Gameweek 22 Review, the story so far. FPL Fantasy Premier League

Sunderland 2-2 Southampton
Both these clubs have had recent mixed fortunes, Sunderland are having a mini revival under manager Gus Poyet and the Saints have been hit with Board Room in-fighting which has seen the departure of Chairman Nicola Cortese. The match itself had everything set in place for a great battle and we were not to be disappointed with Adam Johnson’s goal helping complete a cracking fight-back by the Black Cats, who had been two goals down within the first half hour. The game had barely begun when Saints Jay Rodriguez got on the score sheet with their first shot when he controlled Morgan Schneiderlin’s headed pass and fired into the net beyond Vito Mannone. The Saints started to dominate possession and their direct running was giving the Sunderland defence plenty of trouble. The walking ‘yellow card’ that is Lee Cattermole was soon in the book venting his frustration on Rodriquez with another ridiculous foul that he knew would put him in the book.The persistent Saints pressure was rewarded on 31 minutes when Dejan Lovren volleyed in a Steven Davis corner. Now this would have spelt disaster a few months ago for Sunderland but Poyet has transformed his troops and within a minute they had reduced the deficit when Fabio Borini beat the offside trap to meet an Adam Johnson ball and bypass Artur Boruc with his scuffed effort. The keeper will be disappointed when he sees the replays (so will all the Fantasy Managers that just brought him back into their sides). It was Sunderland’s only effort on target of the first half! The second half promised so much but we were only to see one more goal. The Saints came close with the ever dangerous Rodriguez forcing a fine stop from Mannone and Boroni had his effort chalked off when he was ruled off-side but on 71 minutes the resurgent Johnson thumped home the equaliser, driving home an angled shot that proved too powerful for Boruc to stop. The game finished on a sour note though when both Gaston Ramirez and Lovren left the field on stretchers.

Bonus points: Johnson (3), Lovren and Rodriguez (2)

Arsenal 2-0 Fulham
With many predicting a convincing home win for the league leaders, a goalless first half was a surprise to many as Fulham “parked the bus” and restricted the Gunners to few opportunities. Mesut Ozil came close early on, but his goal-bound shot was cleared off the line by Brede Hangeland, while youngster Serge Gnabry was a constant threat, but the end product was again missing. Fulham started the second-half the brighter side, but Arsenal slowly regained their dominance, with Gnabry, Santi Cazorla and Laurent Koscielny all going close, before Cazorla broke the deadlock on 57 minutes, who drilled home a shot from the edge of the area, following a cut back from Jack Wilshire. Within five minutes the Gunners were two up and the three points were effectively secured. It was Cazorla again, this time clipping home a shot from a Nacho Monreal cross. Both sides had chances in the final 20 minutes, with Darren Bent having the best chance, but saw his shot cleared by Koscielny. It wasn’t the walkover it was meant to be, but it was enough to see Arsenal hold on to top spot.

Bonus Points: Cazorla (3), Koscielny (2), Mertesacker (1) Wilshere (1)

Crystal Palace 1 – 0 Stoke
Tony Pulis guided his Palace side to a vital win against his old club and in the process, Palace jumped clear of the relegation zone, while Stoke have now gone five matches without a win. It was the home side who created the better chances throughout the game, while Stoke were limited to predominantly half-chances, with Charlie Adam pulling the strings for Mark Hughes’ side. Palace’s hero was last week’s villain, namely Jason Puncheon. After a scrappy and goalless first half, Puncheon produced a neat drive past Jack Butland in goal six minutes into the second half. In the closing stages, Stoke tried to up the tempo in the pursuit of an equaliser and Steven Ireland, Jon Walters and Adam all went close, while Ryan Shawcross appealed, in vain, for a penalty, before Puncheon wasted a late chance at the other end. Pulis will go away delighted with the three points, while Hughes will be increasingly concerned at the form and position of his team.

Bonus Points: Delaney (3) Puncheon (3) Gabbidon (1) Mariappa (1) Speroni (1)

Manchester City 4-2 Cardiff City
City maintained their impressive run, but were made to fight hard by a resolute Cardiff side. It took just 14 minutes for City to notch their 100th goal of the campaign as Edin Dzeko scored from David Silva’s pass – the Cardiff players surrounded the referee, who adjudicated the ball had crossed the line. Strike partner Alvaro Negredo wasted two chances before the away side settled down and came into the game more and more, with Jordon Mutch testing Joe Hart just before the half-hour. A minute later Aron Gunnarsson fed Craig Noone down the right, before the winger cut inside , wrong-footed Vincent Kompany and lashed in the equaliser. This prompted some urgency into City and they responded immediately – Yaya Toure found Dzeko, who lost control of the ball, but Jesus Navas reacted quickest and slotted home. Both sides had chances in the second half, with Noone, David Silva and the returning Sergio Aguero, who had replaced the ineffective Negrado, all going close. It was Toure who scored City’s third and decisive goal on 76 minutes, firing home after playing a one-two with Aguero. Three minutes later Aguero got himself on the scoresheet to the delight of many fantasy managers who had gambled on his return, before Fraizer Campbell grabbed a consolation goal in injury time.

