An ill-disciplined Stamford Bridge showdown finds Chelsea emerge with the points as Eden Hazard is re-ignited by a first, albeit fortuitous, goal of the season. West Ham’s outstanding away performances continue with the unlikeliest of victories at the Etihad, as Sergio Aguero fetches a paltry assist to reward his armband backers. Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez continues to bolster his early application for Player of the Year with another double-figure haul as the Foxes fight back in the Potteries. Here’s the notes on Saturday’s action…
Chelsea Claim Vital Win
Chelsea emerged as 2-0 victors over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard settling the tie. The former – who partnered Gary Cahill in central defence – headeed home a flighted Cesc Fabregas free-kick at the 53-minute mark, while Hazard was attributed the second goal in the 90th minute when his strike took a heavy deflection off Callum Chambers to wrong-foot Petr Cech.
Priced at 5.4, Zouma serves as an enticing route into the Blues defence if he can retain his spot in the side, with an attractive trio fixtures of fixtures to come (new, SOU, AVL) that could all yield clean sheets. Cezar Azpilicueta (6.0) – who notched his third bonus point of the campaign – remains the safest pick by virtue of his security of starts.
As for Hazard, he opened his account for the season and delivered attacking returns for just the second time in six outings, rewarding those owners that refused to jump ship during his barren spell.
Aside from doubling the hosts’ advantage, Hazard tallied four attempts (two inside the box) and two shots on target, marking a substantial improvement on the previous Gameweek (two attempts, none on target). With a trip to Newcastle – who’ve lost five of their last six match-ups – next on the agenda, the Belgian heavy-hitter may now be in the ascendency and begin to claw back a portion of his previous backers.
Gunners Lose Their Heads
The Gunners’ four-match unbeaten streak came to an end in farcical fashion, with both Gabriel and Santi Cazorla receiving red cards in the second half.
Gabriel was brandished a straight red for kicking out at Diego Costa, ruling him out of Arsenal’s midweek League Cup clash against Tottenham and a pair of league ties (lei, MUN). Cazorla, meanwhile, was sent off for two bookable offences: he’ll return after the North London derby.
The impact of Gabriel’s suspension is diminished by the fact that Per Mertesacker is nearing a return, yet Arsenal’s three successive shut-outs prior to the Chelsea defeat illustrated the blossoming partnership between Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny. Certainly, Mertesacker needs to hit the ground running following his layoff, given that Leicester City and Manchester United will carry a significant threat to the Gunners.
Alexis Sanchez proved wasteful once again, drawing his fifth blank in six outings and failing to register an on target effort. The 11.0-priced midfielder is far from the only culprit, though, given that Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are also yet to net this term. Despite Sanchez’s paucity of attacking returns, his 13.5% ownership will be reluctant to swap him out considering that the Foxes are yet to claim a clean sheet and have conceded four goals in their last two matches.
Unbreachable Baggies Earn the Points
Saido Berahino steered West Bromwich Albion to a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa with a goal in his first start since Gameweek 2. The 6.3-priced marksman sweeps back onto our radar in light of the Baggies’ strong schedule leading up to Gameweek 12 (EVE, cry, SUN, nor, LEI), with Salomon Rondon (7.0) a secondary consideration over that stretch.
The 50,000 managers that recruited Boaz Myhill going into Gameweek 6 were delighted with West Brom’s third consecutive shut-out. Even more impressively, Tony Pulis’ outfit are yet to concede on their travels this season and have lost just one of their previous seven road clashes, which bodes well for trips to Crystal Palace and Norwich City in the coming weeks. Myhill is now the top ranked stopper in the FPL with 37 points.
Wilson and Ritchie Deliver Cherries Win
Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie were on target as Bournemouth ran out 2-0 winners over an abject Sunderland outfit, while Dan Gosling carded an assist in his second start this season. Wilson (5.9) now boasts five goals in his previous four outings, rendering him a top pick among the league’s budget forwards. With the Cherries facing a trip to Stoke and home tie against Watford in the next two Gameweeks, Wilson’s 27.9% ownership looks set for continued growth.
Ritchie (now 5.7) showcased his attacking potential with a sensational long-range volley, yet the emergence of Wilson makes him a peripheral target for non-owners. Moreover, the Cherries’ schedule beyond Gameweek 8 (mci, TOT, sou, NEW, swa, EVE, che, MUN) throws up a bevy of challenging match-ups, heightening the risk of sourcing differentials from the south-coast club.
Charlie Daniels (three bonus) and Simon Francis (two bonus) were the chief beneficiaries of Bournemouth’s first clean sheet of the season, reflecting the continuing trend of full-backs scoring highly on the bonus points system.
Ighalo Punishes Beleaguered Magpies
Odion Ighalo netted a first-half brace to ensure that Watford claimed their second win on the bounce. The 5.0-priced frontman has registered four goals this campaign and three in his last two outings, strengthening his case for investment ahead of an agreeable run of fixtures for the Hornets (CRY, bou, ARS, sto, WHU, lei). Troy Deeney, meanwhile, notched his second assist in as many appearances, having dropped back into the number-ten role for those match-ups.
Although Watford failed to keep a clean sheet at St James’ Park, the fact they’ve conceded just five goals in six Gameweeks should encourage more Fantasy managers to recruit from their budget back line. Despite ranking fourth and fifth for Value among defenders this term, Allan Nyom and Craig Cathcart (both 4.5) rest around the 1% ownership mark, making them
attractive differentials.
