Eleven goals, a Mohamed Salah (£13.4m) fail, a huge Cole Palmer (£6.0m) haul and a stoppage-time winner: the final two matches of Gameweek 31 had it all.
We pick the bones out of Liverpool 3-1 Sheffield United and Chelsea 4-3 Manchester United.
MAC FLURRY
Alexis Mac Allister‘s (£5.9m) more advanced midfield role was getting lots of attention this time last year. Twelve months on, we’re talking about it again.
A deeper defensive midfielder (aka a ‘six’) for much of 2023/24, he’s been unleashed as a more attacking force (a number ‘eight’) in Jurgen Klopp’s side recently.
Seven attacking returns have been registered in his last six matches. It was two in 19 before that.
This latest return, a superb goal from the edge of the box, actually came in a fixture in which he started as a ‘six’.
“Yes, I prefer him as well on eight but we are not living in dreamland, so we had the problem on the position tonight and, in the end, it worked out. But yes, the impact, we saw as well that it would be helpful to have him between the lines, between the right lines, their last line. That’s why we changed. But then we changed back to a double six – there he was deeper again. I don’t even exactly know when he scored – if it was from the double six, probably, where we played already 4-4-2, I think, and it was not on eight. But the impact he can have is massive everywhere.” – Jurgen Klopp on Alexis Mac Allister
The good news is that Wataru Endo (£5.4m) should be back in Gameweek 32. This will allow Mac Allister to move to a more advanced role against a Manchester United side that has conceded a league-worst 148 shots over the last six matches.
“That’s my information [that he will be fit]. We rested him today. We had a feeling there could have been a chance for tonight but if we leave him out then there is a big chance for Sunday. I hope that didn’t change.” – Jurgen Klopp on Wataru Endo
SALAH RESTED?
Nicely rested for Sunday or a minutes risk? Mohamed Salah (£13.4m) was hauled off after 59 minutes of Thursday’s match, despite the game being locked at one-all.
It was the earliest the Egyptian had been taken off by Jurgen Klopp this season.
But there was some justification, with Salah muted down the right flank. This was his fourth straight blank against one of last season’s promoted teams.
While an early substitution might aid his chances of a start against Erik ten Hag’s troops on Sunday, there were full 90-minute runouts for Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) and Luis Diaz (£7.6m).
Both players had lasted the bulk of the game against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, too.
That’s now four straight starts for Diaz for club and country over the last fortnight or so. Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.1m), Virgil van Dijk (£6.6m) and Conor Bradley (£4.3m) are in a similar boat.
The positive impact of a much improved Cody Gakpo (£7.1m) will be a worry for Darwin and Diaz owners. The same maybe goes for Bradley owners, with Andrew Robertson (£6.4m) emerging from the bench to shine at left-back. Joe Gomez (£4.6m) could switch flanks, for instance, if Robertson is recalled.
“But super-positive the boys who came on, Curtis [Jones] back, Robbo trained now three days or so, really helpful, Harvey [Elliott]. Cody, not out but a really good game, which he needed as well. Really pleased and that helps obviously. Nobody got injured already as far as I know today, so recovery started already and now we recover and go again.” – Jurgen Klopp
Bradley owners saw six points turn into zero when he inadvertently deflected in Gus Hamer‘s (£4.9m) header. The Reds are now without a clean sheet in eight home fixtures.
SHOTS FIRED
We mentioned earlier about Manchester United’s recent record of shot concessions.
This is a trend that goes back all the way this calendar year, indeed. Their rate of expected goals conceded (xGC) is the worst of any club in 2024:
It’s a worrying statistic, ahead of a meeting with Liverpool’s free-scoring side.
Another 28 shots were given to Chelsea and this time, unlike against Everton and Brentford, there weren’t to be any xG-defying heroics.
On top of everything else, United lost Raphael Varane (£4.9m), Jonny Evans (£4.0m) and Casemiro (£5.3m) to injury. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.4m) was also visibly struggling in the second half.
CAPTAIN COLE?
Above: The results of our captaincy poll at 22:15 BST on Thursday and 3:15 BST on Friday
Cole Palmer‘s latest haul saw him shoot up in popularity in our captaincy poll.
Erling Haaland‘s (£14.3m) advantage had vanished in the five hours after full-time in west London. Come Friday morning, Palmer may be out on his own on top.
While his hat-trick against United owed a debt of thanks to two penalty awards and a massively deflected effort from distance, his underlying numbers were otherwise history-making:
The captaincy credentials are certainly there.
He’s banked more double-digit hauls (nine) than any other player this season, for starters.
And since his Gameweek 7 full debut, he’s amassed more points (173) than anyone else.
ANTONY MUCH IMPROVED
A barely recognisable Antony (£6.8m) delivered arguably his best United performance of the season.
Preferred over the benched Marcus Rashford (£8.4m), his display got its reward with a superb, Willockesque assist for Alejandro Garnacho‘s (£4.9m) second goal.
This was, remarkably, his first attacking return of 2023/24.
While there’ll have to be a lot more from Antony to convince us that this was anything more than a flash in the pan, Garnacho has been producing the goods for a more sustained period and at a much lower price.
The budget midfielder made it 12 attacking returns in his last 18 league starts with this brace in west London. His points-per-start average (4.7) is, in fact, better than any other United player this season.
