Scout Notes – United Leave It Late

A five-goal thriller at Selhurst Park is decided by an unlikely hero for Man United, who banish a wretched first-half display to seal a last-gasp victory.

Romelu Lukaku headed to Selhurst Park as the third most captained player for Gameweek 29 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), backed by 10.4% with the armband.

Like the top two captains, Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane, the Belgian also found the net, extending the upturn in form that has now harvested five goals and an assist in his last six outings across all competitions.

Having also netted against Chelsea last time out, Lukaku has racked up 20 points in the last two matches.

He has now scored in successive league matches for the first time since Gameweek 18 and earned bonus points in back-to-back fixtures for the first time since Gameweek 6.

In midfield, Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba supplied an assist apiece, though Jesse Lingard failed to profit from a return to the starting line-up. Snapped up by 43,000+ for Gameweek 29 after his winner against Chelsea, he has now scored just one goal in his last eight starts.

Elsewhere, it was a night where the differentials made their presence felt.

After falling two goals behind, Chris Smalling (4.4% owned) netted the visitors’ first before Nemanja Matic picked the perfect time to fire his first goal since arriving at Old Trafford to clinch the points late on.

While Smalling and Antonio Valencia (with his first assist of 2017/18) atoned for the lack of a clean sheet, David De Gea’s 44% owners were left with just a single point to show – his lowest return since Gameweek 20.

Indeed, it’s now one shut-out in the last five league fixtures for Jose Mourinho’s men, who had racked up four straight clean sheets prior to that.

The short-term schedule – clashes with Liverpool and Man City in addition to a blank Gameweek 31 in the next four rounds of fixtures – hardly look conducive for points at either end of the pitch.

That match with the Merseysiders takes place three days before their crucial Champions League second-leg clash with Sevilla, with rotation looking very unlikely for either match.

United’s progress in Europe will determine how we assess their prospects over the run-in. Should they progress past the La Liga outfit, the first leg of the quarter finals would take place in the midweek before their league trip to the Etihad – a match where City could conceivably clinch the title.

An exit to Sevilla, though, would lessen the chances of rotation and boost their appeal for those looking to Wildcard in Gameweek 32.

Palace down but not out

Three minutes into the second-half, Roy Hodgson’s side commanded a 2-0 lead that would have taken them into thirteenth place in the Premier League.

Instead, they remain rooted in the drop zone after Matic’s long-range effort denied them of any points.

Nonetheless, for long periods the Eagles out-battled and out-thought their opponents with a performance that still offers optimism for their survival chances.

Christian Benteke’s assist for Andros Townsend’s opener maintained a remarkable run of form for the Palace target man.

Having managed just a single goal and assist in the opening 21 Gameweeks, Benteke has now served up attacking returns in seven of the last eight league matches.

With Wilfried Zaha still edging his way towards a return, Benteke looks the go-to option for those wielding Free Hit Chips for the restricted Gameweek 31, where Palace make their way to Huddersfield.

Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that he’s bagged a goal and assist in each of his last two visits to Palace’s weekend hosts, Chelsea.

Despite the nature of last night’s defeat, the schedule from Gameweek 33 onwards (bou BHA wat LEI sto WBA) shows that all is not lost for the Selhurst Park outfit, though the lack of a double Gameweek means they are likely to remain differentials.

Certainly, with a single clean sheet in eight, Hodgson’s men have offered little in the way of defensive returns, though Patrick van Aanholt offered a belated reminder of his threat by bagging his first of the season, with the fit-again Jeffrey Schlupp – utilised as a left winger in a 4-4-2 – providing the assist.