EPL Best XI – Week 31

There was only half a round of games in the Premier League this past weekend, what with FA Cup action also going on, and so with just ten teams taking part picking a best XI may be slightly different to usual. Sunday’s action was fun-packed, as Everton raised some eyebrows by beating Chelsea 2-0 at Goodison Park – their first home victory since mid-January – putting a big dent in Chelsea’s top-four ambitions. Liverpool were tested more than many will have been expecting at Craven Cottage, a late James Milner penalty putting them top of the table with a 2-1 win against Fulham. On Saturday, Bournemouth played out a 2-2 draw at home to Newcastle, Leicester won 2-1 at Burnley and West Ham beat Huddersfield in a 4-3 thriller.

GK – Jordan Pickford (Everton)
After an unfortunate capitulation against Newcastle in his previous outing, England stopper Pickford was the only keeper in the English top flight to keep a clean sheet. That earned him seven points, putting him top of this weekend’s custodian charts.

DF – Yerry Mina (Everton)
No real surprises here – the Toffees’ defenders earned more fantasy points than any other side this weekend owing to their clean sheet. Mina, valued at 6m in the game, earned another five to take his season total to 16.

DF – Michael Keane (Everton)
Former Burnley defender Keane earned five fantasy points of his own from the clean sheet, and at just 3.5m he is the cheapest of the defenders on this list. He now has 33 points for the season.

DF – Lucas Digne (Everton)
The fourth Everton player in a row here, Digne seems to have settled in well on Merseyside, and his five points this weekend take him up to a decent season total of 42 so far.

DF – Wes Morgan (Leicester)
A non-Everton defender makes this week’s list! Morgan earned himself four points from Leicester’s win at Burnley, as he scored one of the Foxes’ goals.He now has 16 for the season.

MF – Matt Ritchie (Newcastle)
Ritchie took four points away from this game for any fantasy managers with him in their team – he scored one of the Geordies’ goals in their 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, largely making amends for his penalty miss in the previous weekend’s win over Everton.

MF – Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Mane makes this list yet again with four more fantasy points. They take him past the century, as he now sits on 101 – a cracking total. At 9.5m he represents great value – he scored one of Liverpool’s goals in their 2-1 win at Fulham.

MF – Mark Noble (West Ham)
The Hammers stalwart scored one of the many goals in that 4-3 cracker against Huddersfield. He is having a relatively quiet season, with just 20 points accumulated to date, but this could prove a springboard to greater things for his fantasy managers.

MF – James Milner (Liverpool)
Milner continues the Merseyside-heavy theme this week, his own four points coming thanks to his scoring the other goal in Liverpool’s win in west London. He now has 49 for the season – not too shabby.

ST – Joshua King (Bournemouth)
The Cherries striker had a great afternoon at Dean Court on Saturday, netting both of his side’s goals as Bournemouth drew 2-2 with Newcastle. These eight points have taken his campaign tally up to 45 so far.

ST – Javier Hernandez (West Ham)
Chicarito was head and shoulders above other Premier League strikers this weekend (well, apart from King that is) as he bagged a brace in West Ham’s 4-3 win.

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