Sergio Aguero returns to the scoresheet and Fantasy radar in some style, leaping to head a dramatic late winner for City at Vicarage Road. Arsenal battle for three points at the Emirates to retain their place at the summit, while Riyad Maharez’ spot-kick miss denies Leicester victory as the Foxes blank again. Here’s the notes from a Saturday of slim pickings…
Aguero Swoops For City
Manchester City left it late to recover from a one-goal deficit and secure a 2-1 win over Watford at Vicarage Road.
Sergio Aguero scored the winner with a superb soaring header six minutes from time, having been afforded his longest run-out following a series of injuries.
The Argentine ended a run of three blanks and should now approach the Sky Blues’ back-to-back home match-ups (EVE, CRY) with renewed confidence and a heftier ownership.
Priced at 13.1, Aguero surprisingly claimed just over 8000 new owners as initial interest in the City striker remains tepid. Goals against the fragile Everton defence on Wednesday would certainly change matters. Despite reservations, Aguero already looks to be a prime captain candidate heading into the midweek Gameweek.
Elsewhere, Yaya Toure restored parity for the visitors with his third goal in four starts. The enigmatic Ivorian failed to build upon his brace in the opening Gameweek but has stepped up his game of late, furnishing us with a cheaper alternative to Kevin De Bruyne.
Aleksandar Kolarov had an eventful afternoon – balancing out an own goal with the assist for Toure’s sublime effort – while Bacary Sagna earned an assist from the opposite flank. Both men were starved of clean-sheet points as the Sky Blues’ defence was breached for the seventh time in eight fixtures.
Lively Iglaho Denied
Having more than held their own against a lacklustre Man City outfit, Watford will feel aggrieved not to have claimed any points from the head-to-head. Ben Watson nabbed his second assist in three outings after his testing inswinging corner kick was turned in by Kolarov.
For the first time in eight Gameweeks, Odion Ighalo failed to record attacking returns despite putting in another eye-catching shift in the Hornets attack.
The Nigerian hitman will fancy his chances of getting back on the scoreboard next Gameweek when Watford clash with an out-of-sorts Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium.
Hammers Use Their Heads
West Ham United recorded a convincing 2-0 victory over Liverpool in 2016’s inaugural Premier League showdown, notching two headed goals to earn the three points.
Michail Antonio (5.2) – one of our Differentials this Gameweek – opened the scoring with his second goal in as many starts. The former Nottingham Forest winger has strengthened his grip on a starting berth by contributing (two goals and assist) to four of the Hammers’ last five goals, rendering him an intriguing route into their midfield ahead of a strong schedule (bou, new, MCI, AVL).
Antonio may well be a viable enabler for the acquisition of Aguero, although the return of another West Ham midfield asset casts some doubt over the wingers appeal.
Dimitri Payet returned from injury and was afforded a 27-minute run-out against the Merseysiders, while Manuel Lanzini pulled up with a groin complaint and was subbed off at the 39-minute mark; it is thought that Lanzini will be sidelined for up to a month as a result.
Now priced at 7.6 having climbed to 8.3 in the FPL, Payet looked lively on his introduction and would seem likely to be handed a start for the Gameweek 21 trip to Bournemouth. Payet was transferred in by over 25,000 FPL managers overnight – more than any other player.
While Lanzini is set to be sidelined, Payet’s reinstatement certainly augments the Fantasy appeal of lone striker Andy Carroll (6.4 in the FPL), who also netted his second goal in as many starts. Carroll’s starting role currently looks unopposed.
Aaron Creswell’s 8.6% ownership profited from West Ham’s fourth clean sheet in six outings, underlining their improvement (no clean sheets between Gameweeks 6 and 14) on the defensive front. Given the form of James Collins, it’s unclear just how Bilic will accommodate the return of Winston Reid from injury: subsequently, Creswell currently represents the most secure option the Hammers’ rearguard.
Inconsistent Reds Falter
For the third road tie in four, Liverpool failed to muster a solitary goal. The visitors tallied five more attempts (23 compared to 18) than West Ham but chalked up five times fewer accurate shots (two to 10), illuminating their poor finishing of late.
