Welcome to this week's Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 22 review. In this article,
Daniel Richardson provides us with an in-depth fixture-by-fixture breakdown of the the weekend's results.
West Ham 2-2 Man City
Goals: E. Valencia (1'), (56'), Agüero (9' pen), (81')
Assists: M. Antonio
Bonus Points: Valencia (3), Agüero (2), Song (1)
The first Premier League match of the weekend started off very quickly with West Ham grabbing a goal within the very first minute through Enner Valencia's shot from the centre of the box to put the underdogs in front. However, it wasn't long before title contenders City were on the score sheet. Agüero forced a reckless challenge from Carl Jenkinson to earn a penalty, he then sent West Ham keeper Adrian the wrong way to make it 1-1 within the first ten minutes.
Fans then had to wait till the second half to see more goals and in the fifty-sixth minute, Valencia struck again to put the hammers back in the lead. After a quick throw-in from Antonio, Enner Valencia converted with another shot from the centre of the penalty area. Just short of half an hour later, Man City's Iheanacho worked his way into the box and the ball ended up at the feet of Agüero, who slotted the ball home to snatch a point for City. West Ham nearly got the win in added time as a header from Kouyaté hit the crossbar but it wasn't to be and the game finished 2-2.
West Brom 0-0 Aston Villa
Bonus Points: Dawson (3), Cissokho (2), Lescott (1)
Mid-table side West Brom and bottom of the league Villa both failed to score on Saturday with this match ending as a 0-0 draw. Both sides had a few chances in the first half but not many, Sessegnon had his shot blocked by Lescott in the seventeenth minute with Ayew coming close for Villa moments later. Villa were also denied a penalty due to a poor challenge from Olsson that was waved away by referee Bobby Madley.
Towards the end of the first half, one controversial decision did go Villa's way as captain Micah Richards only received a yellow card for his careless challenge on Yacob in the fortieth minute, which could have possibly been much worse. Villa had the best chances in the second half with substitute Rudy Gestede sending a header just wide before being taken back off again due to injury. Bacuna had a good long range opportunity towards the end of the match but sent his shot high and wide.
Watford 2-1 Newcastle
Goals: Ighalo (46'), Cathcart (58'), Lascelles (71')
Assists: Deeney, Ighalo, Shelvey
Bonus Points: Ighalo (3), Cathcart (2), Deeney (1)
The main highlights of the first half came from some superb goalkeeping meaning it was goalless at half time. Rob Elliot was forced to make a double save in the sixteenth minute of the game, denying both Troy Deeney and Etienne Capoue. Shortly after this, in the twenty-third minute, Heurelho Gomes kept out a shot from Mitrovic who hit a low driving shot from the edge of the box.
However, Watford started the second half brilliantly, with Ighalo scoring within the first minute after a through ball from Deeney. Ighalo took the ball round Rob Elliot and placed the ball in the net. Watford then went two up in the fifty-eight minute through Craig Cathcart after some more clever play from Ighalo, he controlled a cross and knocked it back into the path of Cathcart who found the net. After a corner from new boy Jonjo Shelvey, Newcastle managed to get one back with a header from Lascelles, but they didn't have enough in them to earn a point away from home.
Sunderland 1-1 Bournemouth
Goals: Afobe (13'), Van Aanholt (45')
Assists: Stanislas, Borini
Bonus Points: Stanislas (3), Afobe (2), Van Aanholt (1)
After having an attempt saved early on, Bournemouth went ahead within the first fifteen minutes of this game due to a header from Benik Afobe who has proved to be a strong signing so far for the side. Junior Stanislas put a great ball into the box which was met by Afobe, who put the header past Mannone. Bournemouth had the majority of chances throughout the first half but it was Sunderland who managed to equalise.
Borini had the ball on the edge of the box and managed to find the Sunderland left back who made no mistake and continued his scoring form by firing his shot into the net. There were a few good opportunities in the second half but none converted. Defoe came close with a curling shot which went just wide. Bournemouth also had a good chance as again Stanislas played a good ball, this time to Grabban, who only had the keeper to beat however he placed his shot wide and the game finished 1-1.
Man United 0-1 Southampton
Goals: Austin (87')
Assists: Ward-Prowse
Bonus Points: Austin (3), Van Dijk (2), Fonte (1)
With United continuing their lack of creativity this season, there was a lack of good chances made by the home side which eventually meant that they went yet another ninety minutes without scoring. Southampton had the best chance of the first half which was missed by Sadio Mané. But Fraser Forster had very little to do in the first half, apart from easily take a long range effort from Daley Blind.
United looked a bit more alive in the second half after the introduction of Juan Mata, replacing Fellaini. But still neither side managed to break the deadlock until the final five minutes of the match. Charlie Austin came on for Sadio Mané to make his debut for his new club. After drawing in a foul from Januzaj, a free kick was put in the box from Ward-Prowse which was met with a solid header from Austin to make a dream start and claim all three points for Southampton as the game finished 1-0.
Leicester 3-0 Stoke
Goals: Drinkwater (42'), Vardy (66'), Ulloa (87')
Assists: Drinkwater, Mahrez
Bonus Points: Drinkwater (3), Fuchs (2), Vardy (1)
Leicester had the majority of scoring opportunities in the first half so it wasn't a surprise that they went into the break with a 1-0 lead with a goal from Daniel Drinkwater in the forty-second minute. After a succession of corners for the home side, the ball dropped to Drinkwater from one of the many corners and he made no mistake, firing the shot into the bottom corner. The shot did however take a slight deflection off Marc Wilson and hit goalkeeper Jack Butland, but he couldn't keep it out.
