Kelechi Iheanacho (£7.0m) scored on his return to Leicester City’s starting XI, as Son Heung-min (£10.0m) registered his third double-digit haul of the season in a much-needed victory for Tottenham Hotspur.
A Bryan Mbeumo (£5.5m) inspired Brentford continued their impressive start, while Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) strengthened his perma-captain status with a goal, assist and maximum bonus.
However, it was a day to forget for those who handed Michail Antonio (£8.0m) the armband, as the Jamaican forward returned just two Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Points.
Our usual, more detailed Scout Notes will follow for all of today’s games but in the meantime, our long-dormant Scoreboard series rounds up the key goings-on.
The graphics below are taken from LiveFPL, Ragabolly’s excellent and ever-expanding website, and our own Premium Members Area.
GOALS, ASSISTS, PROJECTED BONUS
FPL TAKEAWAYS
- On his first Premier League start of the season, 2020/21 Fantasy favourite Kelechi Iheanacho bagged a goal, maximum bonus and nine FPL points. The Nigerian international registered 12 Premier League goals and two assists in just 1452 minutes last term. As a result, he ranked top amongst all forwards per 90 minutes for goals and joint-fourth for expected goal involvement (xGI). Should he now nail down a spot in Brendan Rodgers’ starting XI, he would instantly become an excellent option for our frontlines, ahead of games against Manchester United (h), Brentford (a) and Arsenal (h) after the international break.
- As for Jamie Vardy (£10.4m), the veteran forward now tops the Premier League scoring charts having netted his sixth goal of the campaign at Selhurst Park. He has blanked in just two of his seven appearances in 2021/22, but despite that, has suffered a £0.1m price drop since the start of the season. Interestingly, Vardy touched the ball just 10 times against Crystal Palace this afternoon, compared to the more involved Iheanacho (32), who regularly dropped deeper to link play in Brendan Rodgers’ 4-2-3-1 formation.
- Following today’s 2-2 draw, Patrick Vieira’s Eagles remain unbeaten at home, despite a testing run which has included games against Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton and Hove Albion, and of course, Leicester City. The 8.3% owned Conor Gallagher (£5.7m) failed to return but attempted four shots, while Michail Olise (£5.4m) arrived off the bench and scored his first Premier League goal within nine minutes of coming on. He also took on a share of set-pieces.
- Son Heung-min’s third double-digit haul of the season – via two assists and two bonus points – ensured a big win for Nuno Espirito Santo and Tottenham Hotspur against Aston Villa. The South Korean international was the most advanced Spurs’ player on the day, and was a little unfortunate not to score, as he racked up five goal attempts, three shots in the box and 10 penalty box touches.
- As for their opponents, Aston Villa, Dean Smith lined his troops up in a 3-5-2 / 5-3-2 formation for the fourth-successive Premier League match. Despite a disappointing loss, there were positives, as differential Ollie Watkins (£7.3m) opened his 2021/22 account. The dynamic between the England international and Danny Ings (£7.9m) is one to keep an eye on ahead of Gameweek 11, when Villa take on Southampton (a), Brighton (h) and Crystal Palace (a). Today, Watkins was the more advanced, and led his team-mate for goal attempts and shots in the box.
- A dramatic late winner by Yoane Wissa (£5.9m) – his second goal in just 20 minutes of pitch time during the last two Gameweeks – at the London Stadium means that Brentford are now up to 7th in the Premier League table. Bryan Mbeumo was also on the scoresheet, but could have had more, having missed a couple of good early chances for the Bees’. Given that he has hit the woodwork a massive four times already this season, owners may still feel a little short-changed. Next up for Brentford is a testing encounter with Chelsea (h), before an appealing run of fixtures between Gameweeks 9 and 16, when their assets will surely be subject to huge interest.
- Michail Antonio served up just his second blank of the season on Sunday, as Jarrod Bowen (£6.3m) scored West Ham’s only goal of the game against Brentford. For Bowen, it was his third attacking return since Gameweek 5, and as a result, he has now outscored his more popular team-mate – Said Benrahma (£6.6m) – by 17 FPL points to 15 during that time.
- An entertaining clash between Liverpool and Man City at Anfield ended in a 2-2 draw, with Mohamed Salah delivering yet another double-digit haul via a goal, assist and maximum bonus. The Egyptian is the top-scoring player in FPL with a whopping 70 points, at least 21 more than any other player. Team-mate Sadio Mane (£11.9m) was also on the scoresheet, with his fourth goal in his last six Premier League appearances.
- For Pep Guardiola’s side, Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) and Phil Foden (£7.9m) both scored and are intriguing differentials ahead of Burnley (h), Brighton (a) and Crystal Palace (h). The Belgian attempted four shots in the box in Gameweek 7, with Foden registering two, while they both shared corner-taking duties with Jack Grealish (£8.0m).
Manchester City’s average position map v Liverpool in Gameweek 7
INJURY WATCH
Despite receiving lengthy treatment during the second-half at Selhurst Park, Jamie Vardy recovered and saw out the game.
However, Brentford weren’t quite so fortunate.
The Bees’ lost Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) to a hamstring injury during the week, while Vitaly Janelt (£5.0m) took a knock (thigh) during the warm up and missed out despite being named in the starting XI.
Things then got worse as Shandon Baptiste (£5.0m) was forced off with a suspected dislocated shoulder in the first-half.
STAT WATCH – GAMEWEEK 7
The 5.1% owned Harry Kane (£12.1m) ended Gameweek 7 with six shots, a total no other player could improve upon. Despite that, the England captain blanked again, those his performance was more encouraging ahead of his team’s trip to Newcastle United after the international break.
Kevin De Bruyne also features highly, as does Said Benrahma, though only one of the latter’s five attempts arrived inside the penalty box.
Romelu Lukaku (£11.7m) was this week’s biggest non-pen xG underachiever, with a -0.77 total
Son Heung-min also appears on the list, along with team-mates Kane and Giovani Lo Celso (£5.9m).
