A contentious win for Arsenal at Turf Moor sheds a favourable light on key players from both sides, while a Charlie Austin brace reinvigorates Southampton as Everton’s season lurches ever closer to the disastrous.
Regardless of the rights or wrongs of the last-gasp penalty Arsenal required to find a way past Burnley, the Gunners are finding some form and their stars edging towards Fantasy recognition.
Inevitably, some managers will consider flirting with today’s match-winner Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has now scored back-to-back goals and has three strikes and an assist from his last five starts.
Yes, Sanchez surely only took the penalty because Alexandre Lacazette was off the pitch, while his 11.8 price tag is still far too steep given the alternative options screaming for attention – not least Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
But his class is not in doubt, while the Gunners’ next five fixtures (HUD MUN sot whu NEW) offer plenty of potential for more of the same from a player who, for some, could prove a devastating differential.
While Sanchez will be a stretch too far for most, Aaron Ramsey is enjoying an equally consistent five-match run. Today’s assist was his third from those five outings, with a couple of goals adding further lustre to a midfielder priced at just 7.0.
It’s also back-to-back clean sheets for a defence that has benefitted enormously from the return of Shkodran Mustafi (5.4).
In the seven matches he’s started this season, Arsenal have conceded just a single goal.
That upcoming schedule looks particularly promising for the Gunners’ backline, with even the visit from Man United offering the promise of returns should Jose Mourinho decide to revert to his now familiar negative tactics when facing top-four rivals.
Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil missed Sunday’s victory through illness, with Arsene Wenger confirming post-match that the playmaker “will be short for Wednesday” when the Gunners host Huddersfield.
No luck, but no panic for Burnley
We almost feel partly responsible for Burnley conceding the last minute spot-kick, having talked up Lee Mason’s fondness for penalties in Thursday’s Men In Black.
Despite that cruel last-minute twist, there was again much to admire about the Clarets’ defensive work. They were seconds away from a fourth straight shut-out, ensuring that our faith in their backline remains intact.
Not that faith was entirely the order of the day – a combined 504,000+ managers benched either Stephen Ward or Ben Mee for today’s clash.
The former is the most popular defender in the game, with 22.1% ownership, while his team-mate is in 12.5% of Fantasy Premier League squads, which puts him in the top ten.
Sean Dyche’s rearguard restricted Arsenal to just two shots on target, and only the two Manchester sides have conceded fewer goals than Burnley’s 10 from 13 matches this season.
The Clarets’ immediate schedule (bou lei WAT STO bri) promises more of the same.
Ward and Mee have started every single league match this campaign, while goalkeeper Nick Pope is also an ever-present since taking over from Tom Heaton in Gameweek 4.
All three remain sound investments for a hectic period when nailed-on starters will be at a premium.
Austin powers Saints win
Southampton had failed to find the net in seven matches this season prior to the visit from Everton, scoring just nine goals from 12 generally dreary encounters.
It says much for the Toffees’ meltdown mode that the Saints hit four today, though recalled striker Charlie Austin clearly deserves credit.
In his first start under Mauricio Pellegrino, the injury-prone forward scored twice and fired five shots in the box – no striker had more in Gameweek 13.
He’s owned by just 0.4%, a figure that will most likely rise on the back of Sunday’s instant impact.
But those seeing cut-price differential material in the 6.0-priced Austin might want to pause and reflect on a schedule that includes trips to Man City, Chelsea, Spurs and Man United and a visit from Arsenal over the next eight Gameweeks.
Elsewhere, Steven Davis (5.1) moved up to fourth in the value midfielder charts after scoring his third goal of the season, while Dusan Tadic netted for the first time since Gameweek 2.
Meanwhile, the 8.5%-owned Ryan Bertrand made amends for being part of a defence that’s kept just a single clean sheet in eight matches by providing two assists in a nine-point performance.
The Saints might well kick on from this heartening win, but, given their schedule, it would seem wise to wait until the New Year before we seriously re-consider any revival under Pellegrino.
Ineptitude and now injuries for Everton
Let’s start with the positives.
Positive, actually, because the only reason to be cheerful at Everton is the form of Gylfi Sigurdsson, who now has a goal and an assist from his last two starts.
The midfielder has the fixtures (WHU HUD new SWA) to profit further, and he might now have penalty-taking duties as well, with Leighton Baines suffering an injury in Sunday’s defeat.
But Everton are so poor at present – they’ve conceded nine goals in the last four painful days and the 28 they’ve shipped domestically is the worst record in the Premier League – that taking a punt on any of their assets looks very ill-advised.
That defence can only improve, though it might now be without both Baines and Michael Keane.
The pair limped off at St Mary’s, with David Unsworth offering a gloomy post-match assessment on both.
“Leighton has done his calf, unfortunately. We’ll probably assess him more tomorrow. We’ll reassess him, but it looks like he’s going to be struggling for Wednesday. Michael was a bit different. I don’t know whether it was concussion. He was with the doctor at the end of the game and I haven’t had the chance to speak to either yet.”
