Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers played out a goalless draw at the Amex Stadium on Monday.
We attempt to pick out the main Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points below.
ESTUPINAN AT CENTRE-HALF
Pervis Estupinan (£5.1m) was once again deployed as a centre-half rather than a full-back in Gameweek 21, but rewarded his new owners with a clean sheet and two bonus.
It isn’t like the Ecuadorian is completely shackled in the role, given Brighton’s fluid 3-4-3 setup.
Here, he attempted eight crosses from open play, registered two key passes and four penalty box touches.
He also took five of Albion’s eight corners.
Sure, we’d like to see him bombing up and down the left flank a little more often, but the extra passes help boost his bonus potential at centre-half. The fact he is also getting tackled less himself, something that is a negative on the Bonus Points System (BPS), is another plus.
Handed a rest after 72 minutes, Estupinan has now returned in all three games since returning from injury.
Above: Pervis Estupinan’s touch heatmap v Wolves in Gameweek 21
“WE HAVE TO FIND A DIFFERENT SOLUTION”
As for the match itself, Brighton dominated possession and looked better on the ball but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.
Joao Pedro (£5.5m) looked the most likely man to break the deadlock, attempting four shots, but lacked the necessary quality/composure in the final-third.
It wasn’t Pascal Gross’ (£6.5m) best night either.
This was the first time Albion haven’t scored at home in 2023/24, so some context is required, but it does feel like they are struggling to hit the same attacking heights as last season.
“I think we are playing without a lot of important players, especially in attack. We are suffering a lot for it.
“We have to adapt depending on the players. Without Mitoma or Enciso or Fati or Adingra or March we can’t play with wingers and we have to change the tactical position on the pitch. We have to find a different solution.” – Roberto De Zerbi
Brighton are at least becoming harder to beat, however, with only one loss in seven matches and back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since May last year.
They also rank 9th for minutes-per-expected goal conceded (xGC) over the last six Gameweeks.
Looking at the fixtures, they still have some decent games to come, so Estupinan and cut-price defender Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.0m), who has now started 11 league games in a row, remain appealing acquisitions.
NETO A THREAT
Pedro Neto (£5.6m) made his first start since Gameweek 10 at the Amex and was arguably the best player on the pitch.
In a lively display, he played centrally in the first half before moving onto the right flank in the second. From there, he created a ‘big chance’ for Matheus Cunha (£5.5m) and nearly scored himself.
With another three chances created, the budget-friendly midfielder is now averaging 2.55 per 90 minutes across the season, which isn’t too far behind Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m, 2.75) and Martin Odegaard (£8.5m, 2.65).
“The form he was in prior to the injury was exceptional. I think he needs the team to be in a certain place as well. Today we had to use him as a nine and he showed incredible quality still to get away from people.
“I wasn’t careful with him today because I was getting voices down the earphone that he’s done more than he should do and he needs to come off, but I wasn’t sure we were going to be taking him off yet when he could get one-v-one again and we could do with leaving him on a bit longer. But he’s worked very hard to get back and we’ve been careful with him, because he’s important to us.
“It was a 12-week injury and he managed to get back in nine, but we nursed him through the first three and a bit weeks, and now he feels good and ready to go. We still need to be careful, which is why we took him off, so now let’s see how well he recovers for a big cup game at the weekend.” – Gary O’Neil on Pedro Neto
Overall, it was a good away performance from Wolves and they defended well throughout, restricting Brighton to just three shots on target.
It means they are now undefeated in four and since the start of December, only Liverpool have picked up more Premier League points.
