In a Gameweek 38 Scout Notes and Scoreboard rolled into one, we look back on the final day of Premier League action.
Tom covers the matches at Arsenal, Brentford, Brighton, Burnley and Chelsea, with Neale summarising the other five.
ARSENAL 2-1 EVERTON
Kai Havertz (£7.6m) returned for the fifth straight match as Arsenal beat Everton 2-1 in north London. In the end, his Gameweek 38 strike helped him finish ninth in the overall midfielder standings, having served up nine goals and eight assists in his final 14 appearances. Havertz racked up nine shots in the box on Sunday, underscoring his threat when leading the line.
A slight muscle injury kept Bukayo Saka (£8.8m) out of the squad, but Martin Odegaard (£8.6m) stepped up in his absence. The playmaker made both Arsenal goals, first teeing up Takehiro Tomiyasu (£4.5m), before supplying the assist for Havertz’s late winner.
Meanwhile, there was a welcome return for substitute Jurrien Timber (£4.6m), who played his first minutes since his ACL injury in Gameweek 1.
As for Everton, they countered well at the Emirates and with the exception of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, Sean Dyche’s side have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League this season.
BRENTFORD 2-4 NEWCASTLE UNITED
Bruno Guimaraes (£5.8m) and Alexander Isak (£8.4m) starred as Newcastle secured seventh place in the Premier League.
Should Manchester City beat Manchester United in next weekend’s FA Cup final, that’ll get them a Conference League place. If United win at Wembley, however, the Magpies won’t have European football next season.
In a lively clash, Isak rewarded his owners with a goal, two assists and two bonus, with his total of 11 goals from Gameweek 27 onwards only beaten by two other Premier League players. Guimaraes, however, was the game’s highest scorer, with 16 points in total.
Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon (£6.4m) missed out with an ankle injury but his replacement Harvey Barnes (£6.2m) scored, netting Newcastle’s opener with a nice header.
Brentford started brightly, with Yoane Wissa (£5.7m) lively, but they were vulnerable defensively, which Newcastle were able to exploit.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION 0-2 MANCHESTER UNITED
Manchester United beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 at the Amex, as the Seagulls said goodbye to Roberto De Zerbi.
Despite the win, Erik ten Hag’s side have failed to secure European football for next season after finishing eighth. They must now beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final in order to compete in Europe next season.
As for the action, Diogo Dalot (£5.2m) was excellent at both ends of the pitch and a constant outlet down the left flank. With 15 points, he was the joint-highest-scoring defender in Gameweek 38.
“It is about making overloads in midfield and, from there on, he is a very good runner in behind, he can do it from left and right full-back. He can attack from there but also in the centre areas and on wide areas, by bringing crosses in. He is a player who has developed as a full-back, and not as just as a full-back, but also as an inverted one too. I think his development has been very good this season and we are very pleased with him.” – Erik ten Hag on Diogo Dalot
Substitute Rasmus Hojlund (£7.1m) later wrapped up the win, but it was a day to forget for Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m). The Portuguese started as the false nine again but was booked and replaced on 59 minutes, with next weekend’s trip to Wembley clearly in ten Hag’s mind.
BURNLEY 1-2 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Chris Wood’s (£4.7m) double helped set up a comfortable win for Nottingham Forest, as they sealed their top-flight safety on Sunday.
Burnley had much more of the ball at Turf Moor (73.1 possession), but Forest carried the most threat, with Anthony Elanga (£4.9m), Morgan Gibbs-White (£5.7m), Callum Hudson-Odoi (£4.7m) and Wood all lively in attack.
Wood, who ends the campaign with 14 goals, couldn’t complete his hat-trick but he is a budget forward to watch next year, given how well he has performed under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Burnley, meanwhile, kept just two clean sheets this season and lacked any real impetus in attack, which was evident here. Josh Cullen’s (£5.0m) goal at least acted as late inspiration, but it was too little too late for Vincent Kompany’s troops.
CHELSEA 2-1 BOURNEMOUTH
Cole Palmer’s (£6.3m) stunning season continued on Sunday when he claimed the assist for Raheem Sterling’s (£6.8m) goal.
