Another round of FA Cup notes as we look back on the remainder of Sunday’s matches.
Next up, the fortunes of Fulham, Leeds United and Sunderland.
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RESULTS
| Team | Opposition | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulham | Stoke City (a) | 2-1 win | Kevin, Reed | Muniz |
| Leeds | Birmingham City (a) | 1-1 draw (won on pens) | Nmecha | Okafor |
| Sunderland | Oxford United (a) | 1-0 win | Diarra pen | Cirkin |
SELECTION / ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM GAMEWEEK 26 | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (+ MINS) | OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS (+ MINS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulham | 10 | Iwobi (90) | Kevin (90), Robinson (90), Cuenca (90), Bobb (86), King (77), Muniz (77), Raúl (13), Wilson (4) |
| Leeds | 7 | Gudmundsson (120), Justin (120), Bijol (120), Bornauw (90) | Longstaff (120), Perri (120), Okafor (82), Nmecha (68), Calvert-Lewin (52), Aaronson (52), Rodon (30) |
| Sunderland | 6 | Roefs (90), Mukiele (90), Le Fee (90), Hume (90), Diarra (64) | Geertruida (90), Talbi (81), Isidor (64), Sadiki (26) |
IS LE FEE OFF PENALTIES?
It seemed like Enzo Le Fee (£4.9m) had quickly been forgiven for his terrible Gameweek 21 spot kick, an attempted ‘Panenka’ that barely reached the goalline, as he scored in Sunderland’s next two matches, while also converting their first penalty in the shootout versus Everton.
The Frenchman played all 90 minutes on Sunday. However, once Dennis Cirkin (£4.0m) was fouled inside the box, Habib Diarra (£5.3m) stepped up and calmly sent Oxford United’s goalkeeper the wrong way.
This will concern Fantasy Premier League (FPL) owners of Le Fee, as part of the cheap midfielder’s appeal is about taking some penalties. Regis Le Bris’ post-match comments aren’t ideal, either.
“We like to keep a bit of unpredictability. It was decided on the pitch. It is a really question of confidence and who feels they are best placed to do it. Habib [Diarra] is very confident when it comes to taking a penalty. And he did well.
“Enzo [Le Fee] was happy with the situation. He was comfortable with the decision for Habib to take the penalty. I have no worries at all about the connection between the lads.” – Regis Le Bris, via the Northern Echo
For the record, Diarra took and scored three Strasbourg penalties between March 2024 and January 2025.
NO ALDERETE
Heavy rainfall had the match in severe doubt, but Oxford’s pitch eventually passed an inspection.
Against Championship opposition, Le Bris was able to rest Daniel Ballard (£4.6m) and keep Brian Brobbey (£5.5m) on the bench.
Of interest to FPL managers is the absence of Omar Alderete (£4.1m). The defender limped off in Wednesday’s home defeat to Liverpool, and Le Bris told the media that he’d be rested on this occasion.
Expect him back for Gameweek 27, at home to Fulham.
MUNIZ DENTS RAUL APPEAL
Speaking of the Cottagers, they came from behind to overcome Stoke City. Marco Silva heavily changed his starting XI, choosing not to use Joachim Andersen (£4.5m), Kenny Tete (£4.5m) or Bernd Leno (£4.9m).
As mentioned in our latest ‘Goals Imminent’ article, any temptation to pounce on Raul Jimenez‘s (£6.1m) good form and strong fixtures – deemed the second-best run between Gameweeks 27 and 31 – is limited by the return of fellow forward Rodrigo Muniz (£5.3m).
Snatching game time from the Mexican, this 77-minute runout further improved Muniz’s match fitness. He also assisted Kevin‘s (£5.8m) equaliser, after the latter missed several earlier chances.
“It’s crucial for us to have Rodrigo Muniz and Josh King back. They came back from different types of injuries. We know how well they played in the beginning of the season together.
“Oscar Bobb, very, very good performance from him. You can feel it, the quality in short spaces that he’s going to give. And a very good game from Kevin, too. He created many very good moments from our left hand side.” – Marco Silva
Meanwhile, new signing Oscar Bobb (£5.1m) started for the first time, though Harry Wilson (£6.0m) replaced him near the end.
This came just after Harrison Reed (£4.3m) pounced on a bad goalkeeper pass to net Fulham’s winner.
MINUTES FOR CALVERT-LEWIN + PERRI
Elsewhere, an entertaining lunchtime game went all the way through extra time to penalties.
Leeds made seven changes from their 2-2 draw at Chelsea, a match that Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.9m) missed through illness. The forward didn’t appear here until the 68th minute, but no midweek match means he’s expected to be fine for Gameweek 27.
Between the sticks, Karl Darlow (£3.9m) has started five successive Premier League encounters, catching the attention of Wildcard users. But his minutes may no longer be safe after Lucas Perri‘s (£4.5m) top performance.
The Brazilian made a brilliant early save and kept denying the relentless hosts, Birmingham. Nothing beat him until an 89th-minute strike from Patrick Roberts, and he went on to save in the shootout.
“I am very happy and delighted for him. He fully deserves to be in the spotlight today because he is such a smart and thoughtful guy.
“It was not easy for him in the recent weeks and overall also his two injuries in the recent months. But, yeah, days like this are the best in order to find his confidence back, to find his rhythm back and today he deserves lots of praise and also fully deserves to be in the spotlight.” – Daniel Farke on Lucas Perri
