Another three Premier League clubs were in Champions League action on Wednesday. Here, we take a look at how Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur got on, assessing their matches from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | Frankfurt (a) | 5-1 win | Ekitike, van Dijk, Konate, Gakpo, Szoboszlai | Robertson, Gakpo, Szoboszlai, Wirtz x2 |
| Chelsea | Ajax (h) | 5-1 win | Guiu, Caicedo, Enzo (pen), Estevao (pen), George | Fofana, Gittens, Estevao, Enzo |
| Tottenham | Monaco (a) | 0-0 draw |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| Team | Changes from GW8’s starting XI | Players who kept their places (mins played) | Mins for other notable players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 5 | van Dijk (90), Szoboszlai (90), Mamardashvili (90), Konate (74), Gakpo (74), Isak (45) | Wirtz (90), Robertson (90), Ekitike (74), Bradley (71), Frimpong (19), Salah (16) |
| Chelsea | 10 | Lavia (90) | Jorgensen (90), Estevao (90), Caicedo (49), Enzo (45), Guiu (45), Chalobah (45), Tosin (45) |
| Tottenham | 3 | Porro (90), Vicario (90), van de Ven (90), Danso (90), Palhinha (90), Kudus (79), Odobert (70), Bentancur (60) | Richarlison (70), Bergvall (60), Xavi (30), Johnson (20), Kolo Muani (20) |
SALAH BENCHED
Arne Slot made five changes to a side that had just lost its fourth consecutive match, where the standout decision was to bench Mohamed Salah (£14.3m). Doing this in a key Champions League fixture would have been unthinkable last season, but it confirms what most of us knew already: Salah is not currently the same player as the one who broke FPL’s all-time points record last season.
After eight matches, Salah has 36 points from two goals and two assists. In 2024/25, he’d racked up 74, five and five by now. It’s an alarming drop-off. In fact, he’s never had such a low total at this stage of his eight previous seasons at Anfield.
EKITIKE STARS
Instead, Slot opted to play Alexander Isak (£10.5m) and Hugo Ekitiké (£8.6m) up front, supported by Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) and Florian Wirtz (£8.1m).
Although Liverpool fell behind, from a move that began by dispossessing Wirtz, they rallied through Ekitiké’s breakaway goal.
The Frenchman was great against his former club, showing pace, finishing prowess and a mentality that suggests he has already settled at Anfield.
“The first goal we scored was special. You could see his pace in a moment like that. These were also moments we were also hoping for. Like I said before the game, we were able in the last few weeks to create many, many, many chances but unfortunately we were not always able to score them.” – Arne Slot on Hugo Ekitike
ISAK INJURY
However, the same cannot be said for Isak, who fluffed the two chances that fell his way and then suffered a groin injury that resulted in his half-time removal.
Isak has managed one goal in 11 appearances (all competitions), assisting just once in four Premier League outings.
“He had to come off because he felt his groin. Many people told me they wanted me to play him more and we had to find the balance and unfortunately that balance didn’t work out for us today perfectly. Let’s hope for the best.” – Arne Slot on Alexander Isak
“He did not come back [from the international break] with an injury. I said that he missed out [on] pre-season and didn’t train for a long time with the team. He came on the first of September, so we had to bring him towards once a week and now we try to bring him to twice a week, which he did for the national team. But he was perfectly fit when he came back from the national team.” – Arne Slot on Alexander Isak
Tellingly, even when Isak came off, he was replaced by Federico Chiesa (£6.4m) rather than Salah, who was limited to a 20-minute cameo. The move paid off, as Liverpool rattled in another two second-half goals.
Encouragingly for Wirtz’s owners, the playmaker produced a pair of assists for Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.5m). But Liverpool will not face such lax defending in the Premier League.
GAKPO ON SONG
Arguably, the most appealing Reds investment right now is Gakpo, who is playing very well and takes some corners.
Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) scored from one such set-piece to put Liverpool 2-1 up, and it’s almost impossible to imagine a side without Gakpo in it just now. He’s started seven out of eight league matches, scoring in the latest two.
Another centre-back to score a header was Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m), though van Dijk remains the livelier threat. The captain also ranks highly for defensive contribution (DefCon) points.
FRIMPONG INJURY
Unfortunately, there was also another setback for Jeremie Frimpong (£5.8m), who had to come off after 19 minutes.
He joins Isak and Ryan Gravenberch (£5.7m) on a growing list of the walking wounded, as this hamstring injury looks set to keep him sidelined for a few weeks. Either Conor Bradley (£5.0m) gets minutes at right-back, or Szoboszlai gets redeployed there again.
