Scout Notes – Salah Stars In Thriller

A thriller at Anfield has a huge impact on Fantasy ranks, while a rather more low-key draw is played out at Selhurst Park.

Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah went into Liverpool’s meeting with Spurs as two of the top three captaincy picks of Gameweek 26 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

By the end of an extraordinary 2-2 draw, there was little doubt as to who emerged as the victor in Fantasy terms.

Salah hit two goals and took maximum bonus for a 15-point haul and his third double-digit score in the last six Gameweeks.

In contrast, Kane scored one penalty and missed another to bring in just four points for the 17.3% of managers who handed him the armband.

Salah, who was captained by 13.1%, now has either a goal or an assist in 15 of the last 17 Gameweeks and it is his consistency that sets him apart from Kane – and every other player in FPL.

While the Spurs striker has produced returns in 12 of 25 matches this season, the Egyptian has prospered in 19, and his stellar output today will have made a big difference for those who trusted him with the armband, which included just 15 of the top 100 FPL managers.

Indeed, Salah’s haul looks set to have a significant impact on ranks and mini-leagues in light of Sergio Aguero’s blank at Burnley. The Man City striker was captained by 39 of the top 100 managers.

Some 400,000 moved for Aguero over the last two Gameweeks following his 17-point tally against Newcastle. Many of those managers doubtless made up some of the 949,000+ who handed the Man City striker the armband at Turf Moor, only to witness Salah’s brace on Sunday.

The question now is whether we can continue to overlook Salah for the captaincy and, if not, what impact that has on Kane and Aguero in squads.

Liverpool’s schedule certainly strengthens Salah’s appeal as the Reds face just two of the top eight – away at Man United (GW30) and Chelsea (GW37) – over the remaining 12 Gameweeks of the season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side is also one of only four teams to definitely have a Gameweek 31 match, when they host Watford, although FA Cup fifth round results could add further fixtures to the schedule.

That could be enough to persuade Roberto Firmino’s 39.4% ownership to hold, even though today’s blank means he has scored just twice in the last six Gameweeks.

Liverpool’s defence remains unconvincing, however, with one clean sheet in six and assured starts for precious few of their backline, with Klopp bringing in Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold for Joel Matip and the injured Joe Gonez today.

Spurs struggled to repel the home side in the first half, but a tactical change at the interval – along with a tiring Liverpool midfield – enabled Dele Alli to push further forward and the visitors became considerably more threatening as a result.

Victor Wanyama levelled the match with a superb strike before Kane had a penalty saved by Loris Karius and Salah punished that miss with what looked to be an injury-time winner, only for van Dijk’s foul on Erik Lamela to hand the Spurs striker a shot at redemption that he emphatically took.

The forward bettered Salah for shots (five to four) and attempts in the box (four to three) and is another who should benefit from a decent run-in – Spurs play only three of the top seven from now until the end of the season.

That could spark renewed interest in key assets who struggled for impact in recent weeks, with Christian Eriksen’s goal against Man United the only notable return from Spurs midfield ‘big three’ of the Dane, Alli and Son Heung-min.

Son has now blanked for three successive Gameweeks and Alli has only two assists from his last five starts.

Draw suits dogged Newcastle

Newcastle will have come away far happier with the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace than their hosts, who out-shot the Magpies 21-11 and had 15 attempts in the box to the visitors’ six.

But a 23rd-minute Mohamed Diame goal, from Ayoze Perez’s assist, and some backs-to-the-wall defending secured Rafa Benitez’s men a point despite a second-half onslaught from the Eagles.

Luka Milivojevic (4.7) scored the equaliser from the penalty spot after a foul on Christian Benteke, and for all Palace’s huffing and puffing to find a winner, they still only mustered four efforts on target. Newcastle, by contrast, forced Wayne Hennessey into seven saves.

The goal was Milivojevic’s fourth in the last eight Gameweeks, making him the highest-scoring sub-5.0 midfielder.

That didn’t stop 30% of his 266,000 ownership benching him for the Newcastle encounter and, despite his form and potential from the spot, the Serbian could suffer more of the same as Palace embark on a brutal run (eve TOT MUN che hud LIV) over the next six Gameweeks.

Benteke will at least go into that set of fixtures in good form. His assist means he’s produced points for five successive Gameweeks now and has two goals and five assists over his last eight appearances.

Wilfried Zaha started up front due to Bakary Sako’s season-ending injury in midweek, but he switched back to the wing as Palace gained second-half momentum, with James McArthur moved centrally behind Benteke.

Change was also afoot at the back, although not through design by coach Roy Hodgson, who was forced to introduce the fit-again Mamadou Sakho when Martin Kelly succumbed to a hamstring problem just before the break.

That makes it seven regular starters now injured at Palace which, coupled with that horrendous run, won’t inspire many of us to be investing in Eagles assets for now.

Their fixtures do ease for the last six Gamweeks of the season, however.

Newcastle players offer even less Fantasy appeal.

Up front, they’ve not scored more than once for seven straight matches and in defence, they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in four – and the consecutive shut-outs they managed before that were their first since Gameweek 9.

Perez (5.2), at least, has upped his consistency. He’s started four of the last five matches and has scored or assisted in all but one of them.

But the likes of Jordan Ayew and Callum Wilson offer far more appeal in that price bracket, particularly as eight of Newcastle’s remaining 12 opponents are top-half teams.