We begin our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 5 Scout Notes with analysis of Newcastle United v Leeds United.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 1-1 LEEDS UNITED
- Goals: Allan Saint-Maximin (£6.6m) | Raphinha (£6.5m)
- Assists: Joelinton (£5.8m) | Patrick Bamford (£7.9m)
- Bonus points: Karl Darlow (£4.5m) x3, Saint-Maximin x2, Raphinha x1
Gameweek 5 got off to an entertaining start as Newcastle United and Leeds United shared a point at St. James’ Park.
With two shaky defences on show, it was a predictably open-game which saw a combined 38 attempts on goal, with Allan Saint-Maximin’s (£6.6m) equaliser cancelling out Raphinha’s (£6.5m) opener.
LIVELY SAINT-MAXIMIN
If anyone was going to score for Newcastle, it was always going to be Saint-Maximin, who dug out a low shot across the face of the goal to equalise just before half-time.
Leading the line in the absence of Callum Wilson (£7.4m), the Frenchman was electric throughout, ending the match with five goal attempts and eight FPL points.
Often ridiculed for his lack of end product, Saint-Maximin has now returned in four of the opening five Gameweeks, with two goals, two assists and four bonus points during that time. And with Watford (a), Wolverhampton Wanderers (a), Tottenham Hotspur (h) and Crystal Palace (a) up next, his FPL ownership – which currently sits at 8.8% – will surely be into double figures by the time Gameweek 6 arrives.
Matt Ritchie (£5.0m) also impressed from a Fantasy perspective. Having started as a wing-back, he later shifted into a back four but still found himself in some promising positions and came close to scoring as he rattled the post. He also registered seven crosses, created two chances and took some set-pieces.
Defensively, the league’s worst defence so far this season left plenty of gaps, and as result, conceded 21 shots to Leeds. That meant that the returning Karl Darlow (£4.5m) was kept busy, as he registered an eight-point haul despite conceding, thanks to nine saves and three bonus points.
Newcastle United’s shots conceded map v Leeds United in Gameweek 5
RAPHINHA AND BAMFORD DELIVER ATTACKING RETURNS
Raphinha and Patrick Bamford (£7.9m), both of whom were the subject of injury rumours during the week, started for the visitors and combined for the opener after just 13 minutes.
Picking up the ball wide on the right, the Brazilian swung in a cross which bent towards the far corner and found its way into the back of the net after a neat step over from the impressive Rodrigo (£6.3m).
However, Raphinha was withdrawn after 67 minutes, which does suggest that the pre-match rumours of him carrying an injury may have had at least a little substance to them.
As for Bamford, he struggled to make an impact for large periods, but did miss a good chance in the second-half and at least returned five FPL points for his owners via that assist.
Daniel James (£6.0m) also made a first start for Leeds since his summer move from Manchester United, replacing Jack Harrison (£5.8m) who has tested positive for Covid-19, though he was ineffective and replaced on the hour mark.
As a result of tonight’s draw, Leeds remain winless this season with three points from five games. However, their fixtures between Gameweeks 6 and 10 (see below) should at least give them an opportunity to start moving up the table soon.
“We had sufficient chances to go in at the break with a bigger margin, but we didn’t score in proportion to the amount of chances we created. We were missing some efficiency and capitalising on the chances that we had. We had a lot of possession, perhaps we could have created even more danger especially in the second half.” – Marcelo Bielsa
Newcastle XI: Darlow, Manquillo (Krafth 81), Hayden, Lascelles, Clark, Ritchie, Willock, S Longstaff, Almiron (Fraser 62), Joelinton (Murphy 90+1), Saint-Maximin
Leeds XI: Meslier, Dallas, Ayling (Shackleton 89), Cooper, Firpo, Phillips, Klich, Raphinha (Summerville 67), Rodrigo, James (Roberts 61), Bamford
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