Leonardo Ulloa scores twice as Leicester strengthen their spot at the summit with an emphatic 4-0 win over Swansea. Sunderland keep Arsenal at bay with their third clean sheet in four, whilst Yannick Bolasie is amongst the goals as Palace clinch an FA Cup Final date with Man United.
Ulloa at the double
In the absence of Jamie Vardy, Leicester City put Swansea City to the sword with their biggest win of the season.
Riyad Mahrez ended a run of three blanks with the opener at the King Power Stadium. The Algerian winger has been involved in the joint-most goals (28 – 17 goals, 11 assists) this term but could struggle to exert his influence at Manchester United – who boast the best home defensive record (seven goals conceded) – next time out.
Leonardo Ulloa filled in to great effect up top, notching his first brace of the campaign. Although the Argentine frontman has registered three goals in two appearances, Vardy’s return from suspension should curtail his spell in the starting XI – even if he can recover from a fresh back complaint that forced him off in the latter stages.
Having served a one-match ban for his sending off in last week’s draw with West Ham, Vardy is set for a personal hearing at the FA later today after accepting a charge of improper conduct in light of his dismissal against the Hammers.
Marc Albrighton rounded off the scoring in a second-half cameo, while Danny Drinkwater, Demarai Gray and Jeffrey Schlupp bagged assists. The latter started ahead of Albrighton in midfield – underlining his out-of-position potential – but lacks the security of starts to pique our interest.
For the eighth home encounter in 10, the Foxes shut out the opposition. Their final home tie of the season pits them against an Everton unit that failed to score in their last two road trips, which strengthens the allure of Leicester’s budget defenders.
Swans thrashed at the King Power
Swansea succumbed to their second successive heavy road defeat, which serves as encouragement for West Ham United ahead of the Welsh club’s trip to the Boleyn Ground in Gameweek 37.
In light of the Swans’ unforgiving schedule (LIV, whu, MCI), those still holding Gylfi Sigurdsson may be looking for midfield alternatives ahead of double Gameweek 37, with yesterday’s result meaning they have scored just once in their last three fixtures.
Gunners stumble on Wearside
Arsenal registered a third draw in four outings as their trip to Sunderland ended in a goalless stalemate.
Mesut Ozil tested the patience of his 41% ownership by posting his seventh blank in eight starts. Notwithstanding the German’s poor form, he fashioned more key passes (17) than any midfielder across his previous four starts, which might convince owners to sit tight before a promising home tie against Norwich City.
Gabriel Paulista and Danny Welbeck were consigned to bench duty for the second match running, negating their viability on the Fantasy market. Jack Wilshere made his return to action at the Stadium of Light, adding further competition for place in the Gunners’ midfield.
Investors in the Gunners’ rearguard profited from their fourth clean sheet in six fixtures, with Laurent Koscielny and Petr Cech earning two bonus points apiece. With promising head-to-heads against Norwich (four blanks in six) and Aston Villa (five blanks in seven) on either side of a trip to City, their clean-sheet prospects look strong during the run-in.
Black Cats on the rise
Sunderland climbed outside the relegation berths as they avoided defeat for the sixth time in seven match-ups.
The Black Cats recorded their third clean sheet in four outings, shining a spotlight on their defensive potential ahead of their double Gameweek 37 (CHE, EVE). Patrick van Aanholt reaffirmed why he’s the prime route into their back line by notching three attempts – second only to Christian Fuchs (four) among defenders this Gameweek. The 4.3-priced Vito Mannone, meanwhile, picked up maximum bonus and has produced back-to-back double figure hauls.
Prospective investors in Jermain Defoe – who represents their most attractive source of attacking coverage – will be slightly concerned that Sunderland failed to score in three of their last four outings. On the other hand, the Wearsiders next locks horns with a Stoke City outfit that shipped four goals in each of their previous three fixtures.
Palace clinch final spot
Crystal Palace ran out 2-1 victors over Watford at Wembley to book their place in the FA Cup final.
Connor Wickham and Yannick Bolasie caused the damage, while Pape Souare and Damien Delaney supplied the assists.
Although the Eagles enjoy a decent trio of fixtures (new, STO, sou) to close out the season, they appear to have already done enough to stave off relegation – bar a miraculous run of form from both Sunderland and Norwich. In a similar situation to last Wednesday, then, where Bolasie, Joel Ward, Scott Dann and Mile Jedinak all missed the trip to United after picking up “knocks” ahead of the semi-final, heavy rotation should be expected before the FA Cup final on May 21.
Deeney strike not enough for Hornets
Watford’s lack of attacking spark was once again brought to the fore as they managed just two accurate attempts in the capital.
Troy Deeney restored parity in the second half, scoring his second goal (Jurado assist) in six starts across all competitions. Given that Odion Ighalo hasn’t netted in the league since January 23, Deeney looks like the form route into Watford’s attack for their double Gameweek 37.
Etienne Capoue was stretchered off at the 32-minute mark with a knee injury that’s set to be scanned in the coming days. It remains to be seen whether his absence will soften up the Hornets’ centre and diminish their shut-out prospects for an eye-catching quartet of match-ups (AVL, liv & nor, SUN).