Janmaat Provides Consolation
Daryl Janmaat – one of our differentials this Gameweek – netted a consolation goal for Newcastle just after the hour-mark, with Moussa Sissoko turning provider for his first assist since February. The Magpies ultimately fell to their fourth defeat in five matches, meaning they’ve now tasted victory just once in their previous 17 league ties.
Janmaat – for the second week running – proved to be Steve McClaren’s best attacking outlet, recording two of the hosts’ five shots on target. Once the Toon’s clean-sheet prospects improve from Gameweek 9 (NOR, sun, STO, bou, LEI), the Dutch right-back could represent great value at 4.9, considering that he’s chalked up two more attempts on target (five) than any defender in the league.
Bojan Sparkles On Return
Stoke stormed to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes by way of goals from Bojan Krkic (another of our three differentials) and Jonathan Walters (Jack Butland assist) but were pegged back in the second half by a spirited Foxes outfit. The Potters are still without a win this term but are capable of putting a run together over their next five fixtures (BOU, avl, swa, WAT, new).
Bojan lasted 81 minutes in his first start of the season and made an instant impact, running onto Marko Arnautovic’s pinpoint through ball to slot coolly past Kasper Schmeichel. The Catalonian primarily operates from the number-ten berth, so his classification as a forward in the Fantasy Premier League is detrimental to his prospects. Nonetheless, a budget 5.3 price point will certainly loosen a few purse strings as the Staffordshire club prepare to play host to the Cherries next time out.
Mahrez and Vardy Combine Again
For the second Gameweek in succession, Leicester recovered from a two-goal deficit to secure a result. Riyad Mahrez (penalty) and Jamie Vardy both netted in the second half to restore parity, with the former bagging the assist for the Vardy’s determined strike. Danny Drinkwater also etched his name onto the scoreboard, notching his second assist in as many outings.
Now with five goals and three assists to his name, Mahrez looks destined to breach the 50% ownership mark in the coming days. His 0.8 price rise (starting value: 5.5) should serve as little deterrent for non-owners, given that the Algerian winger lays claim to seven goals and three assists across his last nine league outings.
Not to be outdone, Vardy has scored in three consecutive starts and ranks second in the league-wide charts with four goals. Only Callum Wilson (36) has amassed more points than Vardy (31), who’s drawn just one blank in the first six Gameweeks. The new England call-up looks well on course to break his 2014/15 goal output (five), with the Foxes’ schedule beyond a home tie against Arsenal next Gameweek (nor, sou, CRY, wba, WAT, new) presenting a great platform for further attacking returns.
Swans Lack Bite
Swansea played out a 0-0 draw at home to Everton, forcing Tim Howard into just three saves throughout the match. Andre Ayew (one shot) was subdued against the Toffees, while Bafetimbi Gomis failed to find the net with his four strikes at goal.
The Welsh club’s schedule is a mixed bag over the next five Gameweeks (sou, TOT, STO, avl, ARS), so it will be fascinating to see how their prime attacking assets fare. Another blank at Southampton and both Ayew and Gomis will likely begin shedding owners at some pace.
Those Fantasy managers in possession of Lukasz Fabianski (10% ownership) and Ashley Williams (9% ownership) enjoyed the Swans’ second shut-out of the campaign. Garry Monk’s troops have conceded just four big chances so far this season, which underlines their steely resolve at the back, with Williams the major influence.
City The Latest Hammers Victim
Kevin De Bruyne scored the Sky Blues’ only goal of the evening as Manuel Pellegrini’s side slumped to a surprise home defeat to West Ham.
Having operated in the number ten berth in the absence of David Silva – who succumbed to a calf problem during the warm-up – the former Wolfsburg winger scooped three bonus points for his efforts, rendering him a handy differential for his early investors.
Sergio Aguero served up the assist for De Bruyne’s driven strike but was errant with his shooting – of the Argentine’s five attempts at goal (four inside the box), only one forced Adrian into a save. The 13.2-priced marksman is clearly not delivering on his big-ticket valuation, but Man City’s next trio of matches (tot, NEW, BOU) offers every reason to be optimistic. Indeed, Aguero will doubtless be looking ahead to the White Hart Lane showdown, considering that he’s netted eight goals in his past four starts against the North London outfit.
Allied to the loss, Man City’s rearguard was breached for the first time this campaign. Their chances of keeping a clean sheet were not aided by the absence of skipper Vincent Kompany. With Newcastle, Bournemouth and Norwich set to visit the Etihad over the next five Gameweeks, Sky Blues defensive coverage remains highly desirable.
Moses Strike The Catalyst
Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho were the architects of Man City’s downfall, propelling the Hammers into a 2-0 lead after 31 minutes. Although the former has delivered attacking returns in his first two starts for the Irons, the presence of Michail Antonio – who replaced the Chelsea loanee after an hour – increases the risk of lost minutes and even rotation left flank. Sakho recorded his second goal in three outings and is certainly worthy of consideration in the light of West Ham’s next batch of fixtures (NOR, sun, cry).
Dimitri Payet and Pedro Obiang were on hand for the assists. Payet racked up seven goals and 21 assists last term and is displaying that dual threat in abundance on his switch to the Premier League. With midfielders (and defenders) collecting the majority of the bonus points following the rule tweaks, the 7.6-priced Frenchman stands as an excellent route into a forward line that currently ranks joint-top – beside Leicester – for goals scored (13).
Payet was the most sought after FPL asset overnight, a factor that saw his price rise to 7.7 ahead of the home clash with Norwich.
