Stephane Sessegnon grabs the winner as Sunderland edge past Everton in Paolo Di Canio’s first home game in charge of the Black Cats. Per Mertesacker scores the only goal as Arsenal clinch victory at Fulham, Andy Carroll and Romelu Lukaku pick up an assist apiece to keep ticking over for West Ham and West Brom respectively, while six clubs register clean sheets as Saturday’s seven fixtures produce a mere 11 goals.
Sessegnon Makes the Difference
Having produced a goal and assist in last week’s win at Newcastle, the Benin international delivered again as Sunderland took a huge step towards safety. Tucked in behind a lone forward, Sessegnon highlighted just how capable he can be when played through the middle and vindicated his Scout Pick selection with the only goal of the game on Paolo Di Canio’s home debut. With a trip to Villa followed by back-to-back home showdowns with Stoke and Southampton, the fixtures continues to smile kindly on the Wearsiders and with the defence also producing a second successive clean sheet, there looks to be further chance for Fantasy potential offered up by the Black Cats before the season is out. Di Canio reserved special praise for Sessegnon in his post-match comments, indicating that he will remain pivotal in Sunderland’s current 4-5-1 formation.
“We know what [Stephane] Sessegnon can do with the ball; it was another great goal from him. The whole team were very organised and Sess played a great role in the team’s shape. He did a great job today.”
Giroud Ban Could Open the Way For Walcott
A challenge on Stanislav Manolev has all but ended the Frenchman’s first season. Giroud will now serve a three-match ban, meaning he will miss the upcoming fixtures against United, QPR and Wigan before being available for the Gameweek 38 trip to Newcastle. Owners of Theo Walcott will be hoping he is handed the lone forward role by Arsene Wenger, with Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both capable of filling in on the right, though the Gunners boss talked up Lukas Podolski’s chances of a central position last week and could also field the German through the middle. Despite Arsene Wenger accepting the red card in his post-match comments, he’s also indicated that he will look at the incident again before considering whether to appeal the decision giving some hope to Giroud owners that the three-match ban could yet be overturned.
Gunners Resilience
Wenger’s side followed up last Tuesday’s goalless draw with another clean sheet – their twelfth of the season so far. Looking at the defence, yesterday’s selection suggests that it’s perhaps only the left-back berth that seems uncertain now with Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker seemingly settled in the centre and Bacary Sagna the clear first choice at right-back. The Fulham victory saw Kieran Gibbs dropped to the bench after playing both games in the double Gameweek, with Nacho Monreal returning to the XI. Ironically for the 63,000+ who transferred out Per Mertesacker prior to the double due to his suspension, the German made amends for missing last week’s game with Norwich by notching the only goal of the game – the third time he has found the net this term.
Sidwell Out for Season
Back in the Fulham first-team after serving a three-match ban for violent conduct, Steve Sidwell lasted just 12 minutes against his former club before being dismissed for a two-footed lunge on Mikel Arteta. The midfielder will now serve a four-match ban, ruling him out of the Cottagers’ final four league fixtures – his absence is likely to cement Eyong Enoh’s starting berth for the remaining fixtures against Everton, Reading, Liverpool and Swansea.
Turner Concern for Canaries
Drafted into this week’s Scout Picks for the home clash with Reading, Michael Turner lasted just 18 minutes of yesterday’s win before being replaced by Ryan Bennett. Having found the net in each of his previous two, Turner has proven strong value of late and with a trip to Stoke and back-to-back home clashes against Villa and West Brom, his owners will be eagerly awaiting any prognosis. Substitute Bennett took his chance against the Royals by grabbing a goal, though, while Russell Martin chipped in with an assist as Chris Hughton’s defence continue to offer potential at both ends of the pitch. Hughton made one change to his back four with Steven Whittaker missing out having regained a starting role at Arsenal l – he was nursing a knee injury with the Norwich boss hopeful on his return for Gameweek 35. It remains to be seen if Javier Garrido keeps his start for the trip to Stoke, then.
Saints Backline Performing
Heading into the weekend, Michu was one of the most transferred in players in light of Swansea’s home clash with Southampton. The Spaniard had scored in back-to-back matches prior to yesterday’s goalless draw but – despite being moved up front after the break – was kept at bay by a resolute visitors’ backline, who have now conceded just once in their last three Gameweeks. Indeed, with just three goals against in the last six, Southampton’s upturn in defensive displays under new boss Mauricio Pochettino is certain to see their assets earmarked for next season and with games against West Brom, Sunderland and Stoke still to follow, the potential for more defensive points looks appealing before the current campaign is over. While the defence again excelled, Rickie Lambert’s owners will be a little concerned over his withdrawal yesterday – he had previously played the entire 90 minutes in every match since Pochettino’s arrival but was replaced by Gaston Ramires just after the hour mark. The Uruguayan was perhaps unlucky to find himself on the bench having notched in the 1-1 draw with West Ham but it seems that rotation in the Saints midfield will continue, with Pochettino recalling Jay Rodriguez to the flank after he sat on the bench against the Hammers after failing to shake off a virus.
