We got our first look at each team’s main set-piece takers in Gameweek 1 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
Many of the players involved at dead-ball situations were carrying off where they left off in 2024/25 or in pre-season.
But there are a few new set-play pretenders to report on following the opening weekend.
Based on the official Opta data in our Premium Members Area, here is a breakdown of the latest round of matches.
CORNERS + CROSSED FREE-KICKS
DIRECT FREE-KICKS
PENALTIES
OBSERVATIONS
NEW PENALTY TAKERS?
Matt O’Riley (£5.5m) took the first Premier League penalty of the season, having also scored from the spot in Gameweek 38 of 2024/25.
The successor to Joao Pedro (£7.5m), then? Not necessarily: on both Saturday and on the final day of last season, Danny Welbeck (£6.5m) wasn’t on the pitch. The veteran striker had also converted from 12 yards in 2024/25.
Both O’Riley and Hurzeler namechecked Welbeck after the game in quotes you can read here.
There’s maybe less doubt about who is first in line at Brentford.
With Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) gone and Yoane Wissa (£7.5m) set to follow, Igor Thiago (£6.0m) was handed the responsibility when the Bees won a spot-kick on Sunday.
NEW SIGNINGS ON CORNER-TAKING DUTIES
Florian Wirtz (£8.5m) was straight into the set-piece mix at Liverpool, taking all six of the Reds’ corners – and from either side of the pitch, too.
Budget Burnley defender Quilindschy Hartman (£4.0m) took four corners from the Clarets’ right and one crossed free-kick. Midfielder Josh Cullen (£5.0m) was on duty from the other side of the field.
Having seen them play a part at dead-ball situations in pre-season, there was no surprise to see Granit Xhaka (£5.0m), Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) and Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) all stepping up for Sunderland, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Chelsea’s Estevao (£6.5m), Brentford’s Jordan Henderson (£5.0m) and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jhon Arias (£5.5m) all emerged from the bench to take a set play for their respective sides.
New left wing-backs El Hadji Diouf (£4.5m) and David Moller Wolfe (£4.5m) even took one apiece for their new sides. Maxim De Cuyper (£4.5m) is not featured in the above list: he chipped the ball forward for a Mats Wieffer (£5.0m) headed chance on Saturday – but as it wasn’t technically a cross, it isn’t logged by Opta here!
ANDERSON – NOT JUST A DC MAGNET
Elliot Anderson (£5.5m) may have appealed mostly for his defensive contribution (DC) potential but the budget midfielder is also on set plays for Nottingham Forest.
He took seven of Forest’s eight corners/crossed free-kicks, going close to getting an assist for the Tricky Trees’ opener:
After review, there will be no assist due to two defensive touches before falling to Chris Wood. https://t.co/8AACOuAPsq
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 17, 2025
Other than the names already mentioned in this article, other low-cost picks to be on corners included Sunderland defender Trai Hume (£4.5m), Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne (£4.5m) and Brentford’s Fabio Carvalho (£5.0m).
Digne’s only corner was a ‘short’ one, however:
Hamed Traore (£4.5m) and Andy Irving (£4.5m), two of the cheapest midfielders in the came, also took corners – but they are not expected to play big parts in their sides’ starting XIs this season and indeed were only substitutes at the weekend.