Philippe Coutinho’s 20% ownership were left frustrated by the Brazilian’s fifth consecutive blank, raising doubts as to his value in the mid-priced bracket prior to home match-ups against Arsenal and Manchester United. Coutinho was sold on by over 15,000 FPL managers overnight – more than any other FPL asset.
Inconsistent clean sheets are also a concern. Having returned back-to-back shut-outs over Christmas against Leicester and Sunderland, Klopp’s defence looked vulnerable and have now lost three of their last four away from home, conceding seven goals in those matches.
As mentioned, the Reds are at Anfield for the next two but face testing opposition in Arsenal and United.
Gunners Claim To Hard-Fought Victory
Arsenal showed tremendous resolve to emerge from their home clash against Newcastle United with a 1-0 win, extending their unbeaten streak at the Emirates to nine matches (seven wins, two draws).
Having been benched in Gameweek 19, Laurent Koscielny returned to the teamsheet and popped up with the decisive strike in the 72nd minute, boosting his goal output to three for the season. The French centre-back (11%) trails the likes of Hector Bellerin (21%) and Nacho Monreal (13%) in the ownership stakes but has displayed a greater capacity for producing attack returns.
The 40% of Fantasy managers who captained Mesut Ozil had to settle for a two-point haul in light of his second blank in three matches. Ozil had previously registered a goal or an assist in every one of his eleven league outings prior to Gameweek 18’s reverse at Southampton.
Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey has struggled to justify recent interest – the Welshman has now blanked in his last four having returned double figures in Gameweeks 15 and 16.
Olivier Giroud once again claimed the assist for the winning goal. Giroud has returned points in five of his last six but has failed to score in three starts. He could be subject to rotation in the near future should Arsene Wenger switch things up and Theo Walcott another run as the central striker.
Foxes Blank Again
Leicester failed to net for the third match in succession as they played out a 0-0 stalemate against Bournemouth – who were reduced to 10-men shortly before the hour mark. A third clean sheet in six outings does, however, shine a spotlight on their budget rearguard recruits, with the 4.1-priced Danny Simpson serving as the cheapest selection.
To the consternation of the 19% of managers that captained him, Riyad Mahrez missed from the penalty spot and posted his third consecutive blank.
Although few will be willing to part with the explosive Algerian, Jamie Vardy – who hasn’t sored since Gameweek 16 – has lost some of his shine in recent weeks. As such, the English marksman’s ownership looks set to decline as the Foxes prepare for a challenging trip to Tottenham. It remains to be seen if Vardy is handed spot-kick duties next time out, in the light of the Mahrez miss.
Ten-Man Cherries Hold Firm
Despite contending with a one-man disadvantage for the last third of the encounter, Bournemouth held their high-flying hosts at bay and secured their second shut-out in three matches. Given that the Cherries now embark on an agreeable quartet of fixtures (WHU, NOR, sun, cry), there’s scope for their cut-price defenders to excel.
The south-coast outfit offered minimal threat in the final third, failing to record a single shot on target. Junior Stanislas made his return to the starting line-up, but Joshua King was replaced on 51 minutes – it what appears to have been a tactical move.
Simon Francis received a straight red for denying Vardy a goalscoring opportunity, meaning he’ll sit out Bournemouth’s midweek trip to Birmingham in the FA Cup. Eddie Howe has indicated that the club will not contest the decision, allowing Francis to rest in preparation for the visit of West Ham in Gameweek 21.
United Strikers Deliver
Manchester United banished their six-match winless spell with a 2-1 victory over Swansea City. Anthony Martial netted his second goal in four starts and also delivered the pass for Wayne Rooney’s first goal in 553 minutes.
While Louis van Gaal will have been delighted to see both his strikers return to the scoresheet, their success will have little impact in Fantasy terms. Neither Martial or Rooney currently justify investment, particularly while there are continued doubts over United’s ability to open up opponents.
Defensively, United conceded once again and, as a result, have now claimed just two clean sheets in their last eight league outings.
Ill Discipline Costs Saints
Southampton slid to their fourth away defeat on the bounce and have now lost four of their previous five league ties.
