Manchester United and their new star man are just about convincing in a win over Huddersfield, while Bournemouth keep up the good work and the Swansea City revival rolls on.
Jose Mourinho’s attempt to harness the talents of Alexis Sanchez produced results, with the January arrival scoring in a stodgy 2-0 win.
The Chilean was once again on the left-flank, though Mourinho’s teamsheet was far from predictable elsewhere, with Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba dropping to the bench following Wednesday’s humbling defeat to Spurs.
That pair were the most purchased United players for Gameweek 26, with 97,000+ and 74,000+ new Fantasy Premier League (FPL) owners respectively.
They had to make do with cameos from the bench in a win secured by goals from Romelu Lukaku, who turned in Juan Mata’s superb cross, and Sanchez.
It was the Belgian striker’s second strike in four starts, though Lukaku is still failing to meet the expectations of an 11.3-priced asset.
But all eyes were on the even more pricey Sanchez (11.8) as he marked his home debut with six shots, three chances created and a first United goal.
The fact that it arrived from a penalty he missed was not exactly how his 271,000+ ownership would have liked to see things played out – particularly the 31.6% of them who had trusted Sanchez with the armband.
Sanchez produced five points which, in light of Aguero’s blank, may yet stand up as a reasonable captain return.
It was, in truth, rather apt in a wasteful display from Sanchez which saw him surrender possession 32 times – more than any other United player has managed in a single match all season.
That hampered his chances of benefiting in the Bonus Points System (BPS), with the bonus instead going to Chris Smalling (two) and Marcos Rojo (one), while visiting keeper Jonas Lossl secured the maximum thanks to his initial penalty stop and four other saves.
Sanchez’s 4.8% ownership should also have some doubts on the midfielder benefitting from further spot-kick returns. Jose Mourinho suggested post-match that he only took on duties thanks to Pogba’s generosity.
“(The penalty-taking decision) was between him and Paul. I think Paul was a nice guy to him and understood that it would be important to score, so he let him take the penalty.”
Rojo started at centre-back as Phil Jones, at 16.8% the most popular United defender, was left out of the squad.
The England international had started the previous nine Gameweeks and, while it was reported on social media prior to the match that this may have been due to illness, there was no such confirmation from Mourinho or the club. Other reports merely suggest that Jones was one of those dropped following the abject display against Spurs.
The equally popular Jesse Lingard (16.7%) did start, but blanked for the fourth successive Gameweek despite firing in four efforts on goal. That form has prompted more than 24,000 managers to make him the second most sold player for Gameweek 27, with Pogba not far behind.
Security of starts for many is now an issue, and United’s schedule involves visits from both Chelsea and Liverpool over the next four Gameweeks, so sales look like being the trend for Mourinho’s men for now.
However, with a trip to Newcastle next, there is some merit in perhaps waiting on another Mourinho teamsheet.
Wilson blanks in Bournemouth win
Bournemouth made it seven league matches unbeaten with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Stoke City.
But the Cherries’ top owned asset, Callum Wilson (9.1%), failed to live up to his pre-Gameweek billing.
The striker blanked to frustrate the 224,000+ managers who made him the second most bought asset ahead of yesterday’s deadline.
It was left to Lys Mousset and Josh King to secure the win, with Jordon Ibe registering an assist, although Bournemouth’s schedule (hud NEW lei TOT WBA wat CRY) suggests that Wilson’s ownership have plenty of opportunities to benefit from their acquisition.
A hamstring injury to Steve Cook forced coach Eddie Howe to switch from a 3-4-2-1 to a back four and could lead to a more permanent rethink of a system that has worked so well in recent weeks.
It meant that Ryan Fraser and Charlie Daniels operated as full-backs for much of Saturday’s match, reducing their influence in the final third.
The Cherries defence have now kept just two clean sheets at the Vitality Stadium in 13 attempts, while their Gameweek 25 shut-out at Stamford Bridge was their first in 13 Gameweeks.
Even so, Daniels remains a worthy target for the upcoming scheduled, with club skipper Simon Francis – at just 4.3 – the frugal choice in Howe’s rearguard.
As for the Potters, new boss Paul Lambert’s clean-sheet streak ended at two, but their most popular asset, Xherdan Shaqiri (7.9%), rewarded his ownership with a fine performance.
The Swiss midfielder opened the scoring – belated reward for the 145,000 managers who had swooped for him ahead of a Gameweek 25 blank – and two bonus brought in an eight-point haul which was his second-best tally of the season.
The playmaker is set to remain in squads ahead of a home fixture with Brighton, with a four-match run from Gameweek 30 – involving Man City, Arsenal and Spurs – the point where the charms of the likes of Theo Walcott and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will likely see Shaqiri make way.
Foxes deal without Mahrez to a point
Leicester City coach Claude Puel reacted to the well-publicised absence of star turn Riyad Mahrez by handing Kelechi Iheancho a first start since Gameweek 8 and a league debut to starlet Fousseni Diabaté.
But it was left to old faithful Jamie Vardy to deliver the goods with a third goal in as many Gameweeks, and his fourth in five starts.
Iheanacho provided the assist, although whether that came from a pass or just a poor piece of control was up for debate, as the Foxes started strongly against Swansea City as if desperate to prove that Mahrez’s no-show was of little consequence.
The Swans, however, are showing increasing resilience, and they fought back to draw 1-1 thanks to a first goal of the season from defender Federico Fernandez, who headed home from a Ki Sung-yueng corner.
While Alfie Mawson (5.0) is considered the most profitable option in the Swans defence, his skipper Fernandez – at 4.4 – could prove a shrewd investment ahead of a favourable schedule (BUR bha WHU hud SOT) set fair until the end of March.
There are also cheap options available in Leicester’s rearguard.
However, Ben Chilwell (4.3) was replaced at left-back by Christian Fuchs on Saturday, again casting doubt on the security of his start. Instead, it could be fellow full-back Danny Simpson (4.3) – who came back in for Daniel Amartey at right-back – who could be the more assured budget option.
The Foxes have a very encouraging stretch of fixtures once next week’s trip to Man City is done. A home tie with Arsenal in Gameweek 31 is their only encounter with a top-six side up until a trip to Spurs on the final day.
It remains to be seen how much of a factor Mahrez will be over that run-in. Manager Claude Puel appeared in the dark on the Algerian’s status when questioned post-match.
“Today, just after the game, Riyad is not my preoccupation. My preoccupation is about my available players and to keep them in a positive attitude and to continue this good work.
My only feelings are about my available players, and as for Riyad we will see later.”
Mahrez would seem unlikely to return at the Etihad Stadium next weekend, with Fantasy managers seemingly leaving nothing to chance – he’s currently the most sold player of Gamweek 27.
