Liam Delap (£5.5m) starred as Ipswich Town extended their unbeaten run to four games with a 2-2 draw at home against Aston Villa.
The key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points are covered in this article.
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IN-FORM WATKINS
Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) scored and assisted at Portman Road on Sunday, taking his tally to six attacking returns in his last four matches.
In that time, he’s totalled 35 points, more than any other FPL forward except Erling Haaland (£15.3m).
In truth, this was a quiet display by Watkins’ lofty standards, with just one shot and one key pass preceding his 83rd-minute withdrawal.
Still, there are plenty of positives to take for his 28.8% ownership, not least the fact he played together with Jhon Duran (£6.1m) following the Colombian’s introduction, rather than being taken off to accommodate him.
Instead, the scorer of Villa’s equaliser, Morgan Rogers (£5.2m), was withdrawn on 63 minutes.
ROGERS COMING GOOD
Rogers’ cool finish, his first goal of the season, levelled it up for Villa at Portman Road.
The 22-year-old’s form has been one of the major positives for Unai Emery in 2024/25, but after four blanks in a row, he’s finally starting to back it up with FPL returns.
It’s now a goal and two assists in his last two matches, with Rogers fast becoming a budget gem.
Villa will now hope Rogers will recover quickly after reportedly being substituted with a tight hamstring, with no chances taken with Bayern Munich up next on Wednesday.
As for Villa’s performance, they were passive and lacked energy in the second half, perhaps with one eye on that aforementioned UEFA Champions League clash.
Indeed, just three shots and 0.15 expected goals (xG) arrived after the break.
Emery will also want his side to be much more compact defensively, having watched Ipswich rack up four big chances.
DELAP DOUBLE
Ipswich are still looking for their first Premier League victory, but with four draws in a row, they are making progress.
They should also see plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks, with West Ham United, Everton, Brentford and Leicester City up next.
They were certainly good value for their draw on Sunday.
The Tractor Boys grew in confidence as the game went on, with Liam Delap (£5.5m) scoring his second and third goals of the season.
A first-time shot from Jack Clarke’s (£5.5m) neat cut-back was followed by a brilliant solo goal, as Delap bullied Villa’s backline for large periods.
“It was another good day for Liam Delap, he does really well and he takes a lot of credit. I think there’s loads to come, I still don’t think fitness wise he is anywhere near the level he can get to after a big injury at the end of last season. The impact he has had and all-round play, and to have so much growth left in him, we are really happy to have him here.” – Kieran McKenna on Liam Delap
DAVIS’ THREAT
Elsewhere, Leif Davis (£4.5m) claimed a bonus point without a return, thanks to some impressive underlying stats, including seven key passes, three big chances created and 11 attempted crosses.
Consistently the outlet down the Ipswich left, Davis also fired a shot narrowly wide.
He came mightily close to an assist, too, when his sublime through ball found Delap, only for the former Manchester City man’s effort to be superbly saved by Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m).
Defensively, Ipswich were cut open far too easily in the first half, but if they play like they did after the break for the rest of the season, their assets can offer value in FPL.
Above: Leif Davis’ touch heatmap v Aston Villa in Gameweek 6