With 243 points overall, Palmer finishes the campaign as the highest-scoring FPL player, a phenomenal achievement given that you could buy him for just £4.9m in October.
Moises Caicedo (£4.5m) also found the net, scoring from just inside the opposition half.
Chelsea’s improved form has seen them secure European football for next season, either in the Europa League or Conference League. And only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have taken more points than the Blues in 2024, with 10 wins and five draws from 18 matches, so it’ll be interesting to see how FPL towers price them up next season.
Despite this defeat, it’s been a decent season for Bournemouth. At Stamford Bridge, they were certainly keen to make a game of it, racking up 22 shots and 2.15 expected goals (xG), compared to the hosts’ 16 shots/0.99 xG.
Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola said Dominic Solanke (£6.9m) did not start after he picked up a small problem in his hip, so wasn’t worth risking. Goalkeeper Murara Neto (£4.6m) did return, however, having been stuck on the bench for the last four matches prior to Sunday.
CRYSTAL PALACE 5-0 ASTON VILLA
One of the most predictable thrashings of the final day saw in-form Crystal Palace demolish a thoroughly disinterested Aston Villa.
Fringe players like Robin Olsen (£3.9m), Calum Chambers (£3.8m) and Jhon Duran (£5.0m) were handed starts for the visitors, while Unai Emery’s own son was even on the bench.
Take nothing away from the Eagles, though. No team scored more goals than Oliver Glasner’s side in their last six matches (20), with another five being added against Villa.
And since Glasner took charge, Jean Philippe Mateta (£5.1m) is the division’s leading scorer. A final-day treble took him to 13 goals in as many games.
They were his only three shots of the game, too, with that ruthlessness a feature of his time under Glasner: a conversion rate of 48% is a figure you seldom see sustained over a long stretch.
Fantasy managers who went for Michael Olise (£5.7m) over Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) were at the wrong end of what the kids call ‘variance’. Olise outshot his teammate six to five but couldn’t convert any of them, twice being denied by Olsen and then shooting inches wide. Eze, by contrast, scored with two shots from outside the area. Fine margins.
Both players assisted Mateta, as did Daniel Munoz (£4.5m). That assist was one of five chances the defender created, delivering on the sustained attacking threat he has shown since Glasner was appointed. He’ll be in a lot of FPL teams come August if the pricemakers fail to give him a rise.
“Yes, he’s in great shape, he scores fantastic goals, but he also benefits from his team-mates. The first was a great ball from Michael. We knew they play a high line, he [Mateta] makes the run and scores the goal. The confidence in finishing the second [after] a great ball from Daniel Muñoz. The third again, great dribbling from Michael. It’s all about team effort.” Oliver Glasner on Jean Philippe Mateta
LIVERPOOL 2-0 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Jurgen Klopp was sent off in style by the Anfield faithful, with his squad just about keeping their end of the bargain with a victory over 10-man Wolves.
Profligacy has dogged the Reds all season, with only Everton and Brentford underachieving more on the xG front.
Wastefulness was again the story of Gameweek 38, to the frustration of Fantasy managers who backed Mohamed Salah (£13.4m) and co to deliver a farewell goalfest. We couldn’t even blame Darwin Nunez (£7.5m), a 71st-minute substitute, this time.
There were bad misses from each of the starting front three of Salah, Luiz Diaz (£7.6m) and Cody Gakpo (£7.1m), who all fluffed their lines with the goal gaping. Salah, who had more shots in Gameweek 38 than anyone bar Havertz, was also denied by a flying Jose Sa (£5.0m) save.
The Reds finished the day with a Gameweek-high 5.24 xG and 36 shots. Andrew Robertson (£6.4m), creator of seven chances (another high for the match round), had to settle for clean sheet and bonus points.
Alexis Mac Allister (£5.9m) and Jarell Quansah (£4.0m) popped up with goals to settle the contest, with the latter forcing Salah’s bobbling effort over the line.
LUTON TOWN 2-4 FULHAM
An Alfie Doughty (£4.3m) attacking return, a Callum Morris (£4.7m) strike and four goals conceded was basically Luton’s season in a nutshell.
Doughty finished the season with more goals and assists combined than any other defender (12), while Morris scored as many goals as Darwin (11).
