We look back on the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from two of Sunday’s matches.
Crystal Palace v West Ham United and Everton v Nottingham Forest are the focus here.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 34: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Ait-Nouri to “probably” start, Cunha hope + Toney latest
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Haaland injury latest + Palmer fitness update
PALACE’S MIDFIELD MAESTROS
Eberechi Eze (£6.1m) and Michael Olise (£5.6m) both delivered double-digit hauls in south London.
Each player scored and provided an assist, as they carved open the West Ham defence at will. Indeed, Eze racked up a Gameweek-high seven shots, while Olise took four.
This was only the sixth time Eze and Olise have started together this season but when they do, the improvement in Crystal Palace’s attacking performances, particularly at Selhurst Park, is clear to see:
| Gameweek | Opponent | Goals scored | Points |
| 34 | West Ham (h) | 5 | Eze (11), Olise (12) |
| 33 | Liverpool (a) | 1 | Eze (10), Olise (3) |
| 22 | Sheff Utd (h) | 3 | Eze (14), Olise (16) |
| 20 | Brentford (h) | 3 | Eze (9), Olise (15) |
| 19 | Chelsea (a) | 1 | Eze (2), Olise (9) |
| 13 | Luton (a) | 1 | Eze (1), Olise (10) |
Also involved in the attacking returns was Jean-Philippe Mateta (£5.1m), who scored twice and assisted once. He’s now hit six goals in eight matches since Oliver Glasner took charge, showing how far he has come under the Austrian.
“The players, how they started the game in the first 30 minutes, were really amazing. It was nice to watch for a manager. It was an excellent performance, but now the game is played. The game is played, we have the three points, and it’s our first back-to-back wins of the season.
“Now it’s the third one in a row against Newcastle [we are aiming for], and this will be a big challenge. They will be fresh, so we have maybe the same situation as West Ham today [having played in midweek], a little bit tired legs. Of course, we take a lot of positive things from the game today, but stay focused for the next challenges.” – Oliver Glasner
FATIGUE TO BLAME FOR WEST HAM?
West Ham were as bad as Palace were good, however.
The Hammers have not fared well after European fixtures this season and they looked tired here, having been knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday.
Apart from Michail Antonio’s (£5.7m) goal, his third in six matches, they created few chances of note and were thoroughly outclassed for large periods.
Following Sunday’s loss, West Ham are not only without a clean sheet since Gameweek 20, but also 19th for big chances conceded over the same period, with Liverpool and Chelsea up next.
Above: Teams sorted by big chances conceded (BC) in Gameweeks 20-34
“We performed well on Thursday night, and we took praise for that, but today was as bad as I remember it being for a long time. We were atrocious, and we got what we deserved. The first 30 minutes were awful. We came here to try and be hard to beat, but the goals we conceded were extremely disappointing and we really shot ourselves in the foot. We didn’t defend, and we hardly got forward. I don’t think we crossed the halfway line for the first 15-20 minutes.
“We have no excuse. We’ve had a lot of games, and we didn’t have Jarrod [Bowen], but we knew that and we needed to come here and be better. As a Premier League club, you have to have something about you. Every game is tough and we knew that coming here, but really it was just so, so bad.” – David Moyes
DYCHE HAILS DEFENCE
It’s now two clean sheets in three for Sean Dyche’s troops after Sunday’s 2-0 win at Goodison Park.
The Toffees needed an instant response after the humiliation of Monday’s 6-0 loss at Chelsea and the players stepped up, particularly defensively, with Jordan Pickford (£4.7m) and Jarrad Branthwaite (£4.3m) both impressing, despite some controversial moments.
Sean Dyche hailed his defence after the match.
“Two wins out of three games, two clean sheets out of three games. That’s an important factor. People forget because we had an ugly one on Monday. We all took responsibility and you saw that today. A connected team that did everything to make sure we took care of ourselves. We’ve had games where we created many more chances but we found two goals and that’s very pleasing.” – Sean Dyche
“The shape was good, the energy was good, but also the fight and commitment. Coming off Monday, to have the fight and commitment to win, is a very important factor, I think.” – Sean Dyche
Everton’s clean sheet count (11) and goals conceded tally (48) are very good this season, something that might concern Liverpool attack owners ahead of Wednesday’s Merseyside derby.
A look at the expected goals conceded (xGC) table in home matches over the season (see below) suggests they won’t roll over.
Meanwhile, three of Everton’s next four fixtures are at Goodison Park, and two of those come against Brentford and Sheffield United.
Above: Teams sorted by expected goals conceded (xGC) at home
