Gameweek 13 would see a massive clash at the bottom of the Premier League table as Fulham hosted fellow strugglers in Southampton at Craven Cottage on Saturday. We would also see Liverpool make the trip to Watford, while West Ham entertained Manchester City at the London Stadium. Meanwhile, Brighton hosted Leicester City and Cardiff travelled to Everton. There was a massive clash between Spurs and Chelsea at Wembley In the evening. Arsenal faced Bournemouth on Sunday before Newcastle travelled to Burnley on Monday night. Anyway, here’s the FPL Updates Gameweek 13 Review…
Goalkeeper
Wayne Hennessey – Crystal Palace may have been quietly confident as they travelled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Saturday afternoon. After a difficult start to the season there was a lot of pressure on the Red Devils not only to secure three points, but to do it in style after accusations regarding José Mourinho’s philosophy. However, the home faithful would be let down as Crystal Palace ground out an excellent point, and one that may well prove vital come May as the Eagles look to secure safety.
Defenders
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Watford welcomed an in-form Liverpool side to Vicarage Road on Saturday, with the Reds still yet to lose a game in the Premier League. They continued their excellent league start as they held firm to record a brilliant 3-0 victory over the Hornets, however, it was far from easy for the travelling side. The one real piece of brilliance came from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who curled a stunning freekick over Ben Foster’s wall to double the lead and kill off any challenge from a spirited Watford side.
Erik Durm – Arguably, the result of the week goes to Huddersfield Town. The Yorkshire side weren’t given a chance by many this season but showed class to upstage a Wolves side that have gained plaudits from many a neutral despite their newly-promoted status. In a game where they started as heavy underdogs, the Terriers stunned the home crowd as they took the lead early. Despite having to withstand some pressure in the second half, David Wagner’s side rallied to net a late second and push themselves up the table.
Ciaran Clark – Newcastle have been resurgent in recent weeks. They followed up a home win against Watford by beating AFC Bournemouth last time out. However, many may have expected them to stop there as they made the tricky journey to Turf Moor. However, they found themselves 2-0 up courtesy of goals from Ciaran Clark and the unfortunate Ben Mee, who put through his own net. Despite the home side pulling a goal back through Sam Vokes, it would prove to be a consolation, much to the relief of Matt Ritchie, whose horrendous open goal miss looked like it might cost the Magpies.
Midfielders
Leroy Sané & Raheem Sterling – At times Manchester City can be unplayable, and West Ham United were the unlucky side who had to face Pep Guardiola’s side on Saturday. However, the Hammers weren’t without chances, and on another day may have remained in the contest longer. As it happened, goals from David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sané meant that the match was all but over at half time, leaving Sané to add a late second. The 4-0 score line may be harsh on West Ham, who will hope their finishing improves.
Aaron Mooy – Huddersfield Town’s Australian midfielder Aaron Mooy has been somewhat of a talisman for the Terriers in the past, and he led from the front by netting both of his side’s goals in an impressive display away at Wolves on Sunday. He opened the scoring as the ball was laid into his path to drill home from the edge of the area early on. He would have to wait until late on to add a second, curling a brilliant freekick beyond the reach of Wolves stopper Rui Patricio after Ruben Neves appeared to shy away from blocking the effort.
Stuart Armstrong – Since his move South from Celtic Stuart Armstrong had started just three Premier League matches for Southampton this season. He made his mark in his fourth, netting twice in the Saints’ relegation six-pointer against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday. His first came as he controlled in the area to drill home the opener early on. His second was stunning, as the Scot curled home brilliantly from range. He will be all too disappointed that they didn’t yield any points for Saints, and boss Mark Hughes may be lucky to see another game as manager.
Dele Alli – Spurs put on a show as they hammered Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday evening. Despite the 3-1 score line, Spurs dominance was clear from minute one, and without Kepa in goal, it could have been much worse for the Blues. The opener came when Dele Alli flicked in from a wide delivery, before the lead was doubled shortly after as David Luiz moved out of the way of Harry Kane’s long ranger, which found the bottom corner. However, the goal of the game came when Heung-Min Son ran half the length of the pitch to slot home. Olivier Giroud’s late effort would prove to be little consolation in an abysmal display.
Forwards
Aleksander Mitrovic – Fulham have struggled badly so far upon their return to the Premier League, but with a goal scorer like Aleksander Mitrovic in their ranks they will always have a chance. He pounced to head home and level the scores against Southampton on Saturday and was alive again to strike the winner on the hour. The Cottagers second came as Ryan Sessegnon surged down the left before laying it on a plate for Andre Schurrle to slot in past Alex McCarthy. It’s a massive win for Fulham in Claudio Ranieri’s first game as boss.
Roberto Firmino – Liverpool hit the front against Watford when Mo Salah prodded home around the hour. However, there was controversy as Will Hughes looked to have been brought down in the area by Andrew Robertson with the scores level at 0-0. However, Liverpool looked to set about killing the game off, and did so through Trent Alexander-Arnold’s freekick. They would net a third, despite captain Jordan Henderson being given his marching orders late on, as Roberto Firmino pounced inside the area to squeeze a header past Ben Foster from close range.
Written by Ryan Nevin (@RNevin7)
