We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Thursday’s fixtures in our Scout Notes summary.
The graphics below are taken from LiveFPL and our own Premium Members area, where you can access Opta player and team data for every single Premier League fixture.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.8m) converted his second penalty in a week to consign Aston Villa to another defeat on Thursday, which saw Steven Gerrard sacked barely an hour after full-time.
The Fulham talisman racked up a whopping seven shots inside the box and three big chances in Gameweek 12, more than any other player across the last three days, and is now up to eight league goals for the season.
Above: Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal attempts (shots on target in green) v Aston Villa in Gameweek 12
Aside from Mitrovic’s penalty, which squirmed under Emiliano Martinez (4.9m), budget midfielder Harrison Reed (£4.5m) netted his second goal of the campaign, while Neeskens Kebano’s (£5.4m) low cross was turned in by the hapless Tyrone Mings (£4.4m), who ended on -2 points.
Andreas Pereira (£4.6m), meanwhile, failed to produce an attacking return but was lively, going close twice in quick succession in the first-half.
It was an outstanding performance from the home side, who move up to ninth with their first win in four matches.
The platform for their success has been built on their solid home form, having taken 11 points from their first six league fixtures at Craven Cottage this season, which is one more than they managed in the entirety of their most recent Premier League campaign in 2020/21.
“We want to make the Cottage our fortress, we want to do well and challenge all the opponents at home. We’re doing well and making life difficult for the opponents at the Cottage” – Marco Silva
As for Aston Villa, the less said the better. They were carved open a number of times at Fulham, with Gerrard’s sacking inevitable after their performance and recent results.
Douglas Luiz (£4.8m) will miss Villa’s next three league fixtures after his red card, while for owners of Matty Cash (£4.6m), it’s worth noting that Gerrard admitted that the quick turnaround of games had caused the club to be cautious with his fitness.
“Matty Cash is someone we have to protect because he has just come back from a hamstring injury. He has not been dropped that is for sure.” – Steven Gerrard
As for Villa’s next manager, Mauricio Pochettino, Unai Emery, Michael Beale, Thomas Tuchel, Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche are early frontrunners to succeed Gerrard.
Fulham XI: Leno; Cordova-Reid, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed (Cairney 73), Palhinha; Willian (James 73), Andreas (Harris 87), Kebano (Wilson 85); Mitrovic (Vinicius 85)
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Konsa, Bednarek (Cash 45), Mings, Young; Douglas Luiz, Ramsey (Archer 81), McGinn; Bailey (Buendia 58), Watkins, Ings (Dendoncker 69)
Leicester City earnt only their second win of the season to move off the bottom of the Premier League on Thursday, which coincided with their third consecutive home clean sheet.
Over the last four matches, Danny Ward (£4.1m) is averaging an impressive six points per match, a tally which is beaten by only three other ‘keepers: Alisson (£5.4m), David Raya (£4.5m) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.5m).
“It’s the team. Wardy is coming for set-pieces and it was always going to take time for him to step into Kasper’s [Schmeichel] shoes. You saw how his confidence is growing all the time, but it’s the same with the team, which is collectively defending better. Of course, that builds confidence.” – Brendan Rodgers
Without the influential James Maddison (£8.2m) pulling the strings, The Foxes managed just one shot on target against Leeds but often looked threatening, particularly down the flanks.
A Robin Koch (£4.5m) own goal put them ahead, before Harvey Barnes (£6.9m) finished off a brilliant team move for the second. The latter has now played against Leeds five times in the Premier League, scoring on each occasion.
“He’s always a threat, Harvey [Barnes]. His pace and his directness is so important for us. He’s getting better all the time in terms of his defending. He was someone who I said a few years ago that he needed to score more goals and he was there in the right place. For the first one he was there as well. He was outstanding.” – Brendan Rodgers
As for Leeds, it’s now no wins in seven for Jesse Marsch’s side, who not for the first time this season, wasted a hatful of chances.
The trio of Luis Sinisterra (£6.5m) – who hit the bar – Brenden Aaronson (£5.5m) and Crysencio Summerville (£4.4m) looked bright at times, yet Patrick Bamford (£7.2m) is still coming back from injury and trying to build up his fitness, which saw him withdrawn after 65 minutes.
In defence, they have been sloppy at the back, especially away from home, conceding 12 goals in just five outings. That could be good news for Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur’s attackers, who face the Whites at home in Gameweeks 14 and 16 respectively.
“I think we dug ourselves a hole. The first one is a half chance, then an own goal. Then it’s their next chance and it’s 2-0. We did well in moments in the game too, but right now in both boxes we’re not helping ourselves and we have to find a way to stop the bleeding, that’s the way it feels right now. When you don’t get the results, the confidence is a little bit lower. We need to find goals. What disappointed me the most, is that almost their first time down the pitch, they scored. We actually had a good start and were in control of the match, but we lose the ball in the middle and they get an own-goal, then the match gets harder. We’ve got to find a way to get some wins and right now, away from home, we haven’t been great. So, we’ve got to go back to Elland Road, it’s a big, big match on Sunday and we have to be ready for it.” – Jesse Marsch
Leicester City XI: Ward; Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Justin; Soumare (Mendy 64), Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall; Praet (Perez 70), Barnes (Iheanacho 85), Vardy (Daka 64)
Leeds United XI: Meslier; Kristensen, Koch (Cooper 45), Llorente, Firpo (Klich 82); Adams, Roca (Rodrigo 45); Summerville, Aaronson, Sinisterra (Gelhardt 75); Bamford (Harrison 65)