Bonus Points: Toure (3) Aguero (2) Dzeko (1)

Norwich 1-0 Hull
A vital game here for Norwich and in particular manager Chris Hughton who had been backed by the board earlier in the week on the pretence that he kept them out of the bottom three and they left things a little late. Hull’s new signing Nikica Jelavic made his debut for the Tiger’s and it was almost a dream start as he hit the post inside the opening two minutes. Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Robert Snodgrass both had chances for Norwich and Liam Rosenior likewise for Hull but it was Norwich who eventually took the lead and ultimately the three points with it. Snodgrass had been increasingly influential throughout, exerting his authority on the game, and it was from his cross in the 86th minute that Ryan Bennett was able to head home the winner. The other talking point was the dismissal of Tom Huddlestone for two yellow cards, that in all fairness were harsh and will see him now miss the next game. Hughton will be relieved though as he will still be around for Norwich’s next few games at least as this win sees the Canaries jump to 12th in the table.

Bonus Points: Bennett (3) Ruddy (2) Bassong (2)

West Ham 1-3 Newcastle
West Ham slipped back into the relegation zone as they were ruthlessly beaten by an efficient Newcastle side at Upton Park. The away side took the lead in the 16th minute as Yoan Gouffran darted infield and found Yohan Cabaye, who took two touches and passed the ball into the net, passed the helpless Adrian. Cabaye was running the show in midfield and he set up Moussa Sissoko who should have scored. On 33 minutes, Sissoko became provider as he floated in a cross that should have been cleared with ease, but Loic Remy stole a march on the defence and stabbed the ball home. On the stroke of half-time, the home side were gifted a lifeline as Mike Williamson was adjudged to have got the final touch to a goalmouth scramble to send the ball into his own net. Big Sam reacted at half-time by introducing Ravel Morrison and shortly after Andy Carroll and it was the latter who should have equalised in the 62nd minute, but the striker lofted his shot from Stewart Downing, high over the bar. Cabaye added his second and Newcastle’s third deep into injury time, curling a free-kick round the wall.

Bonus Points: Cabaye (3) Remy (2) Yanga-Mbiwa (1) Tiote (1) Gouffran (1)

Liverpool 2-2 Aston Villa
The script did not go according to plan in this one as once again Villa played extremely well at Anfield. The likes of Skrtel and Toure just could not deal with the strength of Benteke. The scoring was opened when Agbonlohor rounded past Liverpools defence and his pass across goal was easily put in by Wiemann. Agbonlohor was once again provider as this time he floated in a cross which was misjudged by both Mignolet in goal and Johnson and was easily headed in by Benteke who grabs his second goal in two games. Liverpool were given a lifeline in injury time before the half time break as a cheeky pass by Henderson found Sturridge in space who finsihed neatly. After the break Liverpool were level early on as Suarez was brought down in the box by Guzan and Gerrard cooly finished from the spot. With the wind in their sails it looks as though the Reds could go onto win it but it was not to be and the shares were spoilt. A Liverpool home game without Suarez scoring, what has the world come to!

Bonus Points: Henderson (3) Sturridge (3) Benteke (3)

Swansea 1-3 Tottenham
Emmanuel Adebayor continued to repay manager Tim Sherwood’s faith in him by grabbing a brace as Spurs won 3-1 at the Liberty Stadium to compound Swansea City’s relegation fears. The Ivorian striker headed Spurs into a 35th-minute lead after Christian Eriksen produced a pinpoint cross from the right to catch the Swansea defence out and later tapped in the third after Danny Rose pulled the ball across the box for Adebayor to calmly beat Tremmel and claim his second of the day and sixth in eight games. A Chico Flores own goal on 53 minutes had doubled the visitors’ lead when he inadvertently turned a Kyle Walker cross into his own net. Wilfried Bony hit the bar and had a good penalty appeal for a push by Michael Dawson turned down in the first half, before getting Swansea’s consolation late on, steering in a scuffed cross from Roland Lamah. The win moves Tottenham up to fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Liverpool as Tim Sherwoods side remain unbeaten in the Premier League since he took over over from Andre Villas-Boas. Swansea, remain just three points above the relegation zone and their lengthy injury list (Jojo Shelvey limped off with hamstring problems on 51 minutes) and their drop in form will be of concern for manager Michael Laudrup.
Bonus points: Adebayor (3), Walker (2), Eriksen and Rose (1)

Chelsea 3-1 Manchester Utd
Another horror show of a performance by United but this game was all about Samuel Eto’o and his 49 minute hatrick and in doing so he becomes the first Chelsea player since 1955 to score a hatrick against Utd. The result will all but end United’s title hopes and in the dying seconds Nemanja Vidic let his frustration get the better of him as he was sent off for a dreadful lunge on Eden Hazard and will now face a three match ban. Fellow defender Rafae da Silva probably should have joined him in the dressing room soon afterwards but somehow escaped with a yellow card for a two-footed tackle on Gary Cahill. In all fairness David Moyes’s side started brightly in the first quarter of the game but when Eto’o opened the scoring with a shot that deflected off Michael Carrick Chelsea had the ascendency. The lead was doubled before the break when Eto’o scored again when after some hapless Utd defending Gary Cahill whipped the ball across and Eto’o beat David De Gea. The hatrick was completed just after half-time as United’s defence dissolved into little pieces. Cahill was given far too much freedom at a corner by the United Defence and he powered a header that De Gea somehow kept out but Eto’o was quickest to the loose ball, stabbing it over the line. There are dangerous signs with this United side and the lack of fight or leadership was alarming. Javier Hernandez did get on the scoresheet when he slid in a consolation goal on 78 minutes but this defeat leaves United 14 points behind leaders Arsenal. Patrice Evra also hobbled of on 51 minutes and could be an injury concern.
Bonus points: Eto’o (3), Cahill (2), Hernandez (1)

This article was written by

Eddy and Migs