Gameweek 30 reached its conclusion in west London on Thursday night. Chelsea edged a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, with Enzo Fernandez’s (£4.7m) header from a Cole Palmer (£10.7m) cross separating the two sides.
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PALMER + JACKSON RETURN
Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m) both recovered from injury to start for Chelsea on Thursday.
Sold by 2.4m Fantasy managers in the last two Gameweeks, Palmer notched his first Opta assist since December, when Enzo nodded in his superb cross.
A goal still evades him, however.
The England international frequently looked dangerous against Tottenham, creating two chances for his team-mates and registering two shots of his own, yet even having collected a share of the bonus, you can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed by his six-point return.
“To be honest, I think Cole Palmer’s performance tonight was very similar to the rest of the performances. The only difference is that in the previous performance, he didn’t score, he didn’t assist. And because he’s a top player, and probably the best player we have, every time he didn’t score or didn’t assist, it’s news.
“But for me it’s something normal. I said many times that we cannot rely on Cole for every game. We cannot expect Cole every game to score or assist. And tonight, the assist for Enzo was a top assist. Enzo was in the right position. I am very happy for him.” – Enzo Maresca
As for Jackson, he struck the woodwork inside the opening minute, when Micky van de Ven’s (£4.5m) attempted clearance cannoned off the striker and on to the post.
His return – and indeed Palmer’s – certainly prompted a better attacking display from Chelsea, with much greater fluidity afforded by the latter’s roaming role on the left.
“So tonight, we used more balls in behind. It’s because of Tottenham, the way they defend, the way they press. And Nico for us, since we start, I said many times that he’s an important player because he’s a threat. He’s a threat for the defensive line. Off the ball, he’s pressing everyone. For sure with Nico we are a different team.” – Enzo Maresca
Above: Chelsea’s average position map v Tottenham, including Cole Palmer (No 20) and Nicolas Jackson (No 15)
Enzo, meanwhile, has now scored home and away against Spurs this season, having produced four attacking returns in his last seven appearances.
ANOTHER HOME CLEAN SHEET
Chelsea were by far the better team on Thursday, as they jumped back up to fourth with three points.
It means they have now won each of their last six matches in all competitions at Stamford Bridge, the last four of which while also keeping a clean sheet:
Graphic via WhoScored
Moises Caicedo (£4.9m) was arguably the best player on the pitch against Tottenham, winning eight of his nine ground duels. He even had a goal disallowed by VAR for an offside in the build-up.
Malo Gusto (£4.9m) also impressed.
A constant attacking outlet, he switched to a left wing role ahead of Marc Cucurella (£5.3m) following Reece James’ (£4.8m) introduction.
Given the above, there could be value in adding a Chelsea defender to your squad, especially if you are planning to Bench Boost in Gameweek 32, when the Blues host relegation-threatened Ipswich Town.
Wesley Fofana (£4.3m) is newly-flagged, however, having missed out through injury on Thursday.
STRUGGLING SPURS
This was another ropey display from Tottenham, who are now winless in four matches and 14th in the Premier League.
Carved open a number of times, they also offered very little in attack, having generated just 0.79 expected goals (xG).
Dominic Solanke (£7.3m), a bystander throughout, actually registered the fewest touches of any starter (21), as Spurs struggled to find patterns in their attacking play.
Bar a long-range equaliser from Pape Sarr (£4.7m), which was eventually ruled out for a foul in the build-up, there was very little to cheer, a headscratcher given that Spurs were able to welcome back key personnel, including van de Ven, James Maddison (£7.4m) and Son Heung-min (£9.7m).
Defeat, however, leaves Tottenham with nine Premier League away losses this season, the most of any club except Leicester City (11) and Southampton (12).
“We conceded a really poor goal, which was disappointing. That’s what’s costing us at the moment. I thought our response after that was excellent. We scored a good equaliser, then had a couple of chances to get something out of the game, but ultimately, we fell short.
“There were some positive signs. I don’t think it’s through a lack of effort, the players fought hard. We’ve got an opportunity on Sunday to improve our results.” – Ange Postecoglou
