suspension against United and his stock may well rise further if he’s given a wing-back berth over the festive schedule.
Falcao back in the Goals
Handed a first start since Gameweek 7, Radamel Falcao bagged a vital equaliser to suggest he may yet rival Van Persie for our affections. With Wayne Rooney stationed in central midfield once again, Falcao – at 10.5 – now looks a legitimate route into the United attack ahead of some very enticing fixtures. Intriguingly, the Colombian has now scored or assisted in all four of his starts for Louis van Gaal’s side, highlighting his consistency when given the minutes by his manager.
Van Gaal now has mounting selection headaches after Angel Di Maria returned to action from the bench – replacing Van Persie with 20 minutes remaining. It will now be intriguing to see how the United boss shuffles his resources over the Christmas spell with Juan Mata and even Van Persie looking vulnerable for at least one of the forthcoming fixtures.
Carroll and Downing Deliver
Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing were the key figures in West Ham’s routine win over Leicester: both notching in the 2-0 victory. Downing’s strike followed on the back of a goal at Sunderland last weekend and with two assists and eight bonus points in the last four, he sits third amongst midfielders in the FPL standings – just three points off Eden Hazard. A trip to Chelsea is likely to deter immediate investment but Big Sam’s side then have three home matches in the following four (ARS, WBA, swa, HUL) to continue the form which has seen them drop just two points in the previous six in front of their own fans.
It’s now three goals and two assists for Carroll in the last four: the Geordie is starting to edge past Diafra Sakho as the Hammers’ main man up front. The Senegal striker still managed an assist in the 2-0 win but there’s no doubt that Carroll is bang in form and at a price of 7.0, will surely be set for further attention once the Stamford Bridge visit is out of the way.
Kane Strikes Again for Tottenham
Harry Kane took his tally to three goals in as many matches after grabbing the opener in the win over Burnley. In spite of his 5.1 price tag, Kane – who has earned at least two bonus points every time he has found the net – remains a real differential with just 8% ownership ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Leicester. Nacer Chadli returned to the Spurs lineup and chipped in with an assist, whilst Erik Lamela’s impressive display and first strike of the season suggests that Mauricio Pochettino’s side are building momentum. A New Year’s Day encounter with Chelsea looks the only real blip on the radar as Spurs attempt to chase down a top four spot.
Saints End Slump in Style
With a number of his first-team players sidelined through injury and suspension, Ronald Koeman rolled out a 3-4-1-2 formation as Southampton arrested their recent poor form by hammering Everton at St Mary’s. Graziano Pelle was partnered by Shane Long up front and the Italian notched for the second time in three Gameweeks to suggest he’s finding his form once again after a barren autumn spell. A first victory and clean sheet since Gameweek 11 bodes well ahead of next weekend’s clash with Palace, though with Chelsea, Arsenal and United in the following three, the Saints face a tough task to maintain their momentum.
Under-Strength Swans Too Good for Tigers
Garry Monk was without the services of Gylfi Sigurdsson for the trip to Hull after the Icelandic international called off with a minor foot injury. Despite the absence of his playmaker, the Swansea boss chose to rotate up front, much to the frustration of Wilfried Bony’s owners: the Ivorian was given just 15 minutes with Bafetimbi Gomis starting up front. Bony has earned over 300,000 new FPL owners over the last four Gameweeks and whilst it’s likely he’ll return to the starting XI for next week’s home clash with Villa, Monk is clearly readying himself for his star striker’s departure to the African Cup of Nations.
Monk made seven changes to his side as he steps up rotation over the festive period and the visitors’ strength in depth earned a seventh clean sheet of the season yesterday. Kyle Bartley’s owners were disappointed, however, as the 3.9-priced defender made way for fit-again Federico Fernandez.
