Dimitri Payet provides a pair of assists as West Ham overcome Man United to secure the points in their final home match at Upton Park. Anthony Martial recovers from injury to net twice for the beaten visitors. Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp confirms his plans to rotate over Liverpool’s final two domestic matches, whilst Ryan Bennett is back in contention as Norwich attempt to stave off relegation this evening.
Payet guides Hammers to comeback win
West Ham United bid farewell to the Boleyn Ground with a breathless 3-2 victory over Manchester United.
Dimitri Payet bagged a brace of assists, sating the legion of managers that bestowed him with the skipper’s armband. The Frenchman enjoyed his third double-figure haul in 12 match-ups, rendering him an enticing captaincy candidate ahead of a trip to Stoke City, who shipped 15 goals in their last five fixtures.
Staying within the Hammers’ midfield contingent, Manuel Lanzini ended a five-match barren streak with an assist, while Michail Antonio netted his first goal since Gameweek 29. The latter’s Fantasy appeal is still diminished by his continued deployment at right-back.
Having replaced Victor Moses on the right, Diafra Sakho went on to open the scoring, bolstering his case for another prominent role at the Britannia Stadium.
Winston Reid registered his maiden goal of the campaign, yet the Hammers’ defence proved leaky once again, conceding their fifth and sixth goals of the Gameweek. That being said, the Potters managed just three goals in their previous quintet of league ties, so a clean sheet could be on the cards in Staffordshire this weekend.
Martial at the double
Man United’s quest for a top-four berth was dealt a hammer blow following their defeat in the capital.
Anthony Martial finally delivered on his double Gameweek promise, propelling the visitors into the lead with a second-half brace before the late Hammers’ comeback. With regards to their creative output, Marcus Rashford (13,000 new owners) and Juan Mata (17,000 new owners) turned provider for a goal apiece. Tallying 16 points in two starts, Mata – who netted the winner at Norwich – emerged as Man United’s prime Fantasy asset during their double.
Last night’s result still leaves question marks over a couple of European places. United’s loss means Man City only need a draw at Swansea to clinch at least fourth, whilst the Red Devils need to beat Bournemouth on Sunday to ensure they remain ahead of West Ham in the race for fifth.
Although the FA Cup final takes place six days after the Red Devils’ swansong against the Cherries, this scenario may well force Louis van Gaal to field his strongest XI, which encourages Martial owners to retain the Frenchman’s services bearing in mind he’s scored or assisted in five of his last seven home league starts.
Mixed news for Toffees
In his pre-match press conference, Roberto Martinez revealed that Gareth Barry is expected back for Everton’s trip to Sunderland tonight but confirmed he expects a trio of players to remain sidelined:
“I don’t expect Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka or Gerard Deulofeu [to be fit]. They will have a little fitness test for the weekend but I don’t think they are going to be available for tomorrow.”
The Scout Says: The state of the Toffees’ beleaguered back line will be music to the ears of Jermain Defoe’s 11% ownership as the Black Cats endeavour to record a victory that will secure their top-flight survival. Defoe has already come up trumps for the 92,000 Fantasy managers that recruited him prior to the double, having notched his third goal in four starts on the weekend. Considering that the marksman ranks third for attempts (15) and joint-fourth for shots inside the box (12) among forwards in his previous four starts, he’s well placed to bolster his tally against an Everton rearguard that conceded the joint-second-most goals (nine), most shots inside the box (63) and joint-most big chances (13) across their last four outings.
Defensive boost for Canaries
Ahead of Norwich’s home match with Watford tonight, Alex Neil confirmed that Ryan Bennett is available for selection again after returning to full fitness:
“Ryan will be in the squad for the game. We’ve had to make do without Ryan for the past couple of games which has been disappointing which has limited us to the fact there wasn’t a choice at centre back as we only had two players fit.”
The Scout Says: It’s fair to say that Norwich have been in dire form of late, posting four consecutive blanks and zero clean sheets in their previous five match-ups as they sink closer to the Championship. As such, Troy Deeney’s 42,000 new suitors will be expecting a productive evening from the 5.3 priced frontman at Carrow Road. Underlining his upturn in form, only five forwards mustered more penalty-box touches (17) and shots inside the box (six) than Deeney across their last two outings. A strong showing against the Canaries should convince his 7% ownership to keep faith for the Hornets’ home tie against Sunderland next weekend, particularly if the Wearsiders are safe and, hence, potentially lacking motivation.
Klopp confirms rotation plans
Jurgen Klopp intimated he’ll recall his first-teamers for Liverpool’s home encounter against Chelsea tonight before ringing the changes for their weekend trip to West Brom:
“Most of the players who will play tomorrow will have had a normal week – playing last Thursday and then Wednesday. We will have fresh legs again for Sunday. We can’t say: ‘stay at home and wait for the final’. You need to be in good shape. What I have learned is to rotate. I’m quite good!”
The Scout Says: Given that Klopp stated his intent to start individuals that featured against Villarreal, we can expect the likes of Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge to be welcomed back into the starting XI for the Merseysiders’ final home match of the season. Whilst that’s good news for those who invested in Liverpool’s first-choice players, their manager’s plans for the weekend may well spark an exodus after this evening’s match has passed. Bearing in mind that Liverpool’s Europa League final showdown against Sevilla takes place just three days after their trip to the Hawthorns, Klopp is unlikely to take any chances with his preferred players against Tony Pulis’ team on Sunday.
