We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from the Friday night clash between Luton Town and Everton.
4 IN 5 FOR CALVERT-LEWIN
FPL managers probably won’t be interested in Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.8m) right now, with no ‘doubles’ to come for Everton.
However, the 27-year-old is in goalscoring mood, having found the net on four occasions in his last five Premier League appearances, as many as his previous 38.
Calvert-Lewin’s first-half penalty put the Toffees ahead at Kenilworth Road, and he almost added a second after the break, when Thomas Kaminski (£4.5m) acrobatically saved his close-range header.
Jarrad Branthwaite (£4.4m) won Everton’s spot-kick, meanwhile, when he was wrestled to the ground by Teden Mengi (£3.9m).
With his assist at Luton, Branthwaite has now returned in four successive matches, a period which has seen him claim 31 points. Sheffield United are up next at Goodison Park, so the centre-half looks like a decent Bench Boost option.
“We’ve defended really well this year, apart from the Chelsea game.
“We’ve got a home game next week against Sheffield United and it’s a great opportunity to play in front of our fans and put on a show because they deserve it.” – James Tarkowski
Everton have put together a highly impressive run of four successive home wins, all with clean sheets.
Their Premier League status has been secured, however, a potential concern given Sean Dyche’s post-match comments (see below).
That said, the Blades have nothing to play for either and could equally take their foot off the gas.
“Because I know the players well, I thought we were just off it – not on the beach, by the way, but just off it. It looked like we’ve played a lot of football, a lot of high-pressure football that we’ve had to come through and get results, so I’ll forgive them for that because they’ve put a lot into this season.
“I think just the quality of our play and the demand of winning just softened a little bit – but the thing that is improving this season is the resilience of the side that, possibly, in the past would have gone under in games like that. We didn’t. We were throwing ourselves in at the end, making sure we were getting blocks on and get ourselves a point against a team who are fighting for their lives and fair play to them because they’ve got to a point in the season where they’ve got a chance after nobody giving them a chance.
“It means a lot to them and they’re putting a lot into the box, asking questions, so credit to them.” – Sean Dyche
ADEBAYO RETURNS/DOUGHTY BACK TO HIS BEST
Elijah Adebayo (£4.8m) marked his return with a goal for Luton on Friday.
In his first start since suffering an injury in Gameweek 24, Adebayo showed exactly what Luton had been missing, hammering a shot into the bottom corner.
That’s five goals in five games for the £4.8m forward, who continues to impress leading the line in Rob Edwards’ 3-4-2-1 formation.
“He’s got that, and you can see we’ve missed him. He’s a key player for us and it’s great to have him back.
“He’s not fully fit but he showed what he could do.” – Rob Edwards on Elijah Adebayo
Elsewhere, Alfie Doughty (£4.4m) caused mayhem down the left, racking up 16 crosses and six key passes.
Returns have dried up for the wing-back of late but Friday’s display was a reminder of his qualities, both from open play and set-pieces.
Above: Alfie Doughty’s touch heatmap v Everton in Gameweek 36
“We still wanted to use the width more. We maybe forced things a little bit. We tried to play a little bit vertical and could have switched it sooner. The effort was there and there was some good quality at times, there really was.” – Rob Edwards
Meanwhile, Luton have now only failed to score in one of their last 24 league matches, a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal last month. Next up: Alphonse Areola (£4.2m) and Bernd Leno (£4.8m).
However, should Nottingham Forest beat Sheffield United and Burnley overcome Newcastle United on Saturday, Rob Edwards’ side could finish the weekend in 19th and three points adrift of safety, with just two games to play.
