Everton and Bournemouth got out of jail with stoppage-time equalisers on Sunday.
Our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) inquest continues with the matches at Goodison Park and Villa Park.
MCNEIL INJURY LATEST
There was a flurry of yellow flags added after Saturday’s Gameweek 9 action. The most notable of them, in terms of FPL ownership, concerned Dwight McNeil (£5.8m).
The Everton playmaker hit the deck in the final 10 minutes, swiftly being replaced.
Sean Dyche is hopeful that there’s no serious injury there.
“Not yet, not yet. I’m not sure yet but he obviously had to come off and you know, the delay and people are shouting at me. I’m going, ‘I’ve got to see if he’s going to carry on!’ because he was sort of like on the edge. So, hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.” – Sean Dyche when asked if he knew anything more about Dwight McNeil’s injury
CALVERT-LEWIN UNDER THREAT?
Everton were poor for the most part, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) blanking for the fifth straight game. He did actually find the net here but his first-half strike was ruled out for offside.
After toiling for 80 minutes and having just one, blocked, effort to show for it, Calvert-Lewin saw replacement Beto (£5.0m) go and grab an injury-time leveller.
Dyche effectively ruled out the prospect of a two-man strikeforce when interviewed by Sky Sports after full-time. So, what chance of Beto replacing Calvert-Lewin in Gameweek 10?
The Everton boss seemed to suggest that Beto needed more improvement in the defensive side of his game.
“[Beto’s goal] is a moment in time but it’s nice to think that it reinforces the work he’s been doing, it’ll certainly add to his belief that’s for sure.
“[To start games more regularly he needs to] just continue learning and get to a point when we’ve got a bank of history for him when he understands the Premier League. We have spoken to him a lot about the defensive side of things. He’s still getting to grips with that, as is Dom actually. You know, working from the front, defending from the front.
“It’s one of the sides of the game that is forever important now with the modern centre-forward. You know, it’s not just stand up there and try and score. The game’s changed, centre-forwards now have to defend and they have to defend cutely. I’m not on about big tackles or anything like that, getting in passing lanes, cutting off the pass – usually to a deep-lying midfield player.
“They’re important factors and he’s got to continue to learn that side as well as, of course, scoring goals.” – Sean Dyche on Beto
WHY ROGERS WAS SUBBED OFF
Morgan Rogers (£5.4m) has started every single Premier League and Champions League match for Aston Villa this season.
That ever-present record continued on Saturday but the budget FPL midfielder suffered his first pre-hour substitution, being replaced by Jhon Duran (£6.2m).
Game state may have been a factor, with Villa trying to break the deadlock against Bournemouth. Unai Emery used Duran’s introduction to go two up top with Ollie Watkins (£9.1m).
But, according to the Villa boss, fatigue was the primary reason for Rogers’ withdrawal.
Emery: “We drew against Man Utd after the Champions League and we played fantastic. Today was the same way. The result is really not a consequence. We did some changes. Morgan Rogers has played a lot and he was tired. But this is normal. Overall, we played physically well.” #AVFC
— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) October 26, 2024
There’s no let-up in the schedule, either, with Villa poised to play twice a week for the rest of 2024:
The upcoming EFL Cup clash with Palace at least gives Emery the chance to rest Rogers. Emi Buendia (£5.3m) and Duran through the middle, perhaps?
Two or three more wins in the UEFA Champions League would be welcome, too, as it would mean qualification is assured and Emery could rest key players towards the end of the group stage.
TRAVERS: THE MAN WHO (STOPPED VILLA)
Rogers was among several Villa assets left frustrated by poor finishing or inspired Mark Travers (£4.4m) goalkeeping.
Travers was only starting, in fact, due to Kepa Arrizabalaga‘s (£4.5m) minor muscle injury.
“Kepa and Sini [Luis Sinisterra], they are small, small injuries.
“Kepa had in his left abductor some issues. He couldn’t hit the ball properly and it didn’t make any sense to take any risk having also the two keepers we have.” – Andoni Iraola
Watkins owners must be wondering how he blanked. Two great chances he set up for Rogers and Duran were wasted, while the assist he thought he had banked – for John McGinn‘s (£5.2m) strike – was wiped when VAR spotted that the ball had crept out of play by millimetres.
The England international was himself thwarted by Travers on a couple of occasions. Kepa’s understudy also made excellent stops from Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) and Amadou Onana (£5.1m), saves made to look all the more crucial when substitute Evanilson‘s (£5.9m) undeservedly levelled late on.
This was no post-Europe curse – just wasteful finishing.
BOURNEMOUTH LUCKY…
Even Andoni Iraola admitted that Bournemouth were fortunate.
“I think we didn’t play well today. I think they played better than us and we played more the game that they wanted to play, but I think we’ve competed really, really well.
“I think we’ve had especially at the beginning of the game, 15, 20 minutes where they were playing much better than us. I think we with the defenders, Mark [Travers] kept us in the game through that difficult period.” – Andoni Iraola, via the Bournemouth Echo
The Cherries are chalk and cheese when it comes to home/away form. Dominant in home matches against Newcastle United and Chelsea and competitive with Arsenal even before they were reduced to 10 men, they may give Man City a stern examination at the Vitality in Gameweek 10.
Away from home, however, they’ve stunk the place out. Even in the win at Everton, a late salvo couldn’t make a dismal 87-minute performance. Next up on the road: free-scoring Brentford in Gameweek 11.
…AND FULHAM UNLUCKY
As for Fulham, they’ll be kicking themselves. That’s twice this season they’ve dominated a side (see also: West Ham United in Gameweek 4) and conceded a stoppage-time equaliser.
Raul Jimenez (£5.7m), Emile Smith Rowe (£5.7m) and Adama Traore (£5.1m) all had good early openings, the Cottagers not allowing their hosts a single ‘big chance’ till Beto’s late, late strike.
They’ve allowed fewer big chances than any other side this season, in fact.
Smith Rowe, a dab hand at timing his arrivals into the area, was an Everton heel away from tapping in, too:
The former Arsenal man at least banked an assist when his excellent jinking run led to Alex Iwobi‘s (£5.5m) strike.
Fulham appeared to lose Andreas Pereira (£5.3m) to injury late on but none of Marco Silva’s post-match interviews elicited an update.