The plucky Hatters ended up finding the net in 25 of their final 26 fixtures, with Morris and Elijah Adebayo (£4.8m) wasting early big chances here to add to their goals scored column.
What sent them down was their awful defending.
There was plenty of that on show here, with the second-string Fulham attack of Adama Traore (£4.9m), Harry Wilson (£5.3m) and Raul Jimenez (£5.0m) all given too much time to score (with admittedly well-taken efforts) from the edge of the box.
Jimenez, starting ahead of Rodrigo Muniz (£4.3m) for the first time since Gameweek 22, also nodded in from a free-kick, again given too much space by the relegated hosts.
MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 WEST HAM UNITED
Erling Haaland (£14.3m) had one of those days as Fantasy managers backing differential captains largely got the upper hand.
Above: The most backed captains in the top 10k
There were several near misses as the ball just wouldn’t drop in, the Norwegian failing to convert a cross from six yards, flashing a header wide and seeing a goalbound shot blocked by Kurt Zouma (£4.5m).
You get those afternoons from Haaland sometimes (think Gameweek 25 v Chelsea), it was just bad timing for those rank protectors trying to play defensively on the final day.
Armband alternative Phil Foden (£8.4m) delivered the goods, by contrast, a first-half brace setting City on their way to a fourth successive title.
Pep Guardiola’s surprising teamsheet tweak, bringing Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) in for Mateo Kovacic (£4.6m), turned out to be a masterstroke.
Doku was excellent and, for once, productive, teeing up Foden’s first and seeing Haaland spurn a second assist.
And the Belgian winger’s inclusion allowed Foden to move centrally, where he himself says he feels most at home and where he is increasingly looking world-class.
Foden’s final-day haul saw him finish second in the overall FPL points standings, behind only Palmer. A total of 230 points was 88 more than he finished on last season.
Rodri (£5.6m) settled the nerves after Mohammed Kudus‘ (£6.7m) cracker ensured there wouldn’t be a fifth clean sheet in six for City. The influential Spaniard’s goal took him to a career-best 18 attacking returns for the season, just one behind Odegaard and Bruno Fernandes.
SHEFFIELD UNITED 0-3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Spurs had flattered to deceive going into the final day, having lost five of their last six.
But in Sheffield United, they were encountering one of the worst promoted sides the Championship has ever served up.
The Lilywhites were made to look like their exciting early-season incarnation by the Blades, who reprised their usual trick of starting brightly – Ben Brereton Diaz (£5.0m) twice going close – before heading rapidly downhill.
Chris Wilder’s side didn’t have a single shot in the box in the final hour.
James Maddison (£7.8m), Son Heungmin (£10.0m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.7m) have been poor for weeks and months but all shone here, combining for the two goals that the Swede scored.
More points were left on the table, with Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) and Cristian Romero (£5.1m) wasting assists for Pedro Porro (£5.9m) and Son by missing from close range. Son also drew a superb save out of Wes Foderingham (£4.4m), while Maddison crashed an effort against the post.
Porro has been a cause of frustration for much of the season. He is the division’s leading defender for shots taken but the first 41 of those hadn’t found the back of the net.
Three goals in eight appearances provided some salvation, the last of them arriving here against the Blades. In the end, the aforementioned Doughty was the only defender to deliver more attacking returns this season.
Kulusevski was interestingly used as a central striker here, with Micky van de Ven (£4.4m) again at left-back. The Dutchman almost netted in successive Gameweeks in the seconds before Porro smashed home.
“I thought Deki was good. He’s worked awfully hard this year without a lot of reward in the front third. We thought playing him through middle today would help us with his mobility and ability to run in behind. He did well.” – Ange Postecoglou
GAMEWEEK 38 PLAYER AND TEAM STATS
TEAMS – GOAL ATTEMPTS
TEAMS – EXPECTED GOALS (XG)
PLAYERS – GOAL ATTEMPTS (TOT)
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8 months, 16 hours agoSee https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2024/05/19/2023-24-fpl-winner-jonas-sand-labakk-crowned-champion/?hc_page=2&hc_sort_by=comment_date#hc_comment_26621547 for the GW38 Rough with the Smooth hot topic.