Man Utd’s defence, Gray and Cornet’s injuries, Bowen’s form: The FPL lessons from Gameweek 24

We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Tuesday’s Gameweek 24 fixtures.

The graphics below are taken from LiveFPL, Ragabolly’s excellent and ever-expanding website, and our own Premium Members Area.

GOALS, ASSISTS AND BONUS

INJURY NEWS

Everton suffered injuries to Demarai Gray (£5.5m) and Yerry Mina (£4.9m) at St James’ Park on Tuesday night, with both players coming off in the first-half.

“Yerry’s a muscle injury, his quad. Demarai was a hip. We are hoping with him it’s not too bad. It’s something that he’s had before that he got over quite quickly but, with Yerry, we’ll have to assess him over the next few days.” – Frank Lampard

For Newcastle United, Kieran Trippier (£5.0m) was replaced late on due to a minor calf complaint, which will now be assessed by the club.

“Kieran I think has got a slight calf issue. He motioned that he needed to come off, so we’ll have to assess how that is. It would be devastating to lose him in the form he’s in.” – Eddie Howe

Maxwel Cornet (£5.9m), meanwhile, was substituted after 69 minutes, though Sean Dyche later suggested it was more of a knock than a serious injury.

“We have to make decisions with Maxwel, I was almost not going to play him because of his fitness levels and the risk of injury. He is still adapting to the Premier League and has hardly played in weeks. His training schedule has not been the demand we have for the Premier League so we are trying to factor all those things in and getting him fit and not break him. It is a fine line. He did fine and his fitness will improve and his sharpness will improve.

I don’t think his injury is a serious one, it was more of a knock. But he was cramping up as well and fatiguing and he was definitely going to come off at that stage anyway because we have got to be very careful. We can’t keep losing players.” – Sean Dyche

GAMEWEEK 24 TALKING POINTS

RONALDO BENCHED AS UNITED CONCEDE AGAIN

It was a tale of two halves for Manchester United at Turf Moor in Gameweek 24.

During the opening 45 minutes, Ralf Rangnick’s troops looked dangerous in their 4-3-3 shape, with Bruno Fernandes (£11.7m) – who regularly pushed up looking for pockets of space – working well alongside Paul Pogba (£7.4m) in the engine room.

However, they underwhelmed after the break, and paid the price once again for not taking their chances.

Following tonight’s 1-1 draw, it’s now just one clean sheet in their last seven Premier League matches for United, a period which has seen them concede goals to the likes of Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley… twice.

As for Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m), the 28.1% owned forward was benched for the second time in the last four Premier League matches. It wasn’t hugely surprising given his 120-minute run out against Middlesbrough on Friday, however, and does at least increase the likelihood of him starting against Southampton in Double Gameweek 25, the more appealing of United’s two fixtures.

BURNLEY ASSETS ON FPL RADAR

Wout Weghorst (£6.5m) produced his first attacking return since signing for Burnley in Gameweek 24, as he supplied the assist for Jay Rodriguez’s (£5.2m) leveller.

The towering Dutchman was a real menace in the second-half, ending the match with three goal attempts and two shots in the box, and is now set for further investment ahead of the Clarets’ double-header against Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 26.

Before we get too excited, we should probably remind ourselves that Sean Dyche’s side are without a win in 11 Premier League matches, and have only scored four goals in their past nine, but it’s still hard to argue against Weghorst’s potential given his price, the lack of appealing alternatives in the forward category, plus the fact that Burnley have several matches that still need rearranging.

However, their defence may prove to be the main source of points, given that they have now conceded just one goal in their last three matches, despite facing Man Utd, Arsenal and Watford during that time.

NEWCASTLE ON THE UP

It was a big night for Newcastle on Tuesday, as they moved out of the relegation zone for the first time since November.

As a result of their 3-1 win, they are now four games unbeaten in the Premier League, and are also just one point behind Everton, who really are in a relegation scrap now.

Prior to tonight, the Magpies had won just once in 11 home league games this season, but will now move forward with renewed optimism ahead of matches against Aston Villa (h), West Ham United (a) and Brentford (a) in the next three.

Allan Saint-Maximin (£6.8m), meanwhile, was electric in Gameweek 24, and following his assist, is now the third-highest scoring forward in FPL, only behind Michail Antonio (£7.9m) and Emmanuel Dennis (£6.2m).

LAMPARD LOSES FIRST PL GAME

There was added intrigue at St James’ Park on Tuesday, with Frank Lampard taking charge of his first Everton game in the Premier League.

However, it was a night to forget for the former England midfielder, as his team failed to build on Saturday’s 4-1 win over Brentford, and eventually succumbed to a damaging defeat.

Deadline-day signings Dele Alli (£6.2m) and Donny van de Beek (£5.7m) were both introduced from the bench but failed to make much of an impact, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.9m) was an unused substitute having only recently recovered from a minor injury.

The Toffees have now lost 11 of their last 15 Premier League fixtures, amassing fewer points than any other team since Gameweek 8, with Leeds United up next in Double Gameweek 25.

BOWEN MAINTAINS FINE FORM

Jarrod Bowen (£6.9m) is having a season to remember, as he produced his 11th goal of the campaign against Watford on Tuesday night.

The winger’s winner had more than a touch of good fortune to it, as his shot deflected off Samir (£4.5m) and trickled past Ben Foster (£4.1m). However, he later hit the post, with manager David Moyes praising his display following the full-time whistle.

“I think at different times of the season you need players to stand up. Michail Antonio was fantastic in the early part of the season. When his goals dried up, Bowen was the one to step in.

He looks more mature and calmer in his decisions. (The goal) was probably the first time in the game we got through the lines. It took us about 70 minutes or so to get that chance. Thankfully it fell to Jarrod, because he’s the one in form with his goalscoring.

Without his goals we’d be struggling. He’s really stepped it up. His goals and assists – he’s a really top player and he’s going to be a star.”