Yohan Cabaye and Papiss Cisse fire Newcastle to their first away win of the season at Villa. QPR and City continue their impressive defensive form, Michu serves up a fifth straight blank in Swansea’s goalless draw at Sunderland, while Stoke’s defensive frailties show little sign of abating as Wigan hold the Potters at the Britannia…

Newcastle on the Radar
Prior to last night’s trip to Villa, the Magpies had taken just one point from their previous six on the road and had failed to register a single away win all season. While much of the talk going into the game surrounded a clutch of new acquisitions, it was Yohan Cabaye and Papiss Cisse who served a reminder of their capabilities as Alan Pardew’s side recovered from the previous Gameweek’s home loss to Reading. The Frenchman shrugged off the groin problem that forced him off last time out and rattled home a stunning long range effort that ultimately proved the difference at Villa Park. Cabaye has now notched in each of his two starts since returning from injury – indeed, his strike rate now stands at four goals in his last six appearances in Pardew’s first XI, stretching back to Gameweek 8. With maximum bonus earned, that’s 19 points over his last two; priced at 6.6 in FPL, a bandwagon looks likely once the Magpies next two matches against Spurs and Chelsea are out of the way.

Cisse again highlighted his worth when playing as a lone forward. With Demba Ba now out of the picture, he led the line in a 4-2-3-1 with Moussa Sissoko impressing in “the hole” behind him – the new boy supplied the assist for Cisse’s opener and looks a possible bargain at 6.0 in FPL if he continues to be fielded in an advanced role. Not surprisingly, Alan Pardew was full of praise for his new acquisition following last night’s success, stressing that Sissoko offers him multiple options in midfield…

“I don’t think we would have won that game if we hadn’t signed Sissoko. That is how important that signing was. I thought he was magnificent and will be a superb player for us…We were superb in the first half, as good as we have been all year, and he played a big part in that…I envisage him playing in a role where he can use his energy and power. I don’t want to compare him to anybody but he can play all three roles in that midfield.”

Cisse’s goal means he has now scored two in the last four without his compatriot – given that he’d previously scored three times in 18 matches, it’s clear how detrimental Ba’s central role was to Cisse’s Fantasy potential. Like Cabaye, he’ll be making his way onto Fantasy radars, with game time guaranteed and everything to play for as Pardew looks to engineer a scramble up the table.

Benteke Toils in Vain
We handed the Belgian a place on the Scout Picks bench and he duly delivered, despatching a spot-kick past Tim Krul for what ultimately proved no more than a mere consolation for Villa. The midlands outfit’s reliance on their summer signing is all too apparent – he has now scored or assisted eight of their 10 goals from Gameweek 12 onwards and has been the only bright spot in a dire season for Paul Lambert’s side. Up to 94 points in FPL, with eight goals, four assists and 13 bonus points since making his debut in Gameweek 4, Benteke continues to offer superb value for a price of 6.5 and seems capable of producing the points regardless of his club’s woeful form. While Benteke is almost single-handedly attempting to prevent his side from the dreaded drop, his endeavours seem in vain – last night’s defeat saw the Villains slip into the bottom three and with games against Everton, Arsenal and City in the next four, Lambert looks up against it.

Stoke Defensive Woes Continue
It’s six games in a row without a clean sheet now for Tony Pulis’ side after last night’s 2-2 draw against Wigan. Given they had conceded just two goals and racked up four clean sheets in the previous six, the drop in resilience is all the more remarkable – while Ryan Shawcross’ goal justified his place in over 25% of FPL teams with his first strike of the season, Asmir Begovic’s owners continue to be frustrated with a lack of returns. The Bosnian has now slipped to second in the FPL keeper standings and has conceded at least twice in each of his last five; up next is a trip to Arsenal and given the Gunners’ recent home displays, which have seen them hit seven and five goals past Newcastle and West Ham respectively, owners of the Potters’ backline will be far from optimistic this weekend.

Post-match, Tony Pulis identified fatigue as a factor for further defensive lapses, indicating that his side must get “back to basics” in order to stem the tide…

“They scored their first goal from us switching off. We’re letting people run off us which is what we did today and that cost us. We have got to start doing the basics again…We’ve talked about it and certain individuals have got to do the work off the ball as well as on the ball. We’re playing in one of the best Leagues in the world and you don’t just play on the ball, you have to put even more effort into playing off the ball as well…Ever since I’ve been at this football club, we’ve been a side who will work their socks off. Over the last few weeks though, we’ve not been doing the basics when we’ve not had the ball.”

