We take a look back at the two UEFA Champions League matches involving English sides on Tuesday evening, with the focus on the Fantasy assets of both Manchester clubs.
Manchester City produced a slick away performance in Ukraine as they saw off Shakhtar Donetsk, but their cross-city rivals once again flattered to deceive as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Juventus.
We’ve all the relevant goals, assists, injury news, Fantasy talking points and managers quotes from last night’s European fixtures.
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-3 Manchester City
- Goals: David Silva (£8.5m), Aymeric Laporte (£5.8m), Bernardo Silva (£7.6m)
- Assists: Gabriel Jesus (£10.2m), Kevin De Bruyne (£9.7m), Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m)
Sergio Aguero (£11.3m) remained an unused substitute as Manchester City cantered to victory in Ukraine last night.
The 51.7% of Fantasy Premier League managers who own Aguero would also perhaps have been heartened by the performance of Gabriel Jesus (£10.2m) in attack, who linked up admirably well with the team-mates around him but who once again failed to convince when presented with a goal-scoring opportunity – only one of the Brazilian’s six shots forced home goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov into a save.
One of Jesus’ blocked efforts inadvertently turned into an assist for David Silva (£8.5m) to open the scoring on 30 minutes and the little Spaniard was once again instrumental in City’s attacks, delivering another midfield masterclass after his equally impressive display against Burnley in Gameweek 9.
Pep Guardiola was full of praise for his player after the match:
At Hoffenheim, he was the best player on the pitch, and his performances in the last month have been incredible.
He scored the last goal then, and the first one now. He does everything perfect. Another incredible performance from David.
Silva’s volleyed strike came just minutes after he had struck the Shakhtar post from a Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m) cross and only Jesus had more shots than the long-serving midfielder last night – another of which clipped the bar early on. No player could match Silva’s tally of five key passes, meanwhile, and on this form the former Spanish international represents tremendous value at £8.5m in FPL.
One of the negatives to Silva’s appeal as an FPL asset is the competition he faces in central midfield, with the fit-again Kevin De Bruyne (£9.7m) adding to Guardiola’s options after getting 69 minutes under his belt alongside Silva and Fernandinho (£5.4m) in the City manager’s fluid 4-3-3 formation.
De Bruyne was understandably not quite at his best but his performance was full of the usual lung-busting runs and defence-splitting passes, the Belgian also back on set-piece duties and collecting an assist for Aymeric Laporte‘s (£5.8m) headed goal to put City 2-0 up.
Guardiola commented on De Bruyne’s performance after full-time:
He played good. In the second half he tired, we controlled the game. They played better in the second half, we had problems and he had to run more.
He was two months out injured but the way he played and his quality was good. Now he’ll be better for the next game. His physical condition will improve.
With six days to recover before City play Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 10, De Bruyne could feasibly start again at Wembley on Monday evening but it may be that Bernardo Silva (£7.6m) – the fall guy in the engine room last night – comes back into the starting XI for that encounter with Mauricio Pochettino’s troops.
Bernardo scored within a minute of taking to the field as a replacement for De Bruyne, latching onto to Mahrez’s pass to rifle past Pyatov for City’s third goal.
Mahrez was once again selected on the right flank and produced some excellent touches and passes as City mounted wave after wave of attack, though his occasional wasteful finishing was once again in evidence as he spurned two excellent opportunities before Silva broke the deadlock.
Having been rested for the victory over Sean Dyche’s side, Raheem Sterling (£11.2m) was back in the starting XI at the expense of Leroy Sane (£9.2m) on the left wing.
The England winger was perhaps the pick of City’s front three, causing panic amongst the home defence with his dribbles and striking the bar in stoppage time. Sterling also provided the “big chance” that Mahrez dragged wide on 22 minutes.
Benjamin Mendy (£6.3m) also carved out an excellent opportunity for Mahrez and forced Pyatov into a save from distance, though his energetic display down the left flank was somewhat tempered by his occasionally wayward crossing.
John Stones (£5.3m) filled in admirably at right-back again, with him and the excellent Laporte and Nicolas Otamendi (£6.1m) helping City to yet another clean sheet. Ederson (£5.7m), indeed, had precious little to do all evening.
Kyle Walker (£6.6m) was given a ten-minute run-out on his return from a groin injury, meanwhile.
