Two more Saturday matches to look back on now as we reflect on Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City and West Ham United 0-1 Fulham, with the performance of Rayan Cherki (£6.6m) one of the key discussion points.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 18: Saturday’s goals, assists, bonus + ‘DefCon’ points
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Why Thiago didn’t get a second assist + van den Berg “knock”
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Cash ban, Cucurella injury + Palmer fumes
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Timber + Calafiori injury latest, Gabriel returns
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Dorgu ‘out of position’ + £3.8m Heaven praise
CHERKI STARS
Manchester City weren’t at their fluent best on Saturday, but they got the job done at Nottingham Forest, with Cherki playing a crucial role.
The Frenchman provided the assist for Tijjani Reijnders’ (£5.2m) opener, and later, scored the winner with a drilled low finish.
He also had a shot tipped onto the post.
Cherki, who leads the way in the Premier League for minutes per chance created this season (25), has now produced nine attacking returns (one goal, eight assists) since the start of November, the joint-most of any player except Erling Haaland (£15.1m).
“There are moments that I just want to shout at him and there are moments I want to kiss him.
“I have to allow him to express his incredible talent.” – Pep Guardiola on Rayan Cherki
Reijnders, meanwhile, found the net for the visitors and has now scored three goals in his last five matches, which notably included four starts.
The Dutchman got far more joy in the second half on Saturday, as Pep Guardiola pushed him further up the pitch, freeing him up to make dangerous runs beyond Haaland.
Above: Manchester City’s second-half passing network v Nottingham Forest
There were blanks for Phil Foden (£9.0m) and Haaland, however.
Foden did at least rack up five shots, with John Victor (£4.0m) pulling off a fine save to deny him.
As for Haaland, he was much quieter and struggled to find space against the impressive Nikola Milenkovic (£5.1m) and Murillo (£5.2m).
“ALL-ROUNDER” JESUS
Despite the loss, Forest consistently posed a threat at the City Ground, with Saturday’s performance further proof that they are moving in the right direction under Sean Dyche.
Igor Jesus (£5.8m) was particularly impressive, with his ability to hold the ball up and win duels frequently unsettling Pep’s backline.
The Brazilian assisted Omari Hutchinson (£5.4m) for his first Forest goal, and with Chris Wood (£7.2m) undergoing knee surgery, now has a real opportunity to kick on.
Jesus has racked up 28 shots in the box since the start of November, the most of any player except Haaland.
“He is doing well. He is learning about the game. He is strong. He plays hard, but he plays fair. The next step is to get more goals, but he is in there and he is hungry to get goals. He is certainly showing what a good all-rounder he is. Now it is just adding goals, which is not as easy as it sounds. But he has scored goals this season and I think he will score more because he does get in the right areas. He has had a couple chalked off, don’t forget – the one at Liverpool, everyone is still scratching their heads at how that was chalked off. It was similar but different at Wolves, so he could have had another couple.
“He is learning well and developing well. I am enjoying what he is doing. If he can be a handful for defenders, then why not? He is a strong lad, I know that, and he can hold the ball up well. He plays competitively but fair. He is still new to it and has got to learn still. Woody is different; he has got the depth of experience, the goals and the knowledge of the Premier League. Igor is doing very well to fast-track that and is doing a good job of it.” – Sean Dyche on Igor Jesus
In other news, Elliot Anderson (£5.3m) banked defensive contribution (DefCon) points once more, although he did receive a yellow card.
He’s now on four bookings for the season but only needs to get through Tuesday’s match against Everton before the cut-off resets.
£4.0M ‘KEEPER STARTS AGAIN
Dyche kept faith with John Victor in goal on Saturday, with Matz Sels (£4.6m) once again named among the substitutes.
The Forest boss had previously explained that a lack of training for Sels, plus Victor’s clean sheet in Gameweek 16, were reasons for his benching at Fulham.
But the £4.0m shot-stopper didn’t do much wrong on Monday and subsequently kept his place here, making some fine saves in the process.
Unfortunately, Dyche’s post-match interviews primarily focused on refereeing decisions rather than the current goalkeeper situation, leaving owners uncertain about if and when Sels will return to the starting XI.
JIMENEZ PRAISE, ROBINSON IMPRESSES
Fulham have now won six of their last nine league matches, with Saturday’s 1-0 win over West Ham propelling them into the top half of the table.
In a match of few clear-cut opportunities, Raul Jimenez (£6.3m) grabbed the late winner, heading the ball into the net from Harry Wilson’s (£5.8m) cross.
Wilson, having recovered from injury, played the entire 90 minutes but did receive his fourth yellow card of the campaign.
Jimenez racked up five shots in Gameweek 18, earning further praise from his manager.
“It’s what he’s capable of, he showed again he gives everything for the shirt, his work ethic is unbelievable for a player his age and what he can offer the team. He needs goals to be more confident. He deserves the credit, he has been working very hard.” – Marco Silva on Raul Jimenez
Saturday’s result was largely achieved thanks to Fulham’s defensive efforts, however.
The Cottagers have now kept back-to-back clean sheets, with the fit-again Antonee Robinson (£4.9m) superb.
Pushing high up the left flank, he created four chances for his teammates and only narrowly missed out on DefCon.
As for West Ham, this was another below-par display, with Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) and substitute Callum Wilson (£5.8m) both missing decent chances.
They remain in the relegation zone but do at least have some decent fixtures to come, with Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers up next.
