Chelsea win but almost blow it against Crystal Palace, while it’s all sweetness and light for Newcastle and the exact opposite at West Ham.
More than 104,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers made Willian Gameweek 30’s third most purchased player and he didn’t disappoint in the 2-1 victory over Palace.
The Brazilian scored for the second time in three Gameweeks, from an N’Golo Kante assist, and now has four goals and three assists in his last six starts.
Davide Zappacosta was unlucky not to pick up extra points when his goal-bound shot was blocked by Martin Kelly and hit both Wayne Hennessey and Kelly again before ending up in the net.
That turned out to be the winner as Palace grabbed a late goal when Patrick van Aanholt finished smartly from Wilfried Zaha’s pass to consign Chelsea to a third straight match without a clean sheet – and the fifth time in six Gameweeks.
The Blues should have been home and hosed long before then anyway, with Hennessey forced into seven saves to keep out a dominant home side.
Olivier Giroud was preferred to Alvaro Morata up front – suggesting that the latter will be starting the midweek Champions League tie in Barcelona – and the Frenchman should have scored at least twice.
He was denied by one superb goal-line clearance from James Tomkins and also hit the post, while Eden Hazard set up Giroud’s first big chance and missed one of his own in a busy display for only three points – he was off the field by the time Palace scored.
Chelsea will likely have a double Gameweek 34, involving trips to Burnley and Southampton, which should encourage investment in Willian, Hazard and even Marcos Alonso as the fixtures should involve at least one clean sheet.
But the Blues will have a blank Gameweek 35 if they see off Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, which would serve up another double, probably in Gameweek 37, involving home matches with Liverpool and Huddersfield.
The return of Zaha, a half-time substitute for Christian Benteke, was the headline news for the Eagles and the 3.6%-owned midfielder could now become a Gameweek 31 differential as Roy Hodsgon’s men travel to Huddersfield.
Another who might be worth a look is van Aanholt, who made it back-to-back goals for his 1.1% ownership.
Newcastle see off sorry Saints
Chelsea loanee Kenedy is currently Gameweek 30’s top scorer after his a brace and maximum bonus brought in 16 points as Newcastle swept past Southampton 3-0.
They were the Brazilian’s first goals on his sixth start for the Magpies, with assists coming from Jonjo Shelvey and Marcus Gayle – the third return in four Gameweeks from the latter.
Shelvey also set up Newcastle’s third goal for Matt Ritchie.
It was a second straight clean sheet at home for Rafa Benitez’s side, but a blank Gameweek 31 and a probable double Gameweek 34 involving Arsenal and Spurs is unlikely to tempt many managers into investment.
Their assets are considerably more attractive than Southampton’s, however.
The Saints are porous at the back, with one clean sheet in nine matches, and toothless up top, where they’ve scored just once in four Gameweeks.
They too have a blank next and a probable double Gameweek 34 that pairs a visit from Chelsea with a vital away match at Swansea City.
Their woeful form and fixtures with both Arsenal and Man City in the run-in do not bode well and they remain an investment-free zone for FPL managers.
All disquiet on the West Ham front
Three straight losses, pitch invasions and angry protests directed at the club’s owners – things are turning toxic at West Ham.
The 3-0 home defeat by Burnley means that the Hammers have now shipped 11 goals in the last three Gameweeks and just one win in seven keeps them firmly in the relegation mixer.
Marko Arnautovic was back as the lone striker, with Chicharito benched, but the 29,000+ managers who sold the Austrian before yesterday’s deadline chose wisely as he blanked for a third successive match.
Burnley were ruthless in their exploitation of the feral atmosphere inside the London Stadium.
Their opener, Ashley Barnes’ third straight goal, prompted the first set of fans to invade the pitch, but it didn’t distract the Clarets one bit.
Once the discontent had died down enough for the match to continue, Chris Wood made it 2-0 just four minutes later, and things turned increasingly ugly from then on.
The striker went on to score another and now has three goals from a mere 74 minutes of pitch-time – all from the bench – since returning from injury.
The win marked Burnley’s first clean sheet since Gameweek 21, with goalkeeper Nick Pope (9.9%) claiming one save and two bonus points for a nine-point haul overall.
He now has 18 bonus points for the season – four more than any other stopper.
Sean Dyche’s side are in line for a double Gameweek 34 involving home matches with Leicester City and Chelsea. The fact that they’ll also feature in Gameweek 35, away at Stoke City, further adds to the appeal of their assets.
Wood and Barnes are in-form and pleasingly cheap (6.2 and 5.2 respectively), while Pope is probably the best defensive option to consider, although the fit-again Tom Heaton might yet have something to say about that.