Stoke's best chance of the game came in the sixtieth minute from a header by Joselu after an inch perfect cross from Glenn Johnson. But it was saved by Kasper Schmeichel who kept his side in front. Leicester doubled their lead just six minutes later with a chip through ball from Drinkwater to Vardy, who took it round Butland and slotted it in. The third goal was assisted brilliantly by Mahrez who pulled off an unbelievable flip flap through the legs of Wollscheid then put it on a plate for Ulloa to poke home in the dying minutes of the match.
Crystal Palace 1-3 Tottenham
Goals: Vertonghen (30' og), Kane (63'), Alli (84'), Chadli (90' +5)
Assists: Chadli, Eriksen, Alli
Bonus Points: Alli (3), Eriksen (2), Chadli (1)
Before this match Crystal Palace had not scored in eight hours of league action, and although all goals in this game came from Spurs, one of them went Palace's way with Vertonghen scoring an own goal to prevent it being a goalless first half. It came from a cross from Wilfred Zaha which the Spurs defender accidentally turned into his own net. After half time Spurs still failed to convert their chances up until the sixty-third minute. Harry Kane got on the end off a cross from Chadli and finished it with a header from close range to equalise.
Crystal Palace came close with Zaha forcing a save from Hugo Lloris and Scott Dann hitting the bar with a header. But just minutes after Scott Dann's effort, Spurs went in front with a wonderful goal from Dele Alli. He flicked the ball over both his head and the Palace defender to then volley it in from outside the box. Spurs then sealed the three points in the fifth minute of added time as Chadli curled his shot in, again from outside the box.
Norwich 4-5 Liverpool
Goals: Firmino (18'), (63'), Mbokani (29'), Naismith (41'), Hoolahan (54' pen), Henderson (55'), Milner (75'), Bassong (90' +2), Lallana (90' +5)
Assists: Milner, Dorrans, Hoolahan, Firmino, Lallana, Jerome
Bonus Points: Firmino (3), Naismith (2), Milner (1)
This nine goal thriller began with another goal for Roberto Firmino in the eighteenth minute. After being played in by Milner initially the shot looked to be going wide, but after hitting the foot of Declan Rudd, it span and re directed back towards goal. Liverpool were made to pay for a couple of missed chances as a clever and also powerful back heel from Mbokani put Norwich level. The home side managed to grab another not long before half time to go in ahead at the break. A smart pass from Hoolahan put Naismith in for another Premier League debut goal as he converted it from a tight angle. Within ten minutes of the second half Norwich went two ahead through a Hoolahan penalty after a silly challenge from Alberto Moreno on Naismith.
However, within the blink of an eye Liverpool got one back with captain Jordan Henderson firing it in less than a minute later. Then eight minutes later the visitors got an equaliser as Firmino got his second to make it level. In the seventy-fifth minute Liverpool went ahead for the first time in the match and the brilliant comeback looked complete as Milner was gifted a goal due to a poor back pass from Russell Martin. But Norwich refused to give up and scored two minutes into added time with Bassong's great strike from the edge of box and it looked to be a well deserved point for both sides. Or so was thought, but drama struck again as the ball fell to Lallana after some poor defending, and he smashed it into the back of the net in the fifth minute of added time to clinch it for Liverpool.
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea
Goals: D. Costa (23')
Assists: Ivanovic
Bonus Points: Ivanovic (3), Terry (2), Zouma (2)
Arsenal missed a chance to gain an early lead as Joel Campbell scuffed a volley inside the box but just seconds later, ex Chelsea legend Petr Cech was needed to keep out his old side as Oscar fired a low shot. However, the most significant moment of the first half came when Mertesacker brought down Costa who was in on goal and therefore, was shown a straight red meaning Arsenal had to last seventy-two minutes with ten men. They only actually survived five minutes before Chelsea got the first, and what turned out to be the only goal of the match.
A low cross from Ivanovic was converted by Costa who looked a lot more threatening than in recent games. Chelsea continued to be the more dominant in the second half and even had a possible penalty shout as Koscielny brought down Fabregas, but it was waved away. Sanchez seemed to give Arsenal a bit more life as he replaced Joel Campbell in the fifty-sixth minute, but the home side couldn't create anything significant. They almost grabbed a point towards the end of the match as Courtois failed to claim the ball confidently from a free kick crossed into the box, but it was well defended by Chelsea and the game finished 1-0.
Everton 1-2 Swansea
Goals: Sigurdsson (17' pen), Cork (26' og), Ayew (34')
Assists: N. Taylor, Ayew
Bonus Points: Ayew (3), Sigurdsson (2)
Most of the action in this final game of the weekend came in the first half. Swansea took the lead in the seventeenth minute with Sigurdsson making no mistake from the penalty spot. After an awful back pass from Stones, Ayew reached the ball before Howard which resulted in the Everton keeper committing the foul and the home side went in front. But just nine minutes later a strike from Everton captain Gareth Barry took a big deflection off Swansea's Jack Cork, enough to mean it went down as an own goal.
Both sides missed a chance each, Everton through Lukaku and then Swansea through Routledge, before the away side went back in front in the thirty-fourth minute. After earning the penalty earlier in the match, André Ayew got one of his own as he was given the ball by Neil Taylor. But similarly to Everton's goal, Ayew's shot also took a deflection off John Stones which took it past Howard. Both sides failed to convert in the second half and it finished 2-1.
Thanks for reading our Fantasy Premier League Review and good luck for Gameweek 24.