Lukaku’s Consistency
Back in the West Brom first-team after being benched in the previous Gameweek, the Belgian served notice of his attacking potential ahead of the upcoming double in Gameweek 36. Lukaku supplied the assist for Billy Jones’ equaliser as the Baggies denied Newcastle a much-needed win at the Hawthorns and continued a run of form that has seen him score or assist in eight of his 10 starts since the turn of the year. With Long struggling for any semblance of form (one goal and one assist from Gameweek 13 by comparison), Lukaku certainly looks key to his side’s chances of finishing the season on a high. With games against Southampton and Norwich on either side of a double Gameweek 36 (WIG, mcy) the Belgian, at just 6.2 in FPL, remains a strong consideration. Steve Clarke shifted to a 4-4-2 in the second half as the Baggies chased the game, introducing Long from the bench. The West Brom boss certainly appears to have a clear preference for the 4-5-1, allowing him to introduce a second striker from the bench and change shape as required. Despite his form then, that system could yet see Lukaku’s double Gameweek potential dented with the trip to City following on just three days after the home encounter with Wigan.
Cisse Ticking Over
While Moussa Sissoko’s season continues to falter after a promising first few matches for Newcastle, Papiss Cisse’s contribution remains key. The Senegal striker provided the assist for Yoan Gouffran’s opener at the Hawthorns and has now picked up attacking returns in five of the last eight Gameweeks. Indeed, Cisse has now scored or assisted four of the Magpies’ last five goals across seven fixtures and with a home clash against Liverpool followed by trips to West Ham and QPR, Alan Pardew will be reliant on his attacking displays if the Tyneside team are to clinch their survival.
Carroll’s Home Form
The West Ham forward was handed a place in the Scout Picks on the back of his Upton Park performances and Carroll duly vindicated our decision with an assist for Kevin Nolan’s first goal since January. Carroll has now produced attacking points in each of his five home starts since returning from a knee injury and with Newcastle and Reading yet to pay visit, he’ll be confident of further points – trips to City and Everton could stall a run of form which has now harvested returns in all of his last four league appearances, though.
Jaaskelainen at the Summit
A tenth clean sheet of the season against Wigan yesterday propelled Jussi Jaaskelainen to the top of the FPL goalkeeper standings. Perhaps surprisingly, the Hammers had produced just one clean sheet at home from Gameweek 11 onwards but with plenty of save points continuing to bolster his appeal, Jaaskelainen has moved steadily up the rankings. Having started the season at 4.5, he has made 143 saves – 14 more than any other keeper – and is the number one value player in the FPL game; with just four points separating the top four keepers, the above-mentioned schedule suggest it’s perhaps debatable as to whether he can retain his place at the top, though save points certainly look assured once again.
Martinez Frets over Alcaraz
Wigan’s chances of beating the drop were dealt a blow after Antolin Alcaraz limped off just 15 minutes into yesterday’s trip to Upton Park with a hamstring problem. The Paraguayan’s return had bolstered the Latics’ backline in recent games, with just three goals conceded in his four starts since recovering from a long-term groin injury – Fantasy managers were eyeing up his acquisition ahead of the double Gameweek 36 but Roberto Martinez’s post-match comments will be enough to stave off interest until further prognosis is established:
“The injury to Antolin made for a very difficult afternoon for us. He’s got a soft tissue injury to the back of his hamstring and so we’ll assess him this week before discovering how long he’ll be out for. It’s a real negative note and had an effect on what we wanted to and how we wanted to play.”
Stoke Defence Back in the Points
A trip to struggling QPR afforded the Potters a chance to register a rare clean sheet as Tony Pulis’ side took a major step towards securing their top-flight survival. Stoke arrived at Loftus Road with a single clean sheet in 15 and had failed to keep out their opponents on the road since Gameweek 16 but with Marc Wilson recovering from a hamstring problem, Pulis was able to field his first-choice back-four for the vital away clash. While few will be looking to invest in Stoke’s defence over the remaining four fixtures as we turn to double Gameweek 36 options instead, those who have Asmir Begovic will be happy to hold, given Stoke have Norwich, Sunderland and Southampton in the final four matches. Wilson’s owners, however, have cause for concern – he suffered a recurrence of his injury and was subbed off just after the hour mark and looks doubtful for next weekend’s visit of the Canaries.
Wing Worries for Harry
The home defeat by Stoke edged the R’s another step closer to the relegation trap door, though it’s fair to say they were hardly helped by a couple of injuries to key players. Andros Townsend was subbed off at the break with a hamstring problem, while Adel Taarabt was also withdrawn before the hour mark as Harry Redknapp’s side failed to find the net for the second successive match. Redknapp’s side now face fellow-strugglers Reading next weekend knowing that a win for Villa at United tomorrow night – however unlikely – would relegate both clubs. They may well be without Townsend, though; the winger tweeted last night he is set for a scan on the problem, amid fears he could be out for the season. Taarabt has reportedly suffered a shoulder injury and he is also expected to undergo a scan in the next 24-hours.