Black Cats Hold Firm
While Begovic’s fortunes dip, Simon Mignolet’s continue to soar. A goalless draw against Swansea helped the Belgian register his ninth clean sheet of the season and with a save point also thrown in, he moved into top spot in the FPL keeper standings on 97 points. Sunderland’s home form has been particularly key to Mignolet’s appeal in recent months – he has kept out his opponents in five of the last seven at the Stadium of Light and remains the stand out option amongst Martin O’Neill’s backline. Carlos Cuellar is edging back to fitness from a hamstring injury, however, and at 4.5 to Mignolet’s 5.3, is likely to pick up investment if, as expected, he returns to action soon.

Michu’s Goal Drought
Moved back to his favoured role in “the hole” as Itay Shechter led the line, the Spaniard failed to score for the fifth game running as Swansea grabbed a point at the Stadium of Light. Michael Laudrup’s tactics on the road, in particular, don’t seem to be helping Michu’s cause – while the Swans have now registered four clean sheets in their last six away matches, they have scored in just one of their last five fixtures outside of the Liberty. Michu has now found the net in only two of his last 10 away games, though his lack of form is unlikely to see any transfers out, given the potentially imminent double Gameweek for Laudrup’s side.

Another Clean Sheet for City
While Roberto Mancini’s rotation policy kicked in up front once more, with Edin Dzeko dropping to the bench for the first time since Gameweek 19, City’s defence stood produced the goods yet again for their Fantasy owners. Devoid of the injured Vincent Kompany and with Matija Nastasic only fit enough for the bench, Mancini shifted Javi Garcia into the back-four alongside Joleon Lescott and was rewarded with a fourth successive clean sheet. Pablo Zabaleta continues to look the stand-out option here – coming in at 6.0 in FPL, he has now started 13 of the last 14 Gameweeks for the champions and has averaged 4.5 points per game. Only David Silva and Carlos Tevez, with 4.7 and 5.7 ppg respectively, have bettered the right-back’s average but given their significantly steeper price tags, Zabaleta’s comparative value amongst Mancini’s chief Fantasy assets has been second to none.

Mario Clears the Decks
Once again, Roberto Mancini was left frustrated at seeing his side waste opportunities to score…

“We did everything to win this game but we didn’t score. When you play like this away and you don’t win, it’s incredible – we lost two points here and against West Ham, today was the same game.”

The blank makes it all the more surprising that Mancini chose to drop Dzeko to the bench to restore a Tevez/Aguero partnership which continues to stutter. Tevez has failed to score in his last six starts and has been replaced in each of these games and Mancini must now surely consider reinstating Dzeko for the visit of Liverpool at the weekend. Certainly, with Mario Balotelli destined to confirm a move back to Italy, his options up top are reduced which can only benefit Fantasy managers who chose to plunder the City front line. Another impressive showing from David Silva, denied only by Julio Cesar’s brilliance, underlined that the Spaniard is, however, the most secure and potentially the most consistent attacking performer on show in Mancini’s ranks. Finding a spot for Silva in a crowded Fantasy midfield arena remains a conundrum.

QPR’s Increased Resilience
It’s three clean sheets in four now for Harry Redknapp’s side after last night’s goalless draw with City extended their unbeaten league run to six matches. Impressively, each of those clean sheets have arrived against sides in the top four – the Loftus Road outfit have also kept out Spurs and Chelsea in recent matches, with only Joe Cole’s goal for West Ham beating Julio Cesar across that quartet of fixtures. The Brazilian’s heroics between the sticks have been hugely instrumental to that recent run and while his 4.9 price tag may deter many, the likes of Nedum Onouha and Clint Hill are priced at 4.1 and 4.3 respectively in FPL. The downside for those eyeing up QPR defenders, however, is that Ryan Nelsen is now set to depart for the MLS after last night’s match; Redknapp had suggested last week he would try to delay the Kiwi’s departure but it appears his attempts have been in vain. A new centre-back looks to be a priority for Redknapp with the transfer window slamming shut in under 48 hours.

Meanwhile, in attacking terms, it was Adel Taarabt who again caught the eye with flashes of skill and goal threat. As members of the template midfield begin to stutter, there is perhaps increased merit in considering the up and coming midfield prospects – Taarabt and Cabaye are emerging as leading contenders based on current form.