Dimitri Nicolaou has finally been crowned Fantasy Premier League (FPL) champion for 2015/16 after Manchester United and Bournemouth belatedly brought the curtain down on the season last night.
A member of the Fantasy Football Scout league, Dimitri went into the Old Trafford match level with Jack Manners and eight points clear of Ed Masters after the latter pair clawed back significant ground thanks to a 26-point haul from captain Sadio Mane in Southampton’s win over Palace on Sunday.
Dimitri, meanwhile, was left on edge after the decision to play his All Out Attack chip backfired when Jurgen Klopp opted to leave Philippe Coutinho out of Liverpool’s clash with West Brom on Sunday.
Louis van Gaal’s full-strength team sheet eased Dimitri’s fears. Whereas Jack had no players in last night’s match, Dimitri was able to call upon both Chris Smalling and Marcus Rashford for the showdown against Eddie Howe’s side. Ed, meanwhile, was banking on a standout performance from his sole representative, David de Gea, to stand any chance of clambering to the summit.
Smalling did little to help Dimitri’s cause, though. His late own goal not only denied De Gea a share of the Golden Glove and scuppered Ed’s prospects, it saw the centre-half register zero points in the 3-1 home win.
Instead, it was left to Rashford to help seal victory for the new champion. The youngster’s goal and two bonus points earned his owners eight points and saw Dimitri succeed Simon March as the latest to claim the FPL title.
Congratulations go to Dimitri, then, who can now breathe easy after a nerve-jangling 48 hours brought on by Sunday’s postponement. A special mention also goes to Ed – a site regular who posts under the name “Mo Mane Mo Problems”, he finished top of the Fantasy Football Scout members league – whilst Jake Yates also made it another successful season for the site by taking fourth overall.
