The Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Sunday’s two remaining matches are covered here.
Liverpool v Manchester United and Brentford v Aston Villa are the fixtures on the agenda.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 17: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Havertz, Arsenal’s defence + clinical Kudus
SALAH BLANKS, DARWIN POOR
Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) blanked at home for the first time since Gameweek 21 last season, as a sub-par Liverpool were left frustrated by Man Utd.
Jurgen Klopp’s side dominated possession, racking up a whopping 34 shots, but could only muster one clear-cut opportunity at Anfield. Even Salah was unable to produce a moment of magic, despite registering six goal attempts and five key passes.
Liverpool’s first substitutes tried to turn the screw, with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.2m) moving into midfield and Salah playing centrally, yet a resolute United defensive display held their dominant hosts to a surprising goalless draw.
As for Alexander-Arnold, he claimed maximum bonus and a clean sheet, thanks in no small part to six chances created, yet it was another day to forget for Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) and his owners.
The Uruguayan was booked and never looked like ending a goal drought that now stands at seven league matches. In that time, he’s underperformed his expected goals (xG) by 2.92, more than any other top-flight player bar Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.8m).
Now, Liverpool face West Ham United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday before taking on Arsenal and Burnley in quick succession. Given the schedule (see below), the departure of Ryan Gravenberch (£5.0m) due to a hamstring injury against United is far from ideal.
“It’s a tough period. We play Wednesday against West Ham, they’re flying and playing really well at the moment, then we have Arsenal and Burnley. It’s horrendous.
We have to make sure we get enough points in this period but then there’s a lot of football to play after that too. It’s important we get through this with as many players as possible.” – Jurgen Klopp
RESILIENT UNITED
This was not a great Man Utd performance by any stretch, but they did at least show resilience at the back.
Raphael Varane (£4.9m) and Jonny Evans (£4.0m), United’s eighth different centre-back partnership this season, defended very well, with their leadership qualities shining through.
Elsewhere, Andre Onana (£4.8m) made eight saves, with his latest clean sheet bringing his total to six – no goalkeeper has more.
However, Diogo Dalot (£5.1m) was sent off for dissent and will miss Gameweek 18.
“The way we defended was almost perfect. When we made a mistake there was always a team-mate to sort it out.
“They always score and we avoided that, we stopped them creating chances and scoring. All eleven on the pitch were very good. Football always starts with good organisation and defending.” – Erik ten Hag
At the other end of the pitch, United rarely carried a threat and Rasmus Hojlund (£6.8m) is still waiting for that elusive first Premier League goal.
He wasted his side’s best chance here, as United’s negative difference between their goals scored (18) and xG (26.42) continues to rise.
MORENO SHINES / PAU INJURY LATEST
Alex Moreno (£5.0m) made his first Premier League start of the season at Brentford on Sunday, replacing the suspended Lucas Digne (£4.7m) at left-back.
The Spaniard was a constant threat from the first minute, with two early chances falling to him – the first saved by Mark Flekken (£4.5m) and the second fired over the bar.
However, he made his mark minutes after Ben Mee (£4.8m) was sent off, when he headed home substitute Leon Bailey’s (£5.6m) cross at the far post.
With Digne pushing for a recall, it remains to be seen if Moreno will get another chance in Gameweek 18, but if he can string together a run of starts, he offers real points potential. Let’s not forget that Moreno created a chance every 60 minutes last season, an impressive rate that placed him among the top 10 defenders in FPL.
However, it feels like a coin flip as to who will actually feature, with Matty Cash (£4.7m) – who played out of position on the right wing at Brentford – also unable to guarantee regular starts.
That full-back uncertainty led many managers to recruit Pau Torres (£4.7m), but the centre-back limped off the pitch in the 81st minute on Sunday and has since been flagged by FPL. He will now be assessed at Bodymoor Heath ahead of Friday’s meeting with Sheffield United when Villa can remarkably go top of the league.
“Hopefully it is a small injury. Hopefully. The big problem today is the red card of Kamara.” – Unai Emery on Pau Torres’ injury
Villa can at least welcome back Digne and Douglas Luiz (£5.5m) in Gameweek 18, but influential midfielder Boubacar Kamara (£5.0m) will now sit out the next three Gameweeks due to his red card and Youri Tielemans’ (£5.6m) availability remains unclear, having missed the trip to Brentford.
Further forward, Ollie Watkins (£8.6m) grabbed the winner, netting his ninth goal of the season, but it was Bailey’s second-half introduction that handed Villa a spark. He supplied the assist for Moreno’s equaliser and has now produced an attacking return in seven of his last nine matches, despite starting just three times.
BRENTFORD STRUGGLES
Brentford have now lost five of their past six matches, having failed to hold on to their lead against Aston Villa.
It’s clear Thomas Frank is missing Bryan Mbeumo (£6.9m), key creator Mathias Jensen (£5.4m), and in particular, Ivan Toney (£7.9m), who looks set to return in Gameweek 21, but Keane Lewis-Potter (£4.7m) did at least grab his first goal for the Bees just before half-time.
He started in a front two alongside Yoane Wissa (£5.8m) and got some joy in behind Villa’s backline.
“From the start, we wanted to play behind them and win the first and second balls. They press high and balls in behind do hurt them. Every time we had a chance to get up the pitch, we did that. Thomas [Frank] spoke to me about getting on the shoulder of the defenders and about timing my runs. There were times when I was caught offside, but Villa are a good team like that and keep a high line. We tried to play on the shoulder and catch them off guard a bit.” – Keane Lewis-Potter
Brentford blank in Gameweek 18 due to Manchester City’s participation at the FIFA World Club Cup, but have a nice three-match run to follow against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. It’s just a shame their best assets are currently unavailable.
