Arsenal 0 – 0 Southampton

Arsenal played really, really well. They were unlucky to not have scored a goal in this game, and it was a tough draw to accept. Alexis Sanchez made his first Premier League start after returning from injury and looked menacing on the ball. He linked up well with Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud. I’d say that two of these three are worth being in your team so take your pick. Also worthy to note is a start from Gabriel in Mertesacker’s position after he was redcarded in GW24 against Chelsea. He is a rotation risk, but may provide a cheap way into the Arsenal defense at £4.3. Transfer in at your own risk!

This was a game in which Southampton had no right scraping a point from. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster gave the performance of a lifetime, registering 10 saves. He single-handedly (no pun intended) saved the Saints from losing a point in this match. At £4.8, he looks like a very solid goalkeeper option for the coming weeks. I’m not entirely convinced that Southampton is the best defense to buy into at the moment, given the amount of chances they conceded to Arsenal. It may be best to wait to see how they perform when Forster doesn’t eat his Wheaties.

Leicester 2 – 0 Liverpool

Leicester are top of the table and played like league leaders should. Jamie Vardy grabbed two brilliant goals, including this world-class strike. I shipped him out of my team a few weeks ago, am I’m sorely regretting it. Riyad Mahrez also grabbed an assist and ran ramptant in the midfield (he should have scored with this amazing effort!) Leicester also held a clean sheet against a hot Liverpool side (atleast attacking wise) and managed to hold Firmino from scoring. I especially like Kasper Schmeichel as a goalkeeping option for the second half of the season seeing as Leicester have seemed to tighten up defensively. If you had any doubts about Leicester options going into this game, you shouldn’t any more.

Liverpool looked sloppy at the back and failed to create offensive chances. They had a poor game and are struggling to find consistency in their performances. Roberto Firmino failed to score after going on a bit of a hot streak, and I’m glad I didn’t use a transfer on him this week. Liverpool owners should be worried at the current form of their players. I’d wait on buying into the Reds.

Norwich 0 – 3 Spurs

Norwich failed to score after their 4 goal loss to Liverpool last week, making it 4 losses in a row. They looked poor in defense, often appearing confused. The only bright side of Norwich’s performance was a deserved penalty from new start Kevin Wimmer on Steven Naismith. I’ll be avoiding Norwich at all costs and I advise you do the same.

The man of the match last week Dele Alli had another fine showing this week grabbing a goal and an assist. He was subbed off at halftime after reports of dizziness, but Mauricio Pochettino assured us he will be fine. Harry Kane also scored two goals and was lucky not to score more. He’s proving, even at the price of £10.0, why he’s worth every quid. I feel that Alli and Kane are must owns at this point, given their ownership, form, and fixtures going ahead. But Christian Eriksen is a worthy third option if Kane is too expensive, as he’s assisted twice in the match. All around, Spurs are a great team to buy into. I’ll potentially be looking to bring Kane into my team to replace Lukaku depending on his performance Wednesday night.

Sunderland 0 – 1 Manchester City

Sunderland played to their opponent and had their best game of the season in my opinion. Their downfall still proves to be a lack of finishing. There were numerous chances for Jermain Defoe to get amongst the points but failed to do so. New signings Lamine Kone and Jan Kirchhoff seemed to add a breath of fresh air to Sunderland, and they’ll be looking to get some wins in the second half of the season. I think that Patrick van Aanholt at £4.7 is a good differential option in defense if you’re looking for cheaper options.

Pep Guardiola was officially announced as head coach of Manchester City just a day before the game, but Pellegrini’s men scrapped out a tough win. It was City’s first game without the injured Kevin de Bruyne, who’s absence was missed. Joe Hart was the hero of the game and ultimately won City the game with some top saves. Sergio Aguero didn’t receive the amount of chances he is used to, but took full advantage of his opportunities by grabbing an early goal. He is still a must own, even at £13.5 and his worth will prove itself in the coming weeks. Get him in your team!

West Ham 2 – 0 Aston Villa

It was a dominating performance from West Ham who found the game easy after Jordan Ayew was sent off. Dmitri Payet continued his run of blanks despite being a centerpiece in West Ham’s attack. He grabbed a hockey assist on Kouyate’s goal and hit the post on a free kick. Owner’s should stick with him because it’s only a matter of time before he’s among the points. Michail Antonio scored a brilliant header and is shaping up to be a great cheap option at £5.3 if you can’t afford Payet.

Aston Villa never really had a chance in this game once Jordan Ayew was sent off. He cost his team the game with a stupid elbow to the face of Aaron Cresswell and will likely serve a three-match ban for violent conduct. Villa’s hope for escaping relegation seems entirely extinguished. Only a miracle second half will save them from the relegation. I’ll be avoiding Villa players at all costs.

Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Bournemouth

Palace added to their midseason woes with a loss to Bournemouth. Scott Dann added another goal to his tally, making it four on the season. Wilfried Zaha continues to impress on the ball, providing an assist and narrowly missing out on another. He’ll be a great option at £5.3 if Crystal Palace can find some form. Emmanuel Adebayor made his debut and should have scored a goal, but he hit the woodwork to miss the tying goal. Crystal Palace have some great cheap options in their attack, but I’ll be waiting until the team finds some wins before I buy in.

When Callum Wilson got injured early on in the season, Bournemouth were regarded as one of the worst teams in the league and were destined for relegation. They’ve miraculously turned their season around and are now looking like they might remain in the Premier League. Benik Afobe has now scored three goals in his last three games for the Cherries. At £6.1, he is a steal and should be considered if looking at forward options. Charlie Daniels was credited with an assist and also earned three bonus points. He’ll be starting in my team for the foreseeable future. Bournemouth is a great team to buy into now if you need to free up funds.

Manchester United 3 – 0 Stoke

Louis van Gaal’s squad got a much needed win against a recently-struggling Stoke side. Michael Carrick‘s return brought another win to Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney looks like a top class striker like we’re used to, getting a goal and an assist. Anthony Martial also scored and assisted, and provides a cheaper option to Rooney. Jesse Lingard at only £4.2 looks like a great cheap option in midfield. The problem with United is their inconsistency. You never know if this United team will show up or the one that struggles to score will. I’m hesitant to buy into United attackers until they show some consistency. United defense, however, has looked more sure of themselves, earning a clean sheet this game.

Stoke struggled to capitalize on their chances, failing to register any shots on target. This game proves the point of Ryan Shawcross‘s value to Stoke and how much they are missing him due to injury. Although Stoke actually earned the majority of possession at 53%, they lacked finishing and came away empty handed. Marko Arnautovic had a diasppointing performance. I think right now is the time to do away with all Stoke players, defense included. Jack Butland needs to go if you are planning on wildcarding for GW25.

West Brom 1 – 1 Swansea

West Brom played hard to the last minute, and a stoppage time goal from Salomon Rondon earned them one point. A couple good saves were made by keeper Ben Foster who recently replaced Boaz Myhill as number one keeper. West Brom still look a bit out of sorts and I’d be hesitant to buy into them.

Swansea’s second game under Guidolin ended in disappointment. They concede a late goal and lost a hard-earned clean sheet. Ashley Williams was on for three bonus points before the late equalizer (yes, I’m still salty about it) and still seems like a great FPL option if Swansea can keep a clean sheet. Gylfi Sigurdsson scored Swansea’s only goal, earning max bonus. At £7.0, he seems like a great midfield option for an affordable price. Swansea’s fixtures are a mixed bag but it may be worth it to own one of two of the Swans going forward.

Everton 3 – 0 Newcastle

Everton dominated the game against Newcastle scoring three goals in a comfortable win. Ross Barkley converted two penalty chances late in the game to seal the win. I feel that his FPL score this game is slightly misleading and I don’t think he’ll be scoring this high in weeks to come. Romelu Lukaku owners were unlucky that he was subbed off at halftime as he would have probably taken the two penalties. He’s certainly going to be transferred out by a lot of managers, and I’m one that is considering it.

Newcastle had few bright moments in the game and found it difficult to create good scoring chances. Goalkeeper Rob Elliot made some great saves and I rate him as the best second keeper option at only £4.0. Whether you’re wildcarding or just need to replace one of your keepers, Elliot will help you free up some cash and provides good save points each week. I’ll likely be buying him when I play my second wildcard.

Watford 0 – 0 Chelsea

Watford enjoyed more chances in the first half but failed to capitalize. Odion Ighalo wasted a couple scoring opportunities and had one of his worse games in a while. Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes made some heroic saves to keep his team in the game, and showed us that he’s crucial to Watford’s defensive game.

Chelsea played much better in the second half than Watford and were somewhat unlucky to not score. Diego Costa missed out on some good chances and didn’t look like quite a sharp as we expect from him. Eden Hazard also struggled to earn points; he’s not worth owning in my opinion. Branislav Ivanovic earned clean sheet points and narrowly missed out on scoring a goal. Even at his expensive price of £6.5, I’ll be looking to bring him into my team in the future. I think he offers unrivaled potential for both clean sheet and attacking points.

By the Box

GOALS ASSISTS ARSENAL Southampton – – – – LEICESTER Liverpool Vardy (2) – Mahrez, Okazaki – NORWICH Spurs – Alli, Kane (2) – Eriksen (2), Alli SUNDERLAND Man City – Aguero – Navas WEST HAM Aston Villa Kouyate, Antonio – Noble, Valencia – CRYSTAL PALACE Bournemouth Dann Pugh, Afobe Zaha Daniels, Ritchie MAN UNITED Stoke Lingard, Rooney, Martial – Borthwick-Jackson, Rooney, Martial – WEST BROM Swansea Rondon Sigurdsson – – EVERTON Newcastle Lennon, Barkley (2) – Cleverly, Lennon – WATFORD Chelsea – – – –