Budget forward Welbeck in form as Blades’ set-play woes bode well for Everton

BRIGHTON 1-1 SHEFFIELD UNITED

• Goals: Danny Welbeck (£5.5m)| Jayden Bogle (£4.3m)
• Assists: David McGoldrick (£5.2m)
• Bonus: Welbeck x3, Solly March (£5.0m) x2, Leandro Trossard (£5.8m) x1
• Red cards: John Lundstram (£5.0m)

ARE YOU WEL?

Danny Welbeck (£5.5m) came off the bench to rescue a point for Brighton against a ten-man Sheffield United in Gameweek 14.

The striker, who was rotated by Graham Potter amid the congested fixture calendar, was sent on to replace Neal Maupay (£6.1m) after 65 minutes.

A Brighton free-kick in the 88th minute was poorly dealt with by Sheffield United, as the ball hit off Chris Basham (£4.7m) before landing in front of Welbeck.

The budget forward made no mistake from extremely close range, while also mopping up three bonus points for his 1.4% ownership.

Welbeck has four attacking returns in over the past six Gameweeks and only made his first start for the Seagulls in Gameweek 8 after building up match fitness.

The striker does have plenty of competition in the Brighton ranks but Gameweek 14 was his first time on the bench since making Potter’s XI in Gameweek 8.

While another benching in either Gameweek 15 or 16 is very possible given that little more than 48 hours separates Albion’s next two fixtures, Welbeck is posing the Seagulls’ main goal threat at present – Aaron Connolly (£5.3m) and Neal Maupay (£6.1m) haven’t scored in the last ten Gameweeks – and he will likely start more games than not in the weeks ahead.

He was denied a second goal when his late, on-target header was cleared by Basham, with a follow-up effort from Alireza Jahanbakhsh (£5.4m) hitting the crossbar.

TROUBLE BREWS

Rhian Brewster (£4.5m) lasted just 53 minutes on his first start Sheffield United start since Gameweek 8.

A first-half red card for John Lundstram (£5.0m) may not have helped the budget striker’s chances of staying the course at the Amex.

But Brewster has only managed 90 minutes once so far in his fledgling Blades career.

While the ex-Liverpool forward may have looked a budget blessing for FPL bosses after his transfer to Bramall Lane, it appears that Brewster is currently more of a curse in Fantasy terms.

JOHN LUNGESTRAM

Former FPL hero John Lundstram (£5.0m) received a VAR-assisted red card late in the first half for a lunging, full-force tackle on Joel Veltman (£4.3m). The midfielder will miss the next three gameweeks.

Sander Berge (£5.0m) was sidelined in Gameweek 14 with a hamstring injury and is now a long-term injury loss for the Blades, as Wilder finds himself without two senior midfielders for Christmas.

“A real freak injury. He has ripped the tendon away from the bone.” – Wilder on Berge

John Fleck (£5.6m), however, is available after being hooked in the first half on tactical grounds. Wilder explained:

It wasn’t an injury to John, it was a tactical one. We wanted to get another body at the top of the pitch.

Lundstram’s dismissal forced Wilder into a 4-4-1 formation for a short period in second half, before Brewster’s substitution saw a return to a back five. As can happen when teams go down to 10 men, it was a case of Brighton attack versus Sheffield United defence in the second period.

The Blades’ plan to soak up pressure and counter attack when possible worked to perfection on 63 minutes as substitute Oliver Burke (£4.3m) found Enda Stevens (£5.1m) in the Brighton half.

The Ireland defender found the run of his countryman David McGoldrick (£5.2m), who slipped the ball across the box for Jayden Bogle (£4.3m).

The Premier League debutant, who replaced Brewster, saw his effort deflect off Adam Webster (£4.4m) before looping over Robert Sanchez (£4.4m) in the Brighton goal.

SET PLAY TO THE WHISTLE

Both of these sides play in Blank Gameweek 18, with the Blades welcoming Newcastle to Bramall Lane while the Seagulls face a trip to Manchester City.

That looks to be the next time FPL bosses will consider captaining a player facing either Brighton or Sheffield United, with Man City assets the standout picks on paper despite several lacklustre showings in attack.

Brighton’s defensive numbers, then, will be of keen interest over the coming Gameweeks but not much can be read into those statistics from this particular game considering the Seagulls’ numerical advantage.

Owners of Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.9m), meanwhile, will be pleased to see that Sheffield United conceded another eight shots from set plays against Brighton. The Toffees visit Bramall Lane in Gameweek 15.

On the missing Tariq Lamptey (£4.8m), Potter said pre-game:

Tariq has got a slight problem with his hamstring, so he’s ruled out of the game.

Brighton XI (3-4-2-1): R Sánchez; White (Zeqiri 71′), Webster, Dunk; March, Bissouma, Lallana, Veltman (Jahanbakhsh 46′); Trossard, Maupay (Welbeck 65′); Connolly.

Sheffield United XI (3-5-2): Ramsdale; J Robinson, Egan, Basham; Stevens, Fleck (Burke 32′), Ampadu, Lundstram, Baldock; McGoldrick (Osborn 70′), Brewster (Bogle 53′).

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Lessons learned from FPL Gameweek 14

• Crystal Palace 0-7 Liverpool
• Southampton 0-1 Manchester City
• Everton 2-1 Arsenal
• Newcastle United 1-1 Fulham
• Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Sheffield United
• Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Leicester City
• Manchester United 6-2 Leeds United
• West Bromwich Albion 0-3 Aston Villa
• Burnley 2-1 Wolves
• Chelsea 3-0 West Ham United