Guardiola was full of praise for his side after the match:
Incredible. Our first half was the best we have played in the last three seasons since I’ve been here. We were outstanding, we created a lot of chances.
Manchester City XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Stones (Walker 80′), Otamendi, Laporte, Mendy; Fernandinho, De Bruyne (Bernardo Silva 69′), David Silva; Mahrez, Jesus (Foden 87′), Sterling.
Manchester United 0-1 Juventus
Romelu Lukaku (£10.9m), without a goal in FPL since Gameweek 5 and on an eight-match drought in all competitions, was backed by his manager to return to form after Manchester United’s meek surrender to Juventus but Jose Mourinho acknowledged that the Belgian striker is struggling at the moment.
Speaking to the media, Mourinho said:
No criticism at all. But I have to agree his moment is not sweet.
A complete understanding that the player is a fantastic professional that wants to give everything.
Not just with the goals he is not scoring but also in his confidence, in his movement, his touch. He is not linking the game well with the team.
But he is our striker and he a is a good striker we believe in. Could I play Rashford there? But then I don’t have a winger as in this moment we have a difficult situation.
Romelu is a hard-working guy and a good professional. One day the goals will arrive and the confidence will be back.
Lukaku had only one shot last night, with even that effort being blocked before it could trouble Wojciech Szczesny in the Juventus goal.
Lukaku’s control and passing accuracy were awry yesterday evening and he had fewer touches than any starting outfield player at Old Trafford, but he wasn’t helped by the three midfielders supporting him in attack: only Anthony Martial (£7.3m) dirtied Szczesny’s gloves as Juan Mata (£6.2m) and Marcus Rashford (£6.7m) toiled in Mourinho’s 4-2-3-1.
Paul Pogba (£8.0m) represented what little goal threat United could muster, striking the post with the hosts’ only real opportunity of the game.
That David de Gea (£5.8m) and Victor Lindelof (£4.8m) were the Red Devils’ best players said much about how much an admittedly imperious Juventus side dominated, with de Gea making a handful of stops to keep his side in the game and Lindelof producing perhaps his best display of 2018/19.
Mourinho praised the Swedish defender and Chris Smalling (£5.8m) after the match, also bemoaning the lack of quality in his squad:
It’s not also easy because many of the players they belong to these top teams.
So we work with what we have, try to improve what we have. Today, I have to say Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof had a very positive game. I think it’s the first time Lindelof played a game of this dimension.
We work, we work hard, try to improve our players but quality is quality. Quality in football is everywhere. When I say quality I don’t just say creative players, Chiellini and Bonucci, it is absolutely beautiful to see.
That United have kept only one clean sheet in the league all season (none at home) deters investment in their defence, of course, and should be of encouragement for owners of Everton’s attacking assets ahead of the Toffees’ trip to Old Trafford in Gameweek 10.
Luke Shaw (£5.1m) and Ashley Young (£5.7m) were once again preferred at full-back with Antonio Valencia (£6.5m) – who has had mouth surgery – and Diogo Dalot (£5.3m) unavailable to their manager.
Marcos Rojo (£4.9m), Phil Jones (£5.2m), Marouane Fellaini (£5.0m), Jesse Lingard (£6.7m) and Scott McTominay (£4.3m) also missed out, with rumours circulating that an aggravated groin injury was the reason for Alexis Sanchez’s (£10.0m) absence.
Mourinho bemoaned Fellaini’s unavailability after full-time, highlighting the important role that the towering Belgian international plays in not only protecting the back four but in his aerial prowess up top:
I really missed Fellaini because when we are dominant, we are playing in the opponents’ half and the opponent closes the way they did, and they brought [Andrea] Barzagli as a third centre-back, Fellaini is a player that gives us different things.
The United boss also explained why he didn’t make a single substitute last night:
Bear in mind Sanchez was in the stand. Lingard was in the stand. Fellaini may have been in the stand or at home as I didn’t see him.
The only real attacking option was a young 18-year-old lad [Chong] who has never played in the first team before. Given the dynamic of the game, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to bring him on.
You can’t expect a kid making his debut in a game like this to give you something like scoring a goal. So that’s why I didn’t make any changes on the pitch.
Manchester United XI (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Young, Lindelof, Smalling, Shaw; Pogba, Matic; Rashford, Mata, Martial; Lukaku.
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