Two more of Sunday’s matches are assessed as we look back on the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from the weekend.
It’s Liverpool v Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion v Nottingham Forest that we’re focusing on here.
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Why Reguilon missed out, Martinelli + Neto injury latest
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Maddison “has to be more advanced” + Porro’s return
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Solanke’s slip, Morris update + why Kerkez was subbed
WHY DE BRUYNE WAS SUBBED
Kevin De Bruyne (£10.5m) was surprisingly subbed off in the 68th minute on Sunday, with the playmaker clearly angered by Pep Guardiola’s decision.
With the champions rattled, De Bruyne was replaced by Mateo Kovacic (£4.7m), as City looked to shore up their midfield and gain more control in the middle of the park.
On De Bruyne being unhappy, Guardiola said:
“That’s good. He will have a chance to prove it next game. We needed a player who keeps the ball. It’s not about pressing. Kovacic is really good at that. We were happy with Kevin. It’s not a problem. We’re fine.” – Pep Guardiola on Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne had already made a significant contribution by setting up City’s opener, a lovely fizzed corner that was swept in by John Stones (£5.3m), the first of two big chances he created at Anfield.
While De Bruyne’s removal caught everyone off-guard, Julian Alvarez’s (£6.5m) substitution was much less surprising. The Argentine struggled throughout and didn’t look comfortable playing off the left, giving the ball away far too often.
As for Phil Foden (£8.2m), he started on the right but shifted into a more central role after the changes and looked much more dangerous from that point onwards. He and substitute Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) both hit the woodwork late on.
However, it was a day to forget for Erling Haaland (£14.5m), who was shackled well by Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) and restricted to just one shot/one penalty box touch.
EDERSON INJURY
Pep Guardiola said the injury sustained by Ederson (£5.5m) on Sunday “doesn’t look good”.
The Brazilian received treatment after fouling Darwin Nunez (£7.5m) for the penalty, then went down again moments later and was eventually replaced by Stefan Ortega (£3.7m) in the 56th minute.
Speaking in his post-match presser, Guardiola said:
“I don’t know right now [how serious it is]. Looks a little bit [not good] but I don’t know the diagnosis.” – Pep Guardiola on Ederson
SALAH RETURNS
Liverpool spent most of the first-half on the backfoot but once Alexis Mac Allister (£5.8m) equalised from the spot, they dominated the second.
With Conor Bradley (£4.1m), Jarrell Quansah (£4.0m) and Harvey Elliott (£4.8m) in the first XI, the Reds weren’t at full strength but they coped very well, pushing City back for large periods.
Darwin Nunez (£7.5m) continued his good run of form by earning the assist for Mac Allister’s spot-kick, while Luis Diaz (£7.5m) was a real livewire but missed three gilt-edged opportunities.
One of those chances stemmed from a lovely Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) pass.
The Egyptian was only fit enough for a place on the bench but appeared on the hour. Despite looking a bit off the pace, he attempted three shots in the box and instantly becomes a factor from Gameweek 30 onwards, when Liverpool host Brighton and Sheffield United.
“I wouldn’t have even thought about him starting the game. I think you have to learn from things in life. Not that last time it was too early. It was just unlucky that he got a little setback. We talked about the idea with Mo as well. It was not his idea or my idea to start him today. It will be an intense game and we can bring him on, which is super cool. But it was not a big decision.” – Jurgen Klopp on Mohamed Salah
ANOTHER ASSIST FOR GROSS/DE ZERBI ON ESTUPINAN
Pascal Gross (£6.6m) has now avoided a blank in each of his last five starts, with his free-kick delivery on Sunday leading to the own-goal.
The German created three chances against Nottingham Forest, in turn collecting his customary bonus, which has indeed happened on every occasion he’s returned so far this season, as below.
In fact, Gross has now been rewarded with 28 bonus points in 2023/24, the most of any player.
| Gameweek | Opponent | Goals scored | Assists | Bonus |
| 28 | Nottingham Forest | 1 | 2 | |
| 26 | Everton | 1 | 3 | |
| 25 | Sheffield United | 1 | 2 | |
| 24 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 3 | |
| 23 | Crystal Palace | 2 | 3 | |
| 18 | Crystal Palace | 1 | 2 | |
| 16 | Burnley | 1 | 2 | |
| 15 | Brentford | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest | 2 | 1 | |
| 12 | Sheffield United | 1 | ||
| 10 | Fulham | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Manchester United | 1 | 3 | |
| 3 | West Ham United | 1 | 3 |
Elsewhere, Pervis Estupinan (£4.9m) started on the left of a back four and kept a clean sheet, but wasn’t quite at his best, lacking his usual runs forward.
He’s been in and out of the starting XI in recent weeks, with Roberto De Zerbi outlining why below.
With a UEFA Europa League quarter-final place all but out of their reach following Thursday’s 4-0 loss to Roma, Brighton can at least now turn their attention to domestic matters for the run-in.
“Pervis didn’t play for three months after the Villa game. He suffered an injury. After, he played five or ten minutes in Amsterdam and he suffered another big injury. He lost the best of his physical condition and it is tough for him because, with his physical characteristics, he needs to play and not miss games. I am confident he can come back the same player we saw last season.” – Roberto De Zerbi on Pervis Estupinan
NUNO ON TEAM SELECTION
Nuno Espirito Santo made two changes to the side which lost 1-0 to Liverpool in Gameweek 27, with Danilo (£5.3m) and Chris Wood (£4.8m) replacing Anthony Elanga (£5.1m) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (£4.7m) in the starting XI.
Elanga had been starting to pick up a bit of Fantasy interest ahead of Blank Gameweek 29, having been presented with seven big chances in the four matches leading up to Sunday.
Explaining his team selection, Nuno said:
“Having Chris [Wood] back was good. The idea of having Nico [Dominguez] a little bit more in the midfield was to try to block more of the middle of the park because Brighton’s game is all about breaking in the middle. I think it worked out. It gave us some superiority in terms of possession. We also start to have other options [available] to use different plans. Now you are maybe going to see more of these kinds of decisions moving forward because the game is 90 minutes.
“We wanted to have control and then try to use a little bit more of the pace of Anthony [Elanga] and Callum [Hudson-Odoi]. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t work out. In the second half, we were more dominant. We didn’t achieve anything but the decisions were made around that. In the second half, we were much better. We were more aggressive, more dominant and we recovered the ball much sooner. We didn’t allow too much of Brighton; I don’t recall too many chances or any chance at all. It was all about us.” – Nuno Espirito Santo
Luton Town, who Nottingham Forest face next, have the tendency to attack down the flanks with high-positioned wing-backs. And given that Elanga’s pace made a huge difference when he came on at the Amex, there is a decent chance he’ll earn a swift recall.
Meanwhile, this was the 18th time Forest have conceded from a set-piece this season (excluding penalties), which is the most in the division, an encouraging stat for Alfie Doughty (£4.7m) owners ahead of Blank Gameweek 29.
