Goal scoring was at a premium in the Premier League this past weekend with a total of nine teams being held off the score sheet completely. Chelsea celebrated Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge with the most lopsided victory of the weekend so it should be no surprise that they are well represented on this list. Here is a look at the top individual EPL fantasy performances by position from this past weekend in the Premier League.
GK: Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea
Chelsea must have had this one marked on the calendar as they celebrated Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge with a 4-0 victory on Sunday. The former Chelsea manager did receive a respectful reception from the crowd but his former team handed it to his current team in the most lopsided result of the weekend. Courtois did his part with five saves to preserve the clean sheet victory and edge out his competition as the top EPL fantasy goalkeeper of the week in the Premier League. Chelsea has now allowed nine goals on the season, which not bad. Only three other teams have allowed fewer.
Honorable Mention: Adrian, West Ham United; Lee Grant, Stoke City
D: Winston Reid, West Ham United
West Ham United was headed towards its sixth draw in nine matches this season when Reid broke the scoreless draw wit hthe lone goal of the match in the fourth minute of injury time. Sunderland had to feel snake bitten that the game had not been called but it was Reid that jumped on the opportunity and capitalized with the winning goal for a team that was desperate for a victory. With a game-winning goal and a clean sheet, Reid was the obvious choice for the top fantasy defender of the week. West Ham has been a terrible defensive team so far this season as they’ve allowed 17 goals already. Only one other team (Hull City) has allowed more.
Honorable Mention: Gary Cahill, Chelsea; Ryan Shawcross, Stoke City; Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
M: Phillippe Coutinho, Liverpool
Coutinho might have finished with just a single point but he was an absolute star on the field for Liverpool in a 2-1 win over West Brom. With the reds in front 1-0 in the 35th minute, Coutinho added an insurance goal that wound up being the game-winning marker and the difference in the close contest. Coutinho wasn’t done there as he fired off six shots including two on target to ensure he earned top spot at his position in a relatively quiet weekend for Premier League midielders.
M: N’Golo Kante, Chelsea
In a relatively quiet week in terms of goal scoring, Kante’s lone goal in the 4-0 win over Manchester United was able to earn him a top spot at his position. Kante’s goal was a beauty for sure as he tricked his way into the area with a couple of nice moves before finishing and he did have two shots in the contest. Still, it’s a relatively low score overall for one of the the top Premier League midfielders of the week.
Honorable Mention: Eden Hazard, Chelsea; Ahmed Musa, Leicester City
F: Xherdan Shaqiri, Stoke City
Shaqiri was an absolute star for Stoke City and he was clearly the biggest reason why they earned a maximum three points with a 2-0 win over Hull City. Shaqiri opened the scoring in the 26th minute and then added another in the 50th minute to put Stoke ahead by two goals. The Swiss striker finished the game with two goals and three shots to earn top EPL fantasy honors at the forward position.
F: Pedro, Chelsea
Pedro made his mark in the very first minute of the game as he pounced on a giveaway pass and then deked out David De Gea and burying the ball at the back of the net to give Chelsea the 1-0 lead. It was the fastest goal in the Premier League so far this season. Pedro added an assist to finish with two points and two shots on net and earn the final spot on this list for EPL fantasy.
Honorable Mention: Sadio Mane, Liverpool; Sam Vokes, Burnley
