Evanilson (£5.6m) led the line superbly for Bournemouth on Sunday, scoring a lovely dinked finish as Bournemouth drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur.
It was followed by Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal, where Bruno Fernandes’ (£8.3m) free-kick was levelled by Declan Rice’s (£6.2m) second-half strike.
We review the action from a Fantasy perspective in our latest Scout Notes.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 28 round-up: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Why Palmer was subbed off, Cucurella + Maresca on his ‘keepers
EVANILSON IMPACT
Evanilson was back in the Bournemouth team and back among the goals on Sunday.
Starting his first match since Gameweek 20, the Brazilian’s impact was almost instant, with Guglielmo Vicario (£4.8m) pushing his early effort around the post just 20 seconds in.
The goal did arrive in the second half, however, as he latched on to Justin Kluivert’s (£6.1m) pass and flicked it into the corner.
Ahead of home fixtures against Brentford and Ipswich Town, expect interest in Evanilson to ramp up this week.
The opposite applies to Dango Ouattara (£5.2m). Benched here, he did at least come on for 20 minutes, with Evanilson not yet ready to play the full 90.
“We are coming from the cup and it’s a demanding game. Also thinking about the way both teams play, probably in the last minutes of the game it will be open. The ones who come from the bench will be very important and I hope we can make a difference at the end.” – Andoni Iraola speaking before the match on his changes
Tavernier had previously opened the scoring for Bournemouth, having met Milos Kerkez’s (£5.1m) inch-perfect cross.
Kluivert, meanwhile, was also superb.
Deployed in a No 10 role, there was a real energy about his performance in north London. He had a goal ruled out for offside and also hit the foot of the post before supplying the assist for Evanilson’s strike.
14 of his 18 attacking returns this season have now come on the road – only Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) has more, with 27.
Above: Players sorted by attacking returns in away matches only
Finally, Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) received treatment shortly before coming off, but it looked like it was cramp. He was also on a yellow card, his eighth caution of the season so far.
SLOPPY SPURS
This match may have ended 2-2, but make no mistake, Bournemouth were by far the better team. They looked sharper and fresher, with their pressing excellent throughout.
In the end, an over-hit cross and a huge error from Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.6m) allowed Tottenham to salvage a point, with Son Heung-min (£9.7m), who started on the bench for the second match in a row, scoring the all-important equaliser from the penalty spot.
However, with Dejan Kulusevski (£6.2m) injured and Son and James Maddison (£7.4m) substitutes, Spurs struggled to keep possession and caused themselves problems in the early stages, giving the ball away cheaply in dangerous areas.
The returning Cristian Romero (£4.9m) looked particularly rusty.
They did at least improve after the break, with Dominic Solanke (£7.3m) more involved.
“There’s obviously a sense of nervousness there and we’re getting players back that have been out for quite a while. I think some of it is just that little bit of anxiety and nervousness, which we need to get under control, and stay calm in these moments. But they persevered, which to me shows they still have belief in what we are doing.” – Ange Postecoglou
“That’s the key thing, they got minutes. Romero, just great to get him back out there. He’s such an important player for us, but you could see he hasn’t played for a while. I thought he grew into the game and got a lot better as it went on. Great for Dom [Solanke] to get 90 minutes today, he’s such a workhorse for us and I’m sure he’ll feel better for that. Brilliant to get Micky [van de Ven] out there as well. I think before Thursday night [second leg against AZ Alkmaar] that was key for us to get some minutes into these guys and, thankfully, they got through it unscathed.” – Ange Postecoglou on Romero, Solanke and van de Ven’s returns
FERNANDES’ BLANK GAMEWEEK 29 APPEAL
Bruno Fernandes was once again Man Utd’s most influential player on Sunday, with his whipped free-kick goal his fourth attacking return in three matches.
The badly positioned David Raya (£5.5m) could certainly have done better, but for Bruno, he continues to step up ahead of next week’s trip to Leicester City.
It’s a team he delivered a season-high 17 points against in the reverse fixture, adding to his appeal.
Sunday’s deeper central midfield role admittedly limits his box threat, yet Bruno has many routes to points, and most importantly, Leicester are without a clean sheet in 21 matches.
“He proves it every game. He’s here to help the club, that’s the most important thing. Sometimes, he has moments when he’s so frustrated that he shows that. He wants to win more than anything. He’s always there. We played Fulham and he ran 16 kilometres. He plays all the games and is always available. Yes, sometimes his frustration hurts him and people don’t understand. He is suffering for every result we have. I think he is a very good captain and we are really happy with him.” – Ruben Amorim on Bruno Fernandes
“What I can say is that we need more Bruno’s. That is clear. Not just the quality, the character, not some mistakes, but the character that he has, the availability in this league, is so important and he’s so decisive with the ball and without the ball.” – Ruben Amorim on Bruno Fernandes
United also looked a bit more solid than usual.
Defending in a lower block seemed to suit the personnel available to Amorim, with Alejandro Garnacho (£5.9m) in particular carrying a threat on the counter-attack.
They did lose Leny Yoro (£4.3m) to a foot injury, however.
MARTINELLI RETURNS/SAKA INJURY UPDATE
For Arsenal, despite their dominance (68% possession), they once again struggled in the final-third.
Rice’s powerful effort, their first goal since Gameweek 25, rescued a point, but with key attackers still missing, they lack a cutting edge, with Leandro Trossard (£6.8m) particularly wasteful, with only one of his six shots on Sunday hitting the target.
Indeed, the Gunners have now managed just one goal in their last three matches, despite creating just under four expected goals (xG) across those games.
They could at least welcome back Gabriel Martinelli (£6.5m) on Sunday.
He returned as a substitute in the 58th minute, replacing Ethan Nwaneri (£4.6m), and registered two big chances during his cameo.
Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) is expected to return to full training within the next month, too.
“With Gabi it was a bit different the kind of injury that he had and I think we talked about it last week that he was much closer than Bukayo. After the international break, let’s see where he is – his progress is really good, he’s really willing, as you can imagine, so we are positive that in a few weeks, he’ll hopefully be back.” – Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka
