It’s time for the Scout Notes from Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton and West Ham United 0-1 Brentford, as budget forward Beto (£4.9m) continued his fine form with another goal.
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BETO IN-FORM
Beto continued his fine form with another goal on Saturday, as Everton claimed a hard-fought win over Crystal Palace.
The Guinea-Bissau striker’s opener at Selhurst Park was his fourth goal in his last three appearances – as many as he managed in 42 matches under Sean Dyche.
With a hamstring injury ruling out Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m), potentially for the season, Beto could hardly have picked a better time to step up.
“Everyone needs an opportunity in life and in football you need that chance. I think he is getting better and we are beginning to understand him a bit more. I have got to say, he has done brilliantly well.” – David Moyes on Beto
Carlos Alcaraz (£4.9m) registered the assist for Beto’s goal and capped a superb first Premier League start by scoring the winner.
Deployed in a No 10 role with Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.1m) suspended, he was a threat throughout, with five shots and three key passes.
“Yeah, I thought Charly did well. I thought he tired in the second half and maybe 10-15 minutes before we took him off we thought he was fading a little bit but he kept at it and he got a goal which was monstrous for us, it really was.” – David Moyes on Carlos Alcaraz
After Saturday, Everton now have four wins and one draw in six matches under Moyes. They have scored 12 goals, too, having previously managed just 15 in 19 matches.
WHY EZE WAS BENCHED
Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) started on the bench for Crystal Palace on Saturday due to a lack of fitness.
Sent on at half-time, his introduction certainly added excitement (four shots and three chances created in just 45 minutes of football), but it is clear his return from injury will be carefully managed by Oliver Glasner.
“They are not in their best shape. When they are both in their best shape, then they will help us, but they are not in their best shape. Adam cannot be after a long injury and having 60 minutes five days ago; that is why we decided not to start him.
“Ebs is the same. In the last four weeks, he’s had few training sessions. He is a player who can solve one-on-one situations; he showed it after half time, which is important against a team like Everton. He was a little unlucky with his finishes.
“It is important they get back into their best personal shape, and then they will contribute to the team’s success.” – Oliver Glasner on Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s (£7.3m) close range finish, his seventh goal in six matches, levelled it up for the hosts in south London.
He’d previously played in Ismaila Sarr (£5.6m), too, who smashed his effort against the underside of the crossbar from a promising position.
Tyrick Mitchell (£4.8m), meanwhile, made way for January loan signing Ben Chilwell (£4.6m) on 59 minutes.
However, having lost on Saturday, Palace’s home form is a concern. The Eagles have won only twice at Selhurst Park all season (see below), with Ipswich Town and Southampton the only teams with fewer victories in front of their own fans.
Perhaps thankfully, both of Palace’s Gameweek 32 fixtures are on the road, where they have generally fared much better.
VAN DEN BERG INJURY LATEST
Sepp van den Berg (£4.1m) limped off just before the hour mark in Brentford’s 1-0 win over West Ham on Saturday.
Thomas Frank sounded cautiously optimistic he will be available in Gameweek 26:
“There’s no real news yet. He came off… it could be a minor knee injury but he walked off the pitch. Hopefully it’s nothing bad but we’ll assess him over the next couple of days.” – Thomas Frank on Sepp van den Berg
Having not won an away game this season until January, Brentford now have three consecutive victories on the road, with a trip to strugglers Leicester City up next on Friday.
Kevin Schade (£5.1m) fired Brentford ahead after only four minutes at the London Stadium, but rather than sit back, the Bees continued to push forward.
Yoane Wissa (£6.3m) had two goals ruled out for offside and Schade hit the outside of the post, with West Ham’s defence regularly opened up with ease.
“We are seeing more and more good things from him. He is growing into the role. He is playing and importantly training consistently for many months.” – Thomas Frank on Kevin Schade
As for Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m), he suffered his fourth blank in five matches but still offered a threat, with Alphonse Areola (£4.2m) saving his powerful first-half drive and a later effort lashed wide.
Defensively, Brentford rarely looked like conceding, with the returning Mark Flekken (£4.4m) enjoying a relatively comfortable afternoon to claim nine points.
FERGUSON DEBUT
After a dismal first half, West Ham did at least improve after the break, with Mohammed Kudus (£6.2m) going the closest to scoring when he fired over from close range.
It coincided with the introduction of Evan Ferguson (£5.5m), who provided a much-needed focal point up top for Graham Potter’s side.
He set up Kudus for that aforementioned chance and forced a save from Flekken, showing glimpses of his quality. It was certainly an improvement on West Ham’s first-half display with Lucas Paqueta (£5.7m) as a centre-forward anyway.
As for Jarrod Bowen (£7.3m), he wasn’t massively involved but has only just returned from injury.
“I was really pleased with the response of the players in the second half when we really pushed. We were a lot more like how we want to be. I thought the three [Evan Ferguson, James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Scarles] had a positive impact and changed the dynamic of the team.
“You can see what he [Ferguson] will bring to the team. There are positives there from the second half. We have to move fast and we have to move forward.” – Graham Potter
“I feel all right, to be fair. I think it’s good that I’m in a new place, a new environment and sort of having that fresh start. It’s been good to work with him [Graham Potter] again. I obviously know him well from his time at Brighton, but he’s come in and has new ideas, so it’s been a positive start, and I feel I’ve settled in well. It’s been all I could’ve asked for, and now it’s time to let my football do the talking.” – Evan Ferguson
However, Graham Potter’s side were unable to find an equaliser, slipping to a third defeat in five league matches since Graham Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui.
Up next is a trip to Arsenal in Gameweek 26.
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