More FA Cup ties to recap now as we extract any notable Fantasy headlines from Newcastle United v Bournemouth and Everton v Sunderland.
Both third-round matches went to penalties, with the two north-east clubs successful.
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Semenyo debut goal, Richards fit, £4.2m forward brace
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Sesko brace, Havertz returns + more Gabriel minutes
RESULTS
| TEAM | OPPONENT | RESULT | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everton | Sunderland (h) | 1-1 (lost 3-0 on pens) | Garner pen | Aznou |
| Sunderland | Everton (a) | 1-1 (won 3-0 on pens) | Le Fee | Mayenda |
| Newcastle | Bournemouth (h) | 3-3 (won 7-6 on pens) | Barnes x2, Gordon pen | Woltemade, Tonali, Gordon |
| Bournemouth | Newcastle (a) | 3-3 (lost 7-6 on pens) | Scott, Brooks, Tavernier | Evanilson, Jimenez |
SELECTION / ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM THE GW21 STARTING XI | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (+ MINS) | OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS (+ MINS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everton | 4 | Pickford (120), O’Brien (120), Tarkowski (120), Armstrong (120), Garner (120), McNeil (120), Mykolenko (104) | Beto (120), Patterson (116), Rohl (86), Dibling (75), Barry (45), Aznou (34), Campbell (16), Welch (4) |
| Sunderland | 5 | Roefs (120), Hume (120), Mukiele (120), Xhaka (120), Le Fee (120), Adingra (71) | O’Nien (120), Cirkin (120), Mundle (120), Sadiki (120), Mayenda (71), Ballard (49), Brobbey (34), Isidor (15) |
| Newcastle | 7 | Thiaw (120), Tonali (120), Woltemade (120), Barnes (120) | Ramsdale (120), Botman (120), Ramsey (79), Trippier (69), Willock (69), Wissa (69), Hall (61), Livramento (59), Miley (51), Joelinton (51), Gordon (51), Guimaraes (41) |
| Bournemouth | 6 | Petrovic (120), Cook (120), Hill (120), Scott (112), Kroupi (90) | Diakite (120), Smith (120), Evanilson (92), Soler (83), Brooks (71), Adli (71), Tavernier (49), Jimenez (49), Truffert (37), Senesi (30), Unal (28), Rees-Dottin (8) |
BOURNEMOUTH
KLUIVERT TIMELINE CONFIRMED + PENALTY TAKER HINTS?
The post-Semenyo era started with a creditable performance from Bournemouth, who took Newcastle United all the way to penalties.
With Semenyo gone, and Justin Kluivert (£7.0m) sidelined, there’s a bit of a void to be filled from 12 yards.
After full-time, Andoni Iraola confirmed that Kluivert had undergone surgery and will be unavailable for much of the rest of 2025/26.
“He wants to try everything to play any game this season but still is going to be a considerable time out because it’s a surgery. I don’t know, a minimum time, I think they were talking about 3-4 months.” – Andoni Iraola on Justin Kluivert
So, who steps up on spot-kicks now?
Marcus Tavernier (£5.5m) is the front-runner. He was on target from the spot in Gameweek 12 when both Kluivert and Semenyo were absent.
And both Saturday’s shootout running order and Iraola’s post-match comments suggested this was still the case. Tavernier, who scored, and Evanilson (£7.0m), who missed, were the first two players to take penalties in the shootout, with Iraola having this to say after the game.
“It’s true that the team that finished the game, probably we didn’t have a lot of specialists. [After] the two first penalties, it was a matter of choosing between players that probably have never shot a penalty or very few times they’ve shot a penalty.” – Andoni Iraola
It’s worth mentioning that Enes Unal (£5.4m), Eli Kroupi (£4.6m) and Amine Adli (£5.4m) all have some prior penalty-taking experience, and all three had been subbed off when Saturday’s shootout took place. Adli and Kroupi, along with Evanilson, were on the field when Tavernier scored his Gameweek 12 spot-kick, however.
KROUPI + HILL START AGAIN
Kroupi made it two successive starts in all competitions on Saturday, again lining up in the ’10’ role vacated by the injured Kluivert. He had four shots in all, coming off as the game entered extra time.
A possible further boost to the budget FPL forward is that Unal limped off injured at St James’ Park, with Iroala estimating an absence of at least three weeks.
Kroupi and Tavernier (who came off the bench to score) aside, there’s a cluster of low-price Bournemouth assets hoping to step out of the shadow of Semenyo. Winger David Brooks (£5.0m) scored a well-taken goal, while Alex Scott (£5.0m) was unusually attacking and had a game-high eight efforts, scoring one of them.
At the back, keep an eye on James Hill (£3.9m). He’s really taken his chance and looked impressive since coming into the side in Gameweek 19, banking DefCon points in all three games. He started and shone again on Tyneside, looking less erratic than the man he replaced in December, Bafodé Diakité (£4.3m). Marcos Senesi (£4.8m) had a breather on Saturday.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
WISSA + WOLTEMADE TOGETHER AS BARNES’ FORM CONTINUES
Eddie Howe paired Nick Woltemade (£7.3m) and Yoane Wissa (£7.3m) together for the first time, with the former in a ’10’ role. As suspected, the German – who isn’t really an out-and-out striker – looked more at ease in this position, producing a superb assist for Harvey Barnes (£6.1m) and making the telling dummy that led to Sandro Tonali (£5.3m) being fouled for Newcastle’s penalty. Zero shots, three chances created.
Unfortunately, it’s not a formation we can really see Howe using all that much, so it’s likely going to be one or the other with Wissa and Woltemade in many games.
Barnes’ form continues to pick up, meanwhile. The winger braced in Gameweek 21 and repeated the trick on Saturday, even scoring a header! Anthony Gordon (£7.5m), who Barnes almost set up for a 4-3 winner, was lively off the bench, too, scoring a penalty and racking up a Newcastle-best five shots. These two are comfortably the Magpies’ form (and fitter) wingers at present.
Bruno Guimaraes (£7.2m) was handed a rare and welcome breather, emerging as a second-half sub.
LIVRAMENTO INJURY – GOOD FOR MILEY?
Lewis Hall (£5.3m) and Lewis Miley (£4.5m), the latter moonlighting at full-back in recent weeks, also stepped down to substitute duty.
Budget FPL midfielder Miley has been a revelation over Christmas and New Year but the return to fitness of Tino Livramento (£4.9m) and Kieran Trippier (£4.9m) cast doubt over his future game-time.
However, Livramento may be injured again – he came off on the hour with a hamstring issue against the Cherries, the severity of which has yet to be determined. With Trippier looking very rusty, there’s every chance Miley is back at right-back in Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final and indeed in Gameweek 22.
Sven Botman (£4.9m) had an eye-catching four efforts, hitting the bar with one header. Newcastle’s defence looked wobbly at the other end, however.
EVERTON
GARNER PENALTY
Penalties were the talk of Merseyside, too, even before the shootout.
With regular taker Iliman Ndiaye (£6.2m) still on international duty, up stepped in-form budget midfielder and DefCon machine James Garner (£5.1m) to score from the spot on Saturday. Interestingly, strikers Beto (£5.0m) and Thierno Barry (£5.7m) were on the field at the time.
All three of those players went on to miss in the shootout.
Everton struggled for creativity without their three first-choice attacking midfielders again, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£4.9m) still injured and Jack Grealish (£6.5m) serving a one-match ban. Grealish will be available in Gameweek 22, so budget defender Adam Aznou‘s (£4.2m) very bright ‘out of position’ cameo on the left wing likely isn’t going to lead to much of a minutes boost.
Harrison Armstrong (£4.5m), in the ’10’, was the one shining light among the starting front four. Again, though, his hold on the shirt is probably only good for as long as Dewsbury-Hall is out.
At the back, Michael Keane (£4.8m) began a three-match ban following his Gameweek 21 dismissal.
SUNDERLAND
REINILDO LATEST AS LE FEE SHINES
Enzo Le Fee (£4.9m) banished memories of last week’s penalty miss by scoring in the shootout. He’d earlier volleyed in a superb opener and created a match-best six chances. His performances have been impressive in the last month or so.
Having had little to do in normal time, FPL’s top-scoring ‘keeper Robin Roefs (£4.9m) was the triple-save-making hero after extra time had concluded.
This was another solid display from the Black Cats, who will soon be further bolstered by players returning from AFCON. One of them, Noah Sadiki (£4.9m), even started in the FA Cup.
“With Reinildo and Bertrand [Traore], we will see [for Gameweek 22]. Rei might be available next week, but Bertrand has come back with an injury that we will have to assess. It is an injury issue he has come back with, but we don’t really know any more than that yet.” – Regis Le Bris, via the Sunderland Echo
Nordi Mukiele (£4.4m) was back at centre-half, going close with a bicycle kick, with fellow popular budget defender Omar Alderete (£4.1m) rested.
Substitute Bryan Brobbey (£5.5m) was himself substituted – but only as a precaution.
