Everton 1-2 Burnley
- Goals: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.7m) | Chris Wood (£6.2m), Dwight McNeil (£5.7m)
- Assists: Tom Davies (£5.2m) | Matej Vydra (£4.8m)
- Bonus points: McNeil x3, Wood x2, T Davies x1
IN THE NIC OF TIME
With Everton still waiting for another Double Gameweek announcement, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.7m) got back on the score sheet on Saturday night.
Before Gameweek 28, the mid-priced forward had not scored since the Gameweek 23 draw at Manchester United.
Injuries and an altered role in the Everton team had both contributed to Calvert-Lewin’s barren run but there were certainly encouraging signs about his Fantasy potential.
After acting as more of a hold-up man, sometimes in wide areas, during recent outings, Calvert-Lewin was back through the middle against Burnley.
He and Richarlison (£8.0m) were officially deployed in a front-two, with Alex Iwobi (£5.9m) in a number 10 role due to Gylfi Sigurdsson (£6.8m) only being fit enough for the bench. As a result, Calvert-Lewin’s Saturday-night colleagues largely flanked him in the front-three.
“Gylfi Sigurdsson didn’t train properly during the week. He had a problem in the last game. He is on the bench. If we need him, he is available. For this reason, he didn’t play.” – Carlo Ancelotti
Such a set-up allowed Calvert-Lewin to marginally reclaim what he did best as a Fantasy asset earlier in the campaign: get on the end of crosses from close range.
His 32nd-minute goal was a direct result of that switch, Calvert-Lewin adding a routine touch from Tom Davies‘ (£5.2m) centre.
In the 37th minute, the England international got on the end of an André Gomes (£5.3m) free-kick, which he really should have scored while a second-half cross from Lucas Digne (£6.2m) was directed wide.
While Calvert-Lewin’s finishing in both of those moments could have been better, and Everton themselves were generally poor, seeing him act as a spearhead for the attack once more should keep him in the long-term Fantasy conversation.
While Everton do not play in Blank Gameweek 29, they are owed one more outstanding fixture at Aston Villa.
The fact that the Toffees will play that away from Goodison Park is also promising for Calvert-Lewin. While Everton have lost five of their last seven home league matches, six of their number nine’s last seven goals have come on the road.
OUT OF LUC
After a run of three successive clean sheets across Gameweeks 25 and 26, Everton’s defence has looked inferior without Abdoulaye Doucouré (£5.2m) in the side.
The former Watford man has missed the last two Premier League outings due to his foot fracture, the Toffees conceding twice in each of those.
“We have Tom Davies who played really well in the past. We had Allan out for two months and Davies replaced him really well. I think it will be the same to replace Abdoulaye.” – Carlo Ancelotti
Davies was hailed as a viable replacement for Doucouré ahead of Saturday’s defeat but he was arguably culpable for Burnley’s first goal.
Josh Brownhill (£4.9m) pickpocketed him in the middle of the park before laying off to Dwight McNeil (£5.7m), whose cross eventually made it to goalscorer Chris Wood (£6.2m).
The context for Wood’s goal arguably makes it all the more disappointing for Everton’s defence. It was the first time he had found the net away from home since Gameweek 2 and the first time he had netted in back-to-back matches all campaign.
Owned by 10.1% of Fantasy managers, Digne’s backers were the ones who felt Everton’s latest poor defensive showing most keenly.
After producing 25 points in four matches across Gameweeks 24 and 26, the left-back has one point over the last two.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti has a potential shortage of fit goalkeepers to consider over the international break.
Robin Olsen (£4.5m) missed out on a place on the bench once again while a rib injury forced Jordan Pickford (£4.8m) off against Burnley, João Virgínia (£4.3m) his replacement.
“We don’t know (how long Pickford will be out). He has exactly the same problem as the month when he was out for two or three games. He has a scan on Monday and we will see after the scan. I hope that Jordan can recover soon but we have to see, we have to check. It is not going to be a big, big problem because it is the same problem [as before]. It is true he was out for two to three games but I hope he can recover soon.” – Carlo Ancelotti
Everton XI (4-3-3): Pickford (Virgínia 43′); Digne, Godfrey, Keane, Holgate (Coleman 73′); Gomes, Allan, T Davies (J King 66′); Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin; Iwobi.
Burnley XI (4-4-2): Pope; Pieters, Mee, Tarkowski, Lowton; McNeil, Westwood, Brownhill, Gudmundsson (Brady 66′); Wood, Vydra (Rodriguez 78′).
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