More FA Cup scribbles for you now as we look back on some of Saturday’s matches.
Next up, Manchester City’s win over local opponents Salford City, plus Liverpool v Brighton and Hove Albion.
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- READ MORE: FPL notes – Cucurella latest, Palmer + Bowen absences explained
RESULTS
| Team | Opposition | Result | Goals | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton | Liverpool (a) | 0-3 defeat | – | – |
| Liverpool | Brighton (h) | 3-0 win | Jones, Szoboszlai, Salah pen | Kerkez, Salah |
| Man City | Salford (h) | 2-0 win | own goal, Guehi | Ait-Nouri, Cherki |
SELECTION / ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM GAMEWEEK 26 | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (+ MINS) | NOTABLE OTHER PLAYERS (+ MINS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton | 3 | Gross (90), Dunk (90), Kadioglu (90), Veltman (90), Hinshelwood (81), van Hecke (72), Baleba (62), D Gomez (62) | Kostoulas (90), Steele (90), Minteh (28), Mitoma (28), Georginio (28) |
| Liverpool | 3 | van Dijk (90), Konate (90), Kerkez (90), Alisson (90), Mac Allister (90), Gakpo (89), Salah (77), Wirtz (71) | Szoboszlai (90), Jones (89), Gomez (19), Ekitike (13) |
| Man City | 9 | Foden (65), Ait-Nouri (65) | Cherki (90), Reijnders (90), Khusanov (90), Trafford (90), Marmoush (90), Semenyo (25), O’Reilly (25), Guehi (25), Rodri (15) |
NO HAALAND
As Pep Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference, a knock to the knee took Erling Haaland (£14.9m) off at half-time against Fulham last week.
Having already spoken about possibly being burnt out, the Norwegian wasn’t even named as a substitute here.
So, all Fantasy Premier League (FPL) eyes will be on Pep’s Gameweek 27 media quotes.
GUEHI’S FIRST CITY GOAL + WINGER UPDATES
Marc Guehi (£5.2m), Antoine Semenyo (£7.9m) and Nico O’Reilly (£4.9m) all brought joy to owners last Wednesday and were initially rested here.
However, the match versus League 2 opposition stayed 1-0 for a while after Alfie Dorrington’s early own goal. A few James Trafford (£4.5m) were needed, too. Therefore, this trio came on with 25 minutes left.
Guehi, FPL’s joint-second highest scoring defender, secured an impressive three goals and five assists (in all competitions) during his final half-season at Crystal Palace. Now he’s off the mark at new club Man City, as Rayan Cherki‘s (£6.5m) cross was pushed onto his close-range foot.
Semenyo soon hit the post as well. But, afterwards, Guardiola hinted at “shifts” on the wing once Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) and Savinho (£6.9m) imminently return from injury.
“Jeremy [Doku] is close. He still doesn’t train with us, but we will see. He’s a little better, but [against Salford] we needed wingers. We know how important he is. It helps us a lot in how we play. I’m more than delighted with how we behave.
“Antoine [Semenyo] has played a lot of minutes. If you make shifts with Doku, Semenyo, Savinho, the opponents defend in their box for 90 minutes.” – Pep Guardiola
EKITIKE’S MINUTES
Meanwhile, on Saturday night, a strong Liverpool XI saw three changes from the hard-fought win at Sunderland.
The serious Wataru Endo (£4.9m) injury forced one of them, and another brought Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7m) back from suspension.
But Federico Chiesa (£6.3m) started up front, instead of Hugo Ekitike (£8.9m). Such limited minutes should please the latter’s Gameweek 27 owners, as most had to suffer his January benching away at Bournemouth.
SALAH LOOKING GOOD
If the next Haaland update is poorer than expected, those with multiple FPL transfers may choose the maverick strategy of ditching him for premium midfielder Mohamed Salah (£14.0m).
That’s because the Egyptian has been in top form since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, starting all seven matches, scoring twice and assisting four others. December’s public comments against Arne Slot feel long ago.
Brighton had chances to equalise after the Curtis Jones (£5.4m) opener, notably a big Diego Gomez (£4.9m) miss and the Lewis Dunk (£4.5m) header that required a crucial save.
But Salah stepped up to ensure a 3-0 Reds victory. One glorious touch gently placed a crossfield Cody Gakpo (£7.3m) pass into the path of Szoboszlai’s first-time strike, before winning himself a penalty via a menacing solo run. The subsequent spot kick was smashed high into a corner.
“It’s very nice to have him on the scoresheet again and him having an assist. But I think what I like the most at the moment, that he’s scoring goals is something you can almost expect, but he also helps the team a lot defensively. That is something very positive – what the team also needs.” – Arne Slot on Mohamed Salah
As mentioned in ‘Goals Imminent’, no player has more close-range shots (13) throughout these latest four Gameweeks. Perhaps Salah is now worth a discussion.
