An Arsenal stalwart steals the show in the 5-1 destruction of Everton, while an old Brighton bandwagon is back in business and Southampton finally break their long winless streak.
All the hype ahead of Arsenal’s match with Everton surrounded new man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while most of the points ended up going to Aaron Ramsey.
The Gunners’ record signing did mark his debut with a sweetly-taken, albeit offside, goal to please the 93,000+ managers who paid 10.5 to secure his services.
Aubameyang shook off a midweek illness to take his place in the Gunners line-up, with Alexandre Lacazette dropping to the bench. That provided immediate indication that the Frenchman’s pitch time is now under severe threat.
Indeed, post-match, Wenger gave a hint that Lacazette’s best potential for starts could lie in what remains of Arsenal’s European campaign.
“I am very happy with him [Lacazette]. We could not afford to let Giroud, Walcott and Sanchez go and bring no one in. That is impossible. In the Europa League Aubameyang cannot play, there are all kinds of possibilities to give everyone games.”
While Aubameyang impressed, the stand-out performer in the 5-1 win was Ramsey, who scored his first ever hat-trick – from just three shots on goal – to bring in 20 points for his 3.2% ownership.
Rotation remains a concern for the Welshman as Jack Wilshere was back on the bench yesterday following a bout of illness, but Ramsey has surely cemented his starting role for now ahead of a schedule that eases hugely once back-to-back matches with Spurs and Man City pass.
Another midfielder to impress was Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose home debut involved creating three big chances, which then became three assists when all were converted by his new team-mates.
Some 52,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers brought the Armenian in for Gameweek 26 and he duly obliged with a season-best 13 points which harked back to happier times with Man United at the start of the campaign.
Despite the devilish double to come, the 7.7-priced Mkhitaryan, with 77,000+ new owners, is currently the most purchased player of Gameweek 27, with Ramsey (6.9) in third. In between the pair comes Aubameyang, who has claimed an extra 57,000 new managers.
The striker is understandably picking up traffic from Lacazette owners with almost 9000 making the swap. However, the biggest contributor to Aubameyang’s rising ownership is Sergio Aguero. Over 10,000 have already swapped out the Man City striker for the Gunners option following his Gameweek 26 blank at Burnley.
As for Arsenal’s defence, they again failed to keep a clean sheet – they’ve not managed one of those since Gameweek 18 now – although that didn’t stop defenders providing points once again, Laurent Koscielny scoring from a Shkodran Mustafi assist.
Nacho Monreal was rather less productive for his 127,000+ new owners, however.
The Spaniard was unlucky not to score for a third consecutive Gameweek when he hit the post, but he was then withdrawn at half-time when he felt unwell.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech also had a tough time of it, picking up a kick to his calf that led to him being replaced by David Ospina after 69 minutes.
Alex Iwobi provided Arsenal’s other assist.
Everton, meanwhile, continue to flounder at the back.
Manager Sam Allardyce’s decision to go with a defensive three, which meant a wing-back role for the returning Jonjoe Kenny with the fit-again Seamus Coleman rested back on Merseyside following his 90 minutes in midweek.
The change of system proved disastrous and Allardyce reverted to a back four after the break as the shaky Michael Keane was sacrificed.
The Everton manager branded his troops ‘pathetic’, but they did at least show some fight in the second half and substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin, on for Oumar Niasse up front, delivered a consolation goal when he headed home Cuco Martina’s cross.
Gameweek 26’s most purchased player, Theo Walcott, was denied a goal against his old club by a brilliant Mustafi block in an otherwise forgettable return to the Emirates.
The Toffees’ schedule (CRY wat bur BHA stk) remains attractive, their defending plain ugly.
No clean sheet and 15 goals shipped in six matches fails to inspire confidence in their defensive assets, with keeper Jordan Pickford the only Everton player worthy of some faith with those forthcoming fixtures in mind.
Good old days for Brighton
One of this season’s early bandwagons, Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross (5.8), rolled back the Gameweeks with a 13-point haul in the Seagulls’ 3-1 win over West Ham.
Still owned by 15.1% – although that’s well down on an ownership high of over 1.1 million – it was the German’s first strong return since Gameweek 19.
Gross scored, provided an assist and took home maximum bonus as Brighton won for the first time in seven matches. He also had five shots on goal and created four chances – only Alexis Sanchez has currently fired in more attempts among midfielder this Gameweek. He is currently the fourth most bought asset ahead of Gameweek 27 as managers turn back to the allure of his budget price tag.
Glenn Murray reacted to the capture of fellow forwards Jurgen Locadia and Leonardo Ulloa with a third goal in five matches, of which only four have been starts, with Jose Izquierdo also on the scoresheet thanks to an astonishing long-range effort.
The win was well-timed for Brighton, who travel to Stoke Cty and host Swansea City next before their schedule turns tough in the medium term and positively ugly (TOT bur MUN liv) over the final four Gameweeks of the season.
They were denied only a second clean sheet in seven Gameweeks when Chicharito scored for the Hammers, new signing Joao Mario providing the assist.
But West Ham’s defence is in even poorer shape, with no clean sheet in eight and 14 goals conceded over that period a major concern for manager David Moyes.
And the Hammers’ schedule – they have Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City to face before the end of the season – is unlikely to improve his outlook.
Southampton surprise the Baggies
Goals from Jack Stephens, James Ward-Prowse and Mario Lemina earned Southampton a first win since Gameweek 13 as they shocked West Brom 3-2 at The Hawthorns.
The Saints have been showing progress of late – this was their fourth straight league match unbeaten – and their schedule suggests there could be more joy to come once a Gameweek 27 visit from Liverpool is out of the way.
They’ll face Burnley, Stoke City, Newcastle, Swansea City and West Ham after that, although the Potters match is their only home fixture and the run finishes with a fourth straight road trip…to Arsenal.
Nonetheless, there are some assets well worthy of consideration, with Ward-Prowse’s goal and two assists from the last two Gameweeks excellent returns for his 5.0 price tag, while centre-half Stephens (4.5) has back-to-back goals to further his cause.
Then again, one clean sheet in 17 matches doesn’t exactly scream investment in the Saints backline.
Wesley Hoedt and Sofiane Boufal provided the other assists yesterday.
It was a bad day for the Baggies as boss Alan Pardew handed a debut to loan signing Daniel Sturridge at the expense of in-form forward Jay Rodriguez, who had managed two goals and an assist from his previous five starts and five goals in seven matches in all competitions.
Pardew gave us this justification in his post-match comments…
“I rested Jay because he’d done 90 minutes at Liverpool and a real stint at Man City. I just felt that Jay, coming on 20, 25 minutes at the end fresh might be better than doing it the other way where he’s had to grind out another 60, 70 minutes out.”
Cleary, with Salomon Rondon also an option and on the scoresheet on Saturday, we can expect rotation to continue in the Baggies frontline. Sturridge – given the likely loan fee and wages being paid to Liverpool – would seem the most secure option while fit.
Ahmed Hegazi also scored against the Saints – his first goal since Gameweek 1, with Chris Brunt’s crosses providing the assists for both West Brom’s goals.
Set-pieces and Brunt’s delivery – he has three assists in as many starts now – remain West Brom’s most potent threat in a schedule (che HUD wat LEI bou BUR SWA) of some promise.