“I’m hoping that this doesn’t have to be that bad because if – if – if he would be out now for a few weeks, that would put him back. So let’s wait. Jeremie is a hamstring issue. He came back from a hamstring injury a few weeks ago and played for the national team one game, came back to us and now, unfortunately, he had to go off.” – Arne Slot on Jeremie Frimpong
WILL GUIU START IN GAMEWEEK 9?
Meanwhile, at Stamford Bridge, Enzo Maresca went for mass rotation against Ajax, deciding that the opposition was fragile enough for him to keep only one player, Romeo Lavia (£4.9m), from the side that beat Nottingham Forest.
The gamble worked, as Chelsea’s young starlets shone. Marc Guiu (£4.3m), Estêvão (£6.5m) and Tyrique George (£4.9m) – all teenagers – were on target, while Moisés Caicedo (£5.9m) and Enzo Fernández (£6.7m) made scoring returns.
With Joao Pedro (£7.5m) suspended, Guiu took his scoring chance. It’s more than what the Brazilian has done recently, amassing just two shots – neither on target – and 0.07 expected goals (xG) in four successive blanks.
By taking Guiu off at half-time when 4-1 up, FPL managers can now speculate that Maresca was resting the 19-year-old in preparation for a start at home to Sunderland.
Should FPL’s joint-cheapest forward get the nod, it could allow a fully-rested Joao Pedro to play in his seemingly better number 10 role, boosting the prospects of both.
ESTEVAO PEN
Yet Guiu wasn’t the only standout performer, because there was another strong one from Estêvão.
He is now Chelsea’s youngest ever Champions League goal scorer, aged 18 years and 181 days. From an FPL perspective, the Brazilian took their second penalty and dispatched it confidently into the top corner.
The first spot kick had been won and scored by Enzo, but the Argentinian generously allowed Estêvão the chance to take the next one, having drawn the foul.
Whether this means he’ll keep taking some in the future remains to be seen. And while this could make Joao Pedro owners even more nervous, it’s not like he was overlooked. He simply wasn’t playing.
“Estêvão is polite, he’s humble, he wants to learn. His family make a big job there. We’re happy not only with the way he performs, but he’s a nice boy.
“I think in the Premier League he needs a little more time. It’s very similar to Cole Palmer. I had him, same age, with Manchester City’s under-23s. Cole played wide and now he’s inside. Now Estêvão plays wide but in the future I think he’s more of an inside player.” – Enzo Maresca on Estêvão
Then again, Chelsea’s life was made much easier by the dismissal of Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor in the 17th minute, when proceedings remained goalless.
VIRTUOSO VICARIO
Elsewhere, the goals weren’t flowing as much in Monaco. The Spurs match ended 0-0, which is probably a relief because they struggled to cope with the Ligue 1 side.
Thomas Frank made only three changes to the team that lost at home to Aston Villa. In came Archie Gray (£4.8m), Lucas Bergvall (£5.4m) and Richarlison (£6.6m) for Djed Spence (£4.5m), Xavi Simons (£6.9m) and Mathys Tel (£6.3m). But things never really got going, bringing their first goalless draw in 125 matches.
Apart from Micky van de Ven‘s (£4.7m) header over the bar, it was all Monaco, making Spurs indebted to a virtuoso goalkeeping display from Guglielmo Vicario (£5.1m). The Italian made four brilliant saves in the first half and another three later on, while former Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino fluffed three more chances for the hosts, whose xG of 2.56 dwarfed Spurs’ 0.85.
“I think he was very good today. I think some of the saves were exceptional tonight, and it’s a big part of why we got a hard-fought point, but at the end of the day, it can be a crucial point.” – Thomas Frank on Guglielmo Vicario’s display
KOLO MUANI GLIMPSE/ODOBERT INJURY
On the plus side, Spurs fans got to see a bit of Randal Kolo Muani (£6.9m), who has mostly been injured since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain. He looked lively during his 20-minute runout.
“Kolo Muani, who we believe can make a difference, I think he looked positive when he came on, but he had that injury, so of course there’s some of that, no complaints, it is what it is. It’s my job to get the most out of the players available.” – Thomas Frank
On the negative side, it looks like Wilson Odobert (£5.3m) picked up an injury, though Frank is unsure about its severity.
“We subbed him off because there was some pain, but I don’t know the consequences of it.” – Thomas Frank on Wilson Odobert’s injury