Their quest to rebound from a 2-1 loss at West Ham was made all the more difficult when Victor Wanyama picked up a second yellow card for a foul on Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, ruling him out of Saints’ home encounter with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup and the Gameweek 21 clash with Watford.
Wanyama’s ban will be extended to two matches as the Carrow Road dismissal was his second red of the season: he’d previously seen red at Bournemouth in Gameweek 11.
Southampton also had to do without Sadio Mane for much of the Norwich clash. The Senegal attacker was disciplined by Ronald Koeman for failing to turn up to a pre-match team meeting on time. Relegated to the bench, Mane saw action in the final ten minutes and was unable to make an impact.
Notwithstanding this unforeseen incident, his 6% ownership might be loath to ship him out prior to Southampton’s promising pair of upcoming fixtures (WAT, WBA). However, there are real question marks over Mane’s state of mind at the club amidst this latest indiscretion and rumoured interest from Manchester United.
At the back, the Saints rearguard have now kept just a single clean sheet in eight league outings.
Defoe Seals the Points for Sunderland
Sunderland snapped their five-match winless streak as they ran out 3-1 victors over Aston Villa.
Jermain Defoe will garner the lion’s share of the plaudits for his second-half brace – the first time he’s scored more than one in a league fixture for three years. The 5.1-priced forward now lays claim to six goals this term but lacks the consistency to warrant a slot in our three-man strike forces.
Earning his place on the Scout Picks bench, Patrick van Aanholt struck first with his second goal in seven starts. The Dutch full-back comes in at a reasonable 4.5, but the Black Cats defensive record (no clean sheets in six) and schedule (swa, tot, BOU, MCI, liv, MUN) discourages investment in their rearguard.
Adam Johnson, Ola Toivonen and Yann M’Vila were on hand for the assists, with the latter accruing his fifth of the season.
Doomed Villa Suffer Damaging Defeat
Villa stretched out their winless run to 19 matches (14 losses, five draws) with defeat at the Stadium of Light – only three clubs have endured a worse run in the history of the league. Moreover, the West Midlands outfit earned just one clean sheet across that period, illustrating their travails at both ends of the pitch.
Carles Gil provided Villa’s supporters with a rare moment of magic, rifling in a volley to bag his second goal of the campaign. Barcelona graduate Adam Traore bolstered his case for a starting slot with the assist for Gil’s strike – Traore did, however, suffer a knock late on.
Villa’s fate now seems sealed, with Fantasy managers perhaps considering concentrating their attentions on Villa’s opponents in the coming Gameweeks.
Crystal Palace and Leicester are their next two on their schedule, with both encounters played out at Villa Park: Remi Garde’s side have scored just six goals in nine home matches all season.
Baggies Battle To Another Hawthorns Win
West Bromwich Albion recorded their second straight home win by virtue of goals from Jonny Evans and Stephane Sessegnon.
James Morrison also got in on the action, carding his third assist of the term and first attacking returns since Gameweek 13.
Despite recent form, the Baggies offer no viable attacking asset, with their threat at set-pieces providing their main cutting edge. That promotes the likes of Evans and Craig Dawson in our thinking, although clean sheet returns have hardly been consistent.
Tony Pulis’ troops managed just one shut-out in their last 10 outings, diminishing the appeal of their rearguard assets ahead of two road clashes (che, sou). Home fixtures against Villa and Swansea in Gameweeks 23 and 24 look potentially more profitable.
Potters Lose Momentum
Stoke were unable to build on their superb back-to-back wins over Manchester United and Everton, as they unable to stem the tide of pressure following Geoff Cameron’s dismissal in the 83rd minute.
Jonathan Walters emerged from the bench to score Stoke City’s solitary goal at The Hawthorns, while Joselu turned provider for the Ireland international, marking the second cameo in as many Gameweeks that he’s served up attacking returns (one goal and assist).
Having earned a straight red for violent conduct, Cameron sits out Stoke’s League Cup clash against Liverpool, trip to Doncaster in the FA Cup and the Gameweek 21 clash against Norwich City in the league.
