FPL midfielders deployed in defence while Liverpool score seven

Two Fantasy Premier League midfielders were deployed as defenders in their respective clubs’ first pre-season matches.

Those hoping to sign either Ryan Sessegnon (£6.5m) or Artur Masuaku (£4.5m) will be disappointed to see their how managers look set to use them this season, although of course it’s early days just yet.

Elsewhere, there was some experimentation at Southampton and Liverpool ran wild at Chrester, while some of the bargain bucket options at Fulham found the net against Crawley.

FULHAM 4-2 CRAWLEY TOWN

Despite being classified as a midfielder in FPL, Ryan Sessegnon (£6.5m) was deployed as a left-back as Fulham beat Crawley 4-2 in their first pre-season fixture.

The 18-year-old was not involved in any of the goals but did threaten with his crosses into the box.

Crawley took the lead through Ollie Palmer in the ninth minute but Mattias Kait soon equalised after latching onto an insightful Stefan Johansen (£5.5m) pass.

After a complete rotation of all 11 players at half-time Floyd Ayite (£4.5m), playing on the flanks of a 4-3-3, scored a 25-yard free-kick.

A Tom Cairney (£5.0m) corner was then headed in by Marcelo Djalo before Rui Fonte (£4.5m) played in Neeskens Kebano (£4.5m), also playing as a wide-forward, to make it 4-1.

Thomas Verheydt lobbed Taye Ashby-Hammond shortly after as Crawley pressed late on.

FULHAM FIRST-HALF XI (4-3-3): Rodak; R Sessegnon, Jenz, Odoi, Christie; Johansen, O’Riley, de la Torre; Thorsteinsson, Kait, Kamara.

FULHAM SECOND-HALF XI (4-3-3): Ashby-Hammond; S Sessegnon, Ream, Djalo, Fossey; Francois, Cisse, Cairney; Kebano, Fonte, Ayite.

FC Winterthur 3-2 West Ham United

Artur Masuaku (£4.5m) played at left-back as Andy Carroll (£5.5m) missed a penalty in West Ham’s 3-2 defeat to FC Winterthur on Sunday.

Masuaku has been reclassified as a midfielder in FPL this season after he spent some time operating as a left-winger in 2017/18. However, 45 minutes spent back in defence before being replaced at half-time by Ryan Fredericks (£5.0m) in Switzerland will likely curtail any interest in the player, in spite of his low price.

Leading the line for the first of two XIs that were entirely swapped at the interval, Carroll did find the net in the match, though. Edimilison Fernandes (£4.5m) played a ball across the six-yard box in the 33rd minute for the striker to slot home on the line and equalise.

The Hammers had fell behind in the 25th minute when Calla stole a yard on Masuaku in the box and headed past Adrian.

The hosts regained the lead in the 39th minute when a ball over the defence was slotted into the net by Manuel Sutter.

It was right-back Pablo Zabaleta (£4.5m) who won the penalty in the 43rd minute before Carroll’s effort was saved.

Winterthur extended their lead to 3-1 in the second-half when Angelo Ogbonna (£4.5m) undercooked his cushioned header back to goalkeeper Nathan Trott, which was pounced upon by Gele.

Forward Jordan Hugill (£5.0m) was fouled in the box with five minutes to go and this time Mark Noble (£5.0m) dispatched the penalty.

Although part of the training group in Switzerland, Michail Antonio (£7.0m) and Winston Reid (£4.5m) missed out on the match as they continue rehabilitation from hamstring and knee injuries respectively, while Aaron Cresswell (£5.5m) was unavailable too, having suffered a minor groin injury.

WEST HAM FIRST-HALF XI (4-2-3-1): Adrian; Masuaku, Rice, Oxford, Zabaleta; Coventry, Obiang; Holland, Fernandes, Haksabanovic; Carroll.

WEST HAM SECOND-HALF XI (4-2-3-1): Trott; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Byram; Noble, Cullen; Snodgrass, Browne, Samuelsen; Hugill.

FC Schalke 04 3-3 Southampton

Southampton experimented with three at the back as they drew 3-3 with Schalke in China on Thursday.

Yevhen Konoplyanka put Schalke ahead in the 21st minute as his deflected shot looped over goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (£4.5m).

Good hold-up play from Charlie Austin (£6.0m) on the stroke of half-time got Southampton back into the game. He received the ball on the edge of the box and found Nathan Redmond’s (£5.5m) advancing run beyond him, who slotted home to equalise.

The Saints took the lead just after half-time when a brilliant sweeping cross-field ball from Jordy Clasie was collected by Harrison Reed (neither player in FPL yet) on the right-flank. He shrugged of the attention of a defender and poked under the goalkeeper for 2-1.

Suat Serdar equalised for Schalke shortly after, a powerful strike from range just out of Fraser Forster’s (£4.5m) reach.

Reed turned the provider for Southampton’s third, his short pass in the box teed up Jake Hesketh’s curling shot from just outside the area, deflected into the net by Benjamin Stambouli.

Schalke struck late to salvage a draw as Forster was beaten from range again, this time by Steven Skrzybski.

SOUTHAMPTON FIRST-HALF XI (3-5-2): McCarthy, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand; Targett, Armstrong, Lemina, Hojberg, Long; Redmond, Austin.

SOUTHAMPTON SECOND-HALF XI (3-5-2): Forster; McQueen, Valery, Romeu; Sims, Clasie, Ward-Prowse, Hesketh, Reed; Gabbiadini, Gallagher.

CHESTER 0-7 LIVERPOOL

Fabinho (£6.0m) and Naby Keita (£7.5m) were involved as Liverpool started their pre-season campaign with a routine 7-0 win over Chester.

The new pair did not play together though, each one used in differing line-ups used in the first and second halves.

Harry Wilson scored twice, in the 40th and 47th minute to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead at half-time, Alberto Moreno (£4.5m) and Curtis Jones getting the assists.

After the complete rotation of the starting XI, James Milner (£5.5m) scored a second-half penalty and Daniel Sturridge (not yet in FPL) slotted home after Naby Keita (£7.5m) put pressure on the Chester defence.

Ryan Kent smashed in a fifth from the left-flank before Milner’s flick in the box was driven into the bottom corner by Danny Ings (£5.5m). Sturridge rounded off the route by bending in an effort from the edge of the box.

LIVERPOOL FIRST-HALF XI (4-2-3-1): Karius; Moreno, Phillips, Gomez, Clyne; Jones, Fabinho; Wilson, Solanke, Woodburn; Origi.

LIVERPOOL SECOND-HALF XI: Ward; Robertson, Klavan, Phillips (Chirivella), Camacho, Milner, Keita, Kent, Ojo, Ings, Sturridge.