Gameweek 22 in the Premier League saw a couple of shock results with Arsenal losing to West Ham in Saturday’s early kick off thanks to an unlikely goal source, Southampton coming out on top against Leicester despite having a man sent off in the first half, and Burnley winning against Fulham despite having a distinct lack of shots on goal.
Goalkeeper
David De Gea – After 7 games with no clean sheet, De Gea and United now have 2 on the bounce. The first of those against Newcastle was arguably easier to keep than the latest one as it took a master class from the Spaniard and an 18-19 season record of 11 saves in a single match to keep Spurs out. This paved the way to United winning the game 0-1 and De Gea bagging the 3 bonus points.
Defenders
Lucas Digne & Kurt Zouma – A severe lack of clean sheets of late for Everton, with none in 8 league games prior to their latest match against Bournemouth. However, a clean sheet is exactly what they managed with Digne bagging an assist and Zouma notching the first of Everton’s 2 goals on the day. Presumably due to a yellow for Zouma, Digne walked away with the 3 bonus whilst Zouma picked up 2.
Declan Rice – An unexpected result many would say but a 1-0 result against Arsenal in Saturday’s early kick off is exactly what West Ham achieved. After 7 games without a clean sheet, this was a much welcomed result with the unlikely goalscorer in the shape of Declan Rice bagging the winning goal. A clean sheet and a goal for the defender meant the 3 bonus points and the highest scoring player of the week on FPL accolade were assured.
Midfielders
Jeff Hendrick – Hendrick’s play time has been up and down of late and with the form Burnley have been in this season, it’s no wonder the midfielder is only owned by 0.2% of teams. To add to the stats surrounding this form, Burnley managed 0 shots on target in their latest match against Fulham but still walked away with victory thanks to 2 own goals, both assisted by Hendrick. Fulham did respond with a goal at the right end of the pitch but it wasn’t enough to stop Burnley taking the win and Hendrick receiving all 3 bonus points.
Mo Salah – Salah now has 14 league goals this season, thanks to his vital contribution in Liverpool’s latest match against Brighton. The reds ground out a result at the AMEX, with Salah’s goal being the only goal of the game; a penalty he won and scored. That coupled with the clean sheet meant 3 bonus for Mo.
James Ward-Prowse – Another player with limited play time this season is James Ward-Prowse. Despite the Saints having a man sent off away from home against Leicester, they battled out a crucial 1-2 victory over the Foxes which lifted them out of the relegation zone. Ward-Prowse scored the opening goal, stepping up to convert a penalty early on. It was a fellow Saints player who bagged the 3 bonus (who we’ll get on to shortly) which left Ward-Prowse picking up 2.
Andre Schurrle – For a few FPL managers, Schurrle has been a frustrating one to follow. He started the season well with 4 goals in his opening 9 – despite the severe lack of goals the Cottagers have put away this season – to then only go on to score 1 in Fulham’s next 12. With his play time not guaranteed either, missing out on the games against Chelsea, Leicester and Huddersfield, many managers turned their attention elsewhere. Schurrle repaid those who stuck with him this week by scoring what turned out to be a consolation goal, meaning he picked up 2 bonus behind Burnley midfielder, Hendrick.
Pedro – Following on from the Arsenal defeat in the early kick off on Saturday, everyone associated with Chelsea knew how vital a win against Newcastle would be in the late kick off. Chelsea obliged and Pedro was the first to step up and bag a goal – a chipped one at that – after a delightful ball over the top from Luiz. Despite a response from Newcastle, Chelsea did find the goals to win 2-1, with Pedro picking up 2 bonus points for his efforts.
Forwards
Gabriel Jesus – Jesus has so far had to settle for a bit-part role this season, mainly playing second fiddle to Aguero, and this is apparent in his small 2.4% ownership figure. However, Jesus started against Wolves on Monday night and despite a nasty looking clattering with the post, he did score twice – one from the penalty spot – and therefore managed maximum bonus points.
Shane Long – We mentioned Ward-Prowse’s crucial involvement in their win over Leicester on Saturday afternoon but it was Shane Long who took maximum bonus over his team-mate after winning the penalty that Ward-Prowse converted, as well as scoring a goal of his own. Southampton had just had Valery sent off minutes before the half time whistle when Long managed to notch Southampton’s second, a timely goal to say the least. He will be hoping for an extended run of play time/starts following this performance.
Written by Ryan Nevin (@RNevin7)